REBATE PROGRAM ENDS DECEMBER 2011
Capital Electric - September 1, 2011
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Following the purchase and installation of their geothermal system, the Fleck family received $2,400 back thanks to the North Dakota Utility Rebate Program and Capital Electric Cooperative. |
Members retrofit and save
Kurt Fleck talks the talk. And because he believes in walking the walk, he felt the right thing to do was to install a geothermal heating and cooling system in his house — the very same product he promotes through his business, Western Drilling, Inc.
As a contractor who installs exchange systems for ground-source heat pumps, Kurt knew he could improve the performance of his home's propane gas furnace by retroffitting it with a geothermal unit and increasing its efficiency from 95 to 400 percent. He was also familiar with the North Dakota Utility Rebate Program and knew he needed to purchase and install his heat pump by the end of this year to take advantage of his electric co-op's rebate program.
Kurt and his wife, Dana, are Capital Electric members who live northeast of Bismarck. When they built their house back in 2001, they chose to heat their home and shop with propane. Within the past few years, the rising cost of propane and Kurt's desire to promote geothermal prompted the couple to purchase two units: a new one for the house, and a used one for the shop.
Josh Schaffner, member services assistant at Capital Electric, says most retrofits are either a stand-beside furnace or a complete furnace changeout, where the member gets rid of the furnace altogether and puts in a forced-air geothermal system. But the split system the Flecks had installed is like a new air conditioner.
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Inside the house, the Flecks retrofitted their furnace to include an Econar® geothermal system. With the split system, the Flecks use electricity as their primary source of power and propane as their backup source. |
"Instead of the air conditioning unit being outside and the air coil being inside the furnace, it's a geo coil and the geo unit is inside. So instead of taking their existing gas furnace out and selling it, they keep it and do not need two air handlers," Schaffner explains.
The Flecks will still use propane to power the water heater. Propane is also their secondary source of heat, so if the geothermal system cannot handle the load, the propane will automatically turn on until the house returns to the established temperature. Then the propane will shut off if the geothermal system can maintain the temperature. Because the Flecks use both electricity and propane, they qualify for Capital Electric's off-peak and dual-fuel electric rates.
While Kurt and Dana agree that geothermal is a significant investment, they've witnessed through Kurt's business that they'll see a substantial return on investment.
"To me, geothermal is a promising resource for current and future energy needs. It is by far the most efficient system out there today in heating and cooling," Kurt asserts. "Instead of giving a vendor $300 a month for propane, now I'm putting $300 in my pocket. Over the course of 20 years, it figures out to be about $72,000. I'd say it pays for itself several times."
For more information on the North Dakota Utility Rebate Program, visit www.ndarec.com and click on Utility Rebate Program.