Ground source heating & cooling for residential and commercial properties

Latest Technologies, Economic Advantages, Environmental Impacts and Regulations

Presented by American Ground Water Trust

Today's ground source heating and cooling (GSHC) technology provides a proven method for  saving significant amounts of energy for heating, cooling and hot water generation for ANY application.   Thousands of homes, businesses and manufacturing plants across the nation are already taking advantage of these energy-efficient conditioning systems.  GSHC systems operate at significantly lower costs than traditional gas, oil or electric-based installations.  National benefits from geoexchange installations include less demand for energy generation capacity, reduction in green-house gas emissions and a reduced dependence on imports of oil and other fossil fuels.

By definition, installation of ground source systems involves accessing the sub-surface by either excavation or by drilling vertical bores.  Because the sub-surface heat-exchange process occurs near or beneath the ground water table, environmental and water resource regulatory questions about design and installation have been raised in some states.

This one-day program will:
    Define the “state of the art” in terms of design options and economic pay-back
    Demonstrate the environmental and strategic benefits of the technology
    Dispel common myths about the effectiveness, reliability and safety of ground source systems
    Explain industry-accepted installation, operation and maintenance practices
    Provide an update on state, local and regulatory oversight recommendations

Questions to be considered include:
    Are there any environmental or economic risks associated with this technology?
    Are there data that clearly demonstrate risk cause and effect? 
    Do design and installation standards provide adequate environmental protection?
    Should specific professional training be required for the below-ground system installation?
    Which agencies should, or do, have, regulatory oversight for heat exchange installations? 
    What are the barriers to widespread adoption of the technology for new buildings     or for homeowner retrofit?  What can be done to eliminate these barriers?

The Forum program draws on the experience & expertise of industry and agency professionals and will provide a unique opportunity for exchange of information among policy makers involved in energy issues and specialists involved with the design, construction and permitting of ground source geoexchange systems for cooling and heating.