What are the first steps to renovating for a geoexchange system?

1) The first place to start is to look at the Geoexchange BC's website to find an ‘installer’ – this is what you need for a residential application (for a larger application like a commercial building, you need a designer – which means you will be paying about $2000 more for the engineers stamp). To see a list of installers, click here. 

2) Call them and ask them:

a) Are they IGSHPA (International Ground Source Heat Pump Association) certified? This provides some assurance that they are trustworthy installers.

b) Be ready to describe your current home heating system to them: is it forced air, steam, electric baseboard or water heat?

It is mandatory that the installer/designer visit the site to properly evaluate the type/size/cost of a proposed system loop.  An intrusive thermal conductivity test is highly recommended for commercial installations.  Be willing to ask for a few estimates before you find a company and a price that you both trust and can afford.

3) Other things to think about:

a) Think also about calling a company that can provide ESCO services (energy services – this means they will pay for the system themselves upfront and they will be paid back by you as the energy savings come in over the years). 

There are companies that are doing this already that you could call: Terra Source out of Kelowna, P: 250-762-2325 F:250-762-2929. e-mail: terrasource@blenkdev.com 

Locally, Terasen Utility will finance geoexchange systems, but they would only do it on a large scale, like for a whole residential block. So if there is any chance that you will want to get the whole block in on the fun, then get everyone together and then I could give you some contacts at Terasen Gas.

b) For geoexchange systems, doing it on new houses makes the most sense, and doing a retrofit on a large number of houses – like a block at a time, also makes a lot of financial sense. The single house retrofit is harder to find a financial payback. Having said that, though, it is still totally worth getting some quotes from a few IGSHPA certified installers, and talking with Terra Source (because maybe they could finance it and you could pay it back through the savings).

c) Financial incentives: There are a few of them. Energy Guide for Houses has a “Grant Calculator” – I haven’t done it and don’t really understand it but I think it would be applicable – let me know if you find out. There are more incentives listed on Geoexchange BC's website here but I don’t know much about them. 

d) If you want some basic information to describe the options see: http://www.bchydro.bc.ca/powersmart/elibrary/elibrary685.html  and http://www.canren.gc.ca/prod_serv/index.asp?CaId=150&PgId=769

Keep in mind that for a residential application with a standard sized city lot you will likely have to drill down to get enough length of pipe to make it make financial sense.

e) The earth/water loop is typically the more expensive part of the system and is also where the most potential problems occur.  There are four different conventional system types: horizontal or vertical earth loop, open water loop, and closed water loop.

f) Geoexchange systems provide both space heating and cooling functions and can also pre-heat your hot water needs.  The most cost effective system is one used for space heating and cooling plus hot water heating.  Systems used simply for space heating and/or hot water heating are far less attractive.

g) Find your house in this map to see if it is in a good location for geoexchange: http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/buildsmart/pdfs/posterregenergyscangeoexchangesust.pdf

h) Geoexchange can also be coupled with solar thermal and/or orther thermal sources nearby.

Finally, Please see our explanation of how geoexchange systems work.

For more information and suggestions regarding system design and installation, please refer to the GeoExchange System Design Guidelines for BC:  http://www.geoexchangebc.ca/pdf/ahsrae_april292005.pdf

Below is a picture of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve Operations Centre in Sidney BC, which uses an ocean based geoexchange system with radiant heating and colling, and which has an energy performance of 75% better than code.