Hopps Field
Private Residence
2800 sq ft, Greenleaf Idaho
Retrofit:  Removed existing 80% propane furnace and A/C

Replacing propane systems with a Geothermal Heat Pump has been a huge part of our business.  The payback for a geothermal system when compared to the cost of propane is generally 2 years or less!  The 30% Federal tax credit has helped homeowners even more.  Homeowners receive a tax credit equal to 30% of the complete system install cost (with no cap).  This along with the Idaho Power Incentive check ($1,000 written directly to the owners) basically cuts the cost of a system in half!  We installed an underground drain field on this system as well.

Black Canyon
Private Residence
2200 sq ft, Emmett Idaho
New construction

3 Ton WaterFurnace Envision system.  Ground water in this Emmett area is abundant and close to the surface which is excellent for open loop systems.  This homeowner was able to discharge into a warm water slough on his property and save money in initial install costs.  As with all our systems, the Hot Water Generator (HWG) is included.  The HWG connects directly to a stand alone water heater.  Whenever the unit is either heating or cooling the home, it is also injecting heat into the water heater to provide additional savings.  This energy is absolutely free in the summer (heat is a by-product in cooling mode).  After a month the customer said the same thing we’ve heard many times…”For some reason we’re keeping our house 2 degrees cooler than in the past?  It just feels warmer and we’re comfortable there.”  The system doesn’t dry the air like gas furnaces and provides more even heat due to longer run cycles.  This makes the home feel warmer at the same temperature on the T-stat.

Cascade Lake – Vertical Closed Loop
Private Residence
5000 sq ft, Donnelly Idaho
New Construction – 2 geoexchange systems connected to common closed loop

This home is located right on Cascade Lake. Space restrictions didn’t allow for a pit with horizontal slinky loops. Instead a driller was employed to drill six vertical bore holes. Loop piping was then installed and grouted back to the surface. We fused the loops together into a header system that would ensure even flow through all six loops and brought the headers into the home. Inside we installed two circulators, isolation valves, and connected to the water source heat pumps. As with all closed loop systems, the piping was then purged of air, freeze protected, and pressurized.

Mountain View

WaterFurnace Envision 2-Stage, variable speed blower, with R410A.

Firebird
Private Residence 5000 sq ft, Eagle Idaho
Retrofit – Removed (2) propane furnaces and (2) A/C units

2-Stage WaterFurnace Envision and Intellizone system allows us to once again replace two heating systems with one geothermal unit.  Connecting the ductwork from both units and installing the zones were challenging here, but ended up working great.  We also went into the attic and replaced all the supply air ductwork to ensure proper flow to the upper level zone.  Notice the  main wall return right beside the unit in the basement.  We will pull most of the return air from the basement area with by-pass ducts connecting the main living areas upstairs.  This will cycle the air throughout the home and ensure constant pressure.

Eagle Hill
Top Private Residence 4800 sq ft, Eagle Idaho
Retrofit – Removed air-source heat pump and electric air handler

5 Ton WaterFurnace Envision and earth loop. After the install, this customer downloaded “Smart Meter” data from Idaho Power. He compared energy consumption over the last two years for the same two-month period. The WaterFurnace system was using half of the KWhrs per heating degree day. This is great data considering we replaced an air-source heat pump which are more efficient than std. gas furnaces. Even better is the fact that the customers keep their home warmer now, and still save 35% – 50% on energy each month. Aside from the smart meters, we have installed metering devices directly to the ground-loop heat pumps on several systems. The customer can look (at any time) and determine exactly what they are spending to stay comfortable.

High Desert Lava
Private Residence 2811 sq ft, Mountain Home Idaho
Retrofit – Removed propane furnace and A/C unit

This customer purchased this home, and immediately contacted us to install a geoexchange system. When he called the propane company to come and get his tank, they said “We are very sorry to loose you as a customer.” Apparently the propane truck was a frequent visitor during heating months. This is another earth loop that got modified due to lava rock. We changed the shape of the pit, and for the first time, brought in some clean fill dirt to backfill over the loop piping. This was a small expense compared to the savings over the life of the geothermal system. On a side note, this customer’s domestic water well was ~450ft deep with limited capacity. This made the closed loop system a much better choice.

Installing this ground loop was challenging due to the sloped hillside. You can see the soil contained a large amount of river rock which made for a tedious backfill process as well. We are often able to remove two separate heating systems in a home, connect the ductwork together, and install a single WaterFurnace geo unit. The Intellizone control plays a huge part in the ability to do this. This home is experiencing much less than half the heating bill from winters past.

Turkey Country
Private Residence
6500 sq ft, Sweet Idaho
New Construction

We were contracted to install the earth loop only for this custom home in Sweet Idaho. It connects to two existing water-source heat pumps to provide heating, A/C, and all domestic hot water.

South Slope
Private Residence
5800 sq ft, Emmett Idaho
New Construction

We installed two Carrier ground loop heat pumps in this large home. Pictured here is the horizontal bore machine used to install the loop piping. Instead of digging a pit for slinky loops, we decided to experiment with a horizontal bore machine. This machine can bore a 4” hole horizontally at ~10ft deep. After each 200ft run, the machine can turn the drill head back toward the surface, attach to our loop pipe, and pull it back into the bore hole. Two pipes are pulled into the bore hole with a “U” bend fused onto the ends. The loop water flows out and back each bore hole absorbing heat from the earth and delivering it to the heat pump. Obvious advantage is saving landscaping or install loops under existing driveway, etc.

Ustick
Private Residence 4200 sq ft, Caldwell Idaho
New Construction

6 Ton water source heat pump and closed loop system. Zone controls allow three independent heating areas. The horizontal slinky loop configuration continues to be the most cost effective install in this area. Soil conditions and the heat load of the house always dictate the size of the loopfield. Depth is also a big factor. We could install all our loopfields at a depth of 1ft, but it would be the size of a football field. The deeper you dig, the less pipe you need. Goal is to select the depth and loop length that is most cost effective to install. This customer keeps their home at 72 degrees 24/7 during the winter.

Ziggys
Private Residence 2200 sq ft, Gooding Idaho
New Construction

This home employs a Climate Master geoexchange system and 4 Ton loop field. Also installed is an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) which provides fresh air to the home while conserving energy. Exterior walls in this house are built from Structural Insulated Panels (SIP). The SIP’s provide excellent insulation and can be easily sealed to combat heat loss due to infiltration. The result was an extremely tight and efficient home. This owner enjoys total energy bills that max out at ~$60 per month in the coldest part of winter. The pit is an odd shape because we encountered rock during excavation and had to change the lay-out.

Hidden Springs
Private Residence 7400 sq ft Residence, 3300 sq ft Woodshop, Office, Apartment Space
New Construction

This horizontal closed loop serves over 10,000 sq ft of heated space, domestic hot water, radiant floor, and hydronic air handlers. We installed a single WaterFurnace Envision to heat the 7400 sq ft home with four separate heating zones. A WaterFurnace E-Series water-to-water heat pump provides hot water which will heat the detached buildings and radiant floors. Both Geothermal Heat Pumps are connected to the same loopfield shown here. This home is insulated with closed cell spray foam which significantly reduces the heating loads. The system maintained 72 degrees throughout the house this December 2009. Based on the total amp draw (and $.072/KWHr), the system could run 24/7 (on high speed) for an entire month and the power bill would never exceed $260 for heating. Obviously it won’t run constantly, and the owner will enjoy even lower heating bills for this very large home.

Lake Lowell
Private Residence
4200 sq ft, Caldwell Idaho
New construction

6 Ton Carrier system with a 3-zone control board and NO back-up electric elements.  This homeowner connected the Hot Water Generator (HWG) from this unit to two Marathon water heaters.  Largest power bill for this home last winter was $250.  This is a complete energy bill for all hot water, cooking, lights, etc.

Frozen Dog

3 Ton WaterFurnace Envision.  This homeowner installed an underground drainfield based on our input.  Supply water is again from the domestic well (open loop).  After running through the WaterFurnace, the water is injected into the drainfield ~ 5ft below the surface where it drains back into the ground.  This is an effective and inexpensive way to discharge water with an open loop system.  Performance depends on soil type in the area.

Pear Blossom #3
Private Residence 3500 sq ft,
Meridian Idaho
Retrofit: Removed existing (2) 80% propane furnaces & (2) 10 SEER A/C units

Open loop WaterFurnace Envision system. Again with the Intellizone multi-zone control. All the Envision systems feature R410A earth friendly refrigerant, variable speed blower motors, and 2-stage compressor operation. The system is extremely quiet and makes about as much noise as a standard refrigerator. As with all open loop systems, we install components in the plumbing package to ensure any water noise is kept to a minimum. This is significant for anyone considering an open loop. With well pressures at 60psi, the water noise can be much louder than the heat pump if not installed correctly.

Pear Blossom #2
Private Residence 3400 sq ft,
Meridian Idaho
Retrofit: Removed existing (2) 80% propane furnaces & (2) 10 SEER A/C units

Existing propane systems were replaced with a WaterFurnace Synergy 3D unit and Intellizone control. The Synergy 3D unit will provide heating, A/C, domestic hot water, as well as hot water for radiant floor heat. The Intellizone system allows for independent temperature control both upstairs and down. As with almost all (of our) open loop systems, no back-up electric heat elements are installed. This home is heated entirely with the geothermal heat pump at 427% efficient (as measured at start-up).

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4800 sq.ft.
2 level custom home in Emmett

Two geothermal systems will heat this home when completed. The closed loop system was installed with a horizontal bore machine instead of digging a pit for slinky loops. This machine can install loopfields without disturbing much native soil / landscaping / grass. Almost none of the owners pasture was disturbed during the install.

4200 sq.ft.
New construction home in Caldwell

The first closed loop system we installed. We ended up installing a sub-metering device directly on the geothermal heat pump in this home. From Jan-Feb 2009 billing, the unit consumed $70 of power to heat the home. These owners maintain a constant indoor temperature of 72 degrees F day and night (24/7)! This is great data considering we know customers who were paying $700+ per month to heat similar size homes with propane.

2200 sq.ft.
Single level custom home in Gooding

Another closed loop system in Gooding Idaho. The upgraded insulation, tight construction, and geothermal heat pump resulted in a total power consumption of $60 per month. This was the largest monthly energy bill for this home over the last two winters!

Now to the closed loops. Main house is heated with a SINGLE WaterFurnace Envision with the Intellizone system set up for 4 zones. Detached apartment, woodshop, and office space will be conditioned with air handlers fed with heated and chilled water from a WaterFurnace E-Series water-2-water heat pump. The capacity of the loopfield is 13 Tons. The water-2-water geothermal heat pump will also supply hot water for radiant floor in the basement area. Both geothermal heat pumps will operate off the same loopfield.

A new construction open loop installation near the lake. This is a Carrier GT-PX unit supplied by Climatemaster. The zone system ensures that temperatures are comfortable at the master bedroom, main living area, and upper level. This install features two Marathon water heaters (one buffer tank connected to the HWG). The owner experienced power bills for the entire home (heating, hot water, lights, laundry, etc.) at ~$220 during the coldest months last winter.