Community Corner

UM Resident Digs Deep into Sustainable Energy

John Burkhauser's home in Willow Grove is the first house in a residential setting in Upper Moreland to be powered by geothermal energy.

John Burkhauser lives with his wife and children in Willow Grove and has spent the last 10 years trying to improve the energy efficiency in his family’s first home.

He sealed any drafts he could find, spent nearly $20,000 in replacement energy-efficient windows and added insulation throughout the house.

“This house has been my big experiment,” Burkhauser said. “The mission has always been to make it more efficient.”

Find out what's happening in Upper Moreland-Willow Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He had set his sights on finally insulating the roof when he realized that the house’s air-to-air heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) would need immediate attention.

“I knew it was just a matter of time before it failed,” he said.

Find out what's happening in Upper Moreland-Willow Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to Burkhauser, air-to-air HVAC units, commonly found outside most suburban homes with central air conditioning, have a life span of 15 years.

Wanting to replace the old HVAC system before it was too late, Burkhauser said he knew he had an opportunity to find a system that would increase energy efficiency and be ecologically friendly.

Burkhauser said he always had an interest in green technology. At the age of 12, he found out that water could be heated using a rubber hose and darkened glass. In recent years, he chose to purchase mini-solar cells to power his radio outside, as opposed to constantly using batteries.

“I was always interested in getting the best out of whatever we had,” he said.

During his HVAC system research, Burkhauser found that a generally untapped natural resource had been available for over 70 years: geothermal energy.

According to Burkhauser, geothermal energy usage first became popular in countries like Sweden, New Zealand and Iceland, and is currently powering houses and government facilities in all 50 states.

How a geothermal system works

Through a scientific property called “thermal inertia,” soil heats up and cools down at a much slower rate than water or air. This allows for solar energy to be collected and stored within the Earth, creating a constant 55-degree Fahrenheit temperature six feet past the surface of the Earth.

According to Burkhauser, a geothermal energy system uses looped PVC piping, drilled deep into the ground, to access the constant Earth temperature. Pressure pushes an antifreeze solution through the piping to a geothermal main unit containing heat pumps.

The heat pumps may amplify or simply move the energy from one place to another, utilizing the existing water tank and central air ducts.

Burkhauser, who teaches air-conditioning properties at the Automotive Training Center in Warminster, explained that less energy is required to move heat than to create it.

Depending on the need, heat may be amplified or collected to warm or cool a home, due to the constant 55-degree temperature source.

This means the system would work at its peak efficiency, even if the temperature outside the house fluctuates to extremes.

Going geothermal

By the late spring of 2009, Burkhauser’s air-to-air HVAC unit failed, which left the family with a major decision to make.

Burkhauser had worked with his wife, an accountant, on researching new HVAC systems, leaning heavily on the geothermal system.  He had informed her that replacing the old system with another air-to-air system would cost up to $15,000. However, installing the geothermal system at their house would cost twice as much.

“It’s going to cost us a lot of money, but we’re going to save a lot of money,” he reassured her, eventually swaying the family to go with the geothermal system.

After clearing the construction project with the township and various federal and local government agencies, Burkhauser hired certified geothermal energy system installers.

“I was standing out there when this big truck pulled up. That was my moment of panic,” he said. “There was a 34-ton truck sitting in front of my house.”

The drilling crew had to make two 300-foot wells in his front lawn, where the PVC looped piping would be installed. The process should have taken only up to three days to accomplish.  

“The first well went down flawlessly,” Burkhauzer said, explaining that the drill easily passed through a plateau of solid granite,  70 feet below the ground.

That was not the case with the second well.

“The second day, when they hit it, their drill bit seized, causing the whole house to shake,” recalled Burkhauser.

The incident set the drilling operation back two more days and caused some minor structural damage to the house.

By July 2009, after the initial flushing out phase, the Burkhausers became the first family in a residential setting to have a fully operational geothermal energy system in all of Upper Moreland Township.

Within the first weeks of geothermal usage, Burkhauser noticed the house’s kilowatt usage had decreased by 30 percent. By February of 2010, the family received a 30-percent rebate from a federal green initiative program. And, eventually, the grass grew back over the sites of the two wells.

“Now, when I install the [roof] insulation, I might increase efficiency by 5 or 10 percent,” Burkhauser said. “It’s all about building savings.”

A township with a similar story

As a founding member and secretary of the Upper Moreland Township’s Environmental Advisory Council, (EAC) Burkhauser was asked to present his research and personal testimony to the Board of Commissioners.

“None of this business was to impress the township,” Burkhauser said. “This is my own personal following.”

However, Burkhauser did recognize a similar story with the township building’s own air-to-air HVAC system.

He gave a presentation at the regular board meeting, March 7, titled “Suggestions for Replacement of Township Building’s HVAC System.”

The current issues with heating and cooling are apparent in the township building. During various meetings, including in the main room where the board of commissioners sits, windows or even doors leading outside must sometimes be opened to help regulate the room’s climate year-round. The current HVAC unit is loud enough to disrupt conversations in the township building.

According to Jonathon de Jonge, who also sits on the EAC, adopting the geothermal energy system would be in the best interest of the township.

“This is something that they really need to do and not just continue to patch it up,” de Jonge said of the current HVAC system used in the township building, adding that its inefficiency ultimately costs taxpayers.

He said that several environmentally friendly energy systems were considered over the years, the most recent being solar panels on the township building’s rooftop, which ultimately failed because the overall cost was too much for the township at the time.

During his presentation, Burkhauser informed the board of the advantages over other efficient and green-minded systems, such as solar panels or wind.

He pointed out that solar and wind fail in comparative efficiency as power sources as both depend on elements that may become unreliable, as opposed to the constant temperature of the Earth.

In terms of the mechanics of a geothermal system, Burkhauser explained that certified geothermal installers guarantee a 50-year life span.

According to Burkhauser, geothermal systems are also more durable. He cited the 50-year guarantee offered by certified geothermal installers.

As the geothermal system operates underground, Burkhauser also emphasized the fact that the unit would produce no noise when in use.

A slide from his Powerpoint presentation showed that the Township Building would have plenty of space to install the PVC looped piping wells.

Commissioners asked several questions after Burkhauser’s presentation.

Ward 3 Commissioner Donna Parsell asked whether or not the nearby library could also benefit from such a system. Burkhauser responded that the library would likely need its own geothermal energy system. He later added that multiple geothermal units would most likely be needed to heat or cool a space as large as the township building.

“This is an avenue I would be very much interested in pursuing, but in a quick manner,” Ward 1 Commissioner Lisa Romaniello told Burkhauser.

Romaniello said to the township, which she said could be used to pay down debts or start a project like replacing the HVAC system, adding that she would like to see a cost study conducted on the geothermal system soon.

During his presentation, Burkhauser also informed the commissioners of the PECO Smart Equipment Incentives program, which has cash incentives for energy-conserving units.

Through the program, PECO-trained contractors can also answer specific questions or help provide the township with an energy audit. PECO would then pay up to 50 percent, limited to $10,000, of the audit upon completion of energy conservation projects.

To see Burkhauser’s Powerpoint presentation, or for more information, visit https://public.me.com/jaburke4.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here