COMPANY: UMR Geothermal, Maple Plain, Minn.

INSTALLATION: WaterFurnace Envision™ Series unit, four 135-foot deep geothermal wells, and a vertical loop system.

COMPLETION: Completed

CUSTOMER: The Sustainable House™, Minnetonka, Minn.

OBJECTIVE: Remodeling residential project created as an educational demonstration of green remodeling standards and technologies.

DESCRIPTION: The Sustainable House™ implements a number of green building materials and techniques both inside and outside. Outside the remodeled 1948 rambler are four 135-foot-deep geothermal wells and a vertical loop system that connects to an Envision™ unit from WaterFurnace International Inc. The system will provide heat to the home in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. According to the company, this is the first remodel to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest LEED certification for conservation and renewable energy in home building. The house is also the first to achieve Minnesota’s GreenStar Gold certification, the highest level possible for this green standard as well. “A geothermal system operates more efficiently than an ordinary heating and air conditioning system because it can deliver an astounding four units of energy for every one unit of electrical energy used,” said Jim Cusack, general manager at UMR Geothermal.

“In remodels, homeowners will find that any added investment over the cost of an ordinary system is generally recovered in energy savings within a few years.”
- Jim Cusack, UMR Geothermal

Publication date: 08/18/2008