Uncategorized
Taking Fossil Fuels out of the Equation: Geothermal Heating is Grounded
Published
13 years agoon
Posted By
AdminBy Tyler Allen
With the future cost of purchasing fossil fuels for
heat uncertain, and the cost to the environment
by burning them quite certain, many people in
Southwest Montana are looking for alternative
sources to heat their homes. One of these alternatives
is geothermal heating.
The EPA considers geothermal heat pumps, also
known as ground source heat pumps, to be the
most energy-efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally
sound heating systems.
How do they work? Because the earth’s surface is
such an effective solar collector, the upper 10 feet
of the ground maintains a relatively stable temperature
between 45 and 70 degrees F. Geothermal
pumps take advantage of this in two ways.
In winter they heat a building by extracting this
warmth from the ground. In summer, they cool a
home by sinking its warm air back into the Earth.
Three years ago, a client came to Peter Lee, owner
of Teton Heritage Builders, with a request to
install geothermal heat in a new home. After that
project was completed, Lee had other clients approach
him about geothermal. In 2010, he started
Energy Solutions to “become an advocate of this
technology.” The company now has four projects
operational and three others contracted in Southwest
Montana.
Conventional heating systems need to burn some
type of fuel source to create heat, while geothermal
systems collect heat and distribute it. Fluid
is circulated through a ‘loop system’ of highdensity
polyethylene pipes buried in the ground.
While underground, the fluid is heated. Then it
returns to the home to be compressed by the heat
pump and released into the building.
Electric heaters or heating systems that
burn fossil fuels can never exceed 100
percent efficiency, while geothermal
systems are 300-400 percent efficient;
essentially, for every unit of electricity
they use, they produce three or four units
of heat. While the initial investment may
be more expensive than a conventional
system, geothermal heat can pay for
itself within 3-6 years because it can save up to
70 percent in heating costs annually. In addition,
the unused heat in this system can be used to heat
the building’s water, cutting hot water costs by
30-60 percent. Additionally, conventional heating
systems typically last 13-15 years, whereas a
geothermal pump has a life expectancy of 20-25
years, and the pipes will last around 50.
Propane currently makes up about 90 percent
of the heating in the Big Sky area, and consistent
delivery can be a challenge. A client came
to Energy Solutions when the propane company
didn’t come to fill his tank and his house froze.
While this can be a
minor inconvenience to
a year-round resident,
some homeowners in
this mountain community
are gone for weeks
or months at a time.
Arriving for Christmas
to find the pipes frozen and the radiant floor a skating
rink could make for an unhappy vacation.
Retrofit installation tends to be more expensive than in
new construction—where cost ranges from $8-15 per
square foot—because you have to work around what
is already there, including trees, cable, gas pipes and
landscaping. Instead of using a Horizontal Loop system
that involves digging trenches 6-8’ deep and 100-300’
long, existing homes will often require a Vertical Loop
system. Holes are drilled 100-400’ deep, depending on
the heat load required by the building.
While the cost of propane, natural gas, and electricity
(which is predominantly produced by coal-fired plants
in Montana) is likely to increase in the future, the heat
captured from the Earth in a geothermal system will
remain free. And since the federal government is currently
offering a 30 percent tax incentive on renewable
energy projects until 2016, there is no better time to
consider geothermal as a viable option to heat your
home. thbes.com
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour of the studio, meet our instructors, and meet other artists of all levels in our community. We’ll be getting creative and you’ll have the chance to make your very own artful button pin.
Stick around for our Volunteer Appreciation and Social beginning at 6:30 p.m.!
Time
(Thursday) 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location
BASE
285 Simkins Dr