Kent Geothermal, Wind, and Solar Division We Provide Geothermal, Wind, and Solar Installation, Service, and Design Services in Indiana and Southwest Michigan Northwest Indiana's Largest Geothermal, Earth Loop, and Wind Power Design & Installation Contractor Residential & Commercial Geothermal & Ground Loop Specialists Indiana Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems
This Website is a resource for the homeowner and contractors.
Building Contractor's tax deductions & Grants Click Here
Homeowners Check your state and federal tax Incentives Click Here
No fossil fuels needed (natural gas, propane)
Domestic hot water
Domestic Water Well Drilling & pump Service Click Here
Geothermal Heat Pumps Make Sense for Homeowners and Contractors
Geothermal Ground Source heat pumps are one of the most efficient ways to heat and cool a home and provide hot water for radiant floor heat as well as domestic hot water. More and more homeowners and contractors are discovering the benefits of these systems, which tap the relatively constant temperature of the earth a few feet underground. For both new homes and retrofit in existing homes, there is no need to remove your existing furnace with a Geothermal add-on unit.
Spring/Summer '09 Kent Newsletter Now Available On-line Our newsletter with helpful tips and information is now available online. Please click on the PDF file below for the new Spring/Summer 2009 edition.
Our supplier of Mariah Power Windspire vertical-axes wind turbines, George Kontol ofNorthwest Geothermal, Inc. of DeMotte, IN has recently installed a donated Windspire vertical wind turbine to the Extreme Makeover-Home Edition project in Indianapolis. Watch for Windspire in the Season Finale coming on May 17,2009. Click here for more information on The Build. info
Windspire by Mariah Power
Wind Power to Inspire "WINDSPIRE"
Vertical-Axes wind technology
maximizes energy conversion, regardless of wind speed or direction, from the wind into electric power provided to homes or businesses.
Windspire is a low-cost, low-noise, attractive wind power appliance. Manufactured entirely in the U.S. by Mariah Power, Windspire is a 30-foot tall, propeller-free, vertical-axis wind turbine designed for harnessing wind power in urban, suburban and rural locations. Windspire’s patented technology maximizes energy conversion from wind into electric power. info Click here
Geothermal Technology - A Solution to Rising Energy Costs?
Geothermal Tremendously fast-growing market for Residential Customers The geothermal market is growing, which comes as no surprise, and there are reasons for this growth. Rising energy costs and the subsequent search by consumers and business owners for less expensive energy alternatives to oil and natural gas to heat their homes and facilities is the driving force behind this growth.
At the same time, homeowners and facility operators, who are increasingly more conscious of their environment, are turning to green systems that have less impact on the environment than do traditional heating and cooling systems. According to U.S. Department of Energy, Geothermal technology is one of the best technologies available today. In fact, the installation of a geothermal system represents one of the easiest ways to help a commercial property owner secure Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
Geothermal heat pump technology taps into the moderate temperatures found just a few feet below the earth's surface, and uses this relatively constant, renewable energy source for heating, cooling and domestic hot water. A water-based, environmentally friendly solution is circulated through a closed loop system of underground pipes.
During the heating season the solution absorbs the heat from the earth and transfers it to the geothermal units in the building, where the heat is absorbed by a refrigeration system. Using refrigerant-to-air technology, the heat is distributed throughout the building via an air duct distribution system. During the cooling season the process is reversed, extracting the heat from inside the building and replacing it with cool, dehumidified air.
Homeowners who install geothermal systems realize many of the same benefits commercial facilities enjoy, including federal, state, and local tax incentives, lower monthly operating costs for heating, cooling and domestic hot water heating, enhanced comfort and humidity control, quiet and reliable operation, and having an environmentally friendly system. Kent's Geothermal Division along with working partner Northwest Geothermal, Inc. (www.northwestgeothermal.com) installs hundreds of ground closed loops and geothermal systems every year, and the number continues to rise. We believe geothermal and wind technology is so vitally important to America's future that we remain commited to continuing education to consumers and the general public throughout 2009 and beyond.
A home that uses a geothermal system is up to 72 percent more efficient depending on the price of fuel and where the home is located. These are a few of the benefits we provide to homeowners.
We are seeing sales of geothermal systems grow in both the existing home and light commercial markets, as well as the new construction market.
Government Incentives - Geothermal: The federal government offers homeowners and/or builders tax credits of 30% with no limit on qualifying geothermal systems that meet or exceed required energy efficiency standards. Homeowners in Indiana may qualify for property tax credits or property tax exemptions when they install geothermal systems. Government also provides incentives to commercial property owners who specify geothermal systems for their buildings. Check with your local county, city, and state government offices for details.
Government Incentives - Wind Power Generators: The federal government offers new and exisitng homeowners and builders tax credits of 30% with no limit on qualifying wind turbines, such as the Windspire vertical-axes unit we offer, and solar generating systems, too!
Please Educate Yourself
Certified Installation Only: Most HVAC Contractors getting into geothermal are not familiar with local codes and state regulations that pertain to geothermal systems, and are not certified by geothermal manufacturers. Many states regulate the installation of loop fields to Certified Installers, including how the earth loops are backfilled.
Be Careful of New Gimmicks:One we heard about in April, 2009, was a new geothermal contractor promoting the installation of systems without trenching (or "tearing up") a yard by using an underground boring ("mole') machine. There are serious questions whether this method will work, especially in the clay soils of Northwest Indiana. See our Ground Loop section of this website for more on this practice. If this method worked, we would have been doing this at least ten years ago when these machines became popular. Incidentally, our trenching is neatly done, and special precautions are taken during backfilling to ensure your yard will soon be like new again! more info click here
Properly Sized Geothermal Systems: What we frequently observe in the field are geothermal systems which are undersized for the required heating and cooling load on a home or building. This can result in unexpected high energy bills, premature system failure, frequent costly service calls, and comfort problems in the home or building.
A Sealed Duct System is Imperative: Many states and local municipalities are now regulating the proper sizing, installation, and sealing of duct systems in homes and commercial buildings. Duct systems should be air tight, and should not allow dangerous, unhealthy, energy-wasting infiltration from an attic, crawlspace, garage, or unfinished basement to enter the home or building. We frequently see geothermal systems that are operating on expensive, emergency electric back-up strip heat prematurely because the duct system is improperly sized for geothermal applications, and the duct system is pulling cold/hot air from an attic, for instance, thereby decreasing the capacity of the system to properly condition the home. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy states that "typical duct systems lose 25 to 40 percent of the energy put out by the central furnace, heat pump or air conditioner." We seal duct systems with duct sealant/mastic, and do not use aluminum and grey cloth duct tape, which comes loose and dries out. The only thing duct tape does not work on is ductwork!
Kent's Geothermal Division and Northwest Geothermal, Inc. are certified in all aspects of geothermal design, installation, and service. This is an important step in the installation and operation of geothermal systems, and we repeatedly find that the most common reason for system failure is lack of proper design and employee training. We service and inspect all geothermal manufacturer's systems.
As Geothermal Manufacturer ClimateMaster keeps pace with the increased demand for geothermal systems, the company continues to improve the systems it offers. ClimateMaster's Tranquility 27 series is the first geothermal system to offer a 27 to 31 energy efficiency ratio (EER), the highest efficiency rating in the market. This compares to ratings in the mid-20s for most geothermal systems, and a 13 to 14 seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) for non-geothermal systems.
The ClimateMaster Tranquility 27 system uses a single two-speed Copeland Compliant Scroll Compressor to provide the correct amount of heating and cooling to a home. The wide range of product capacities available from ClimateMaster addresses the diverse needs of a variety of applications. Geothermal is really a global technology that takes us around the world.
In fact, Europe embraced geothermal technology before the United States, most likely as the result of higher energy costs there. Today, according to the European Union, ground source heat pump installation is up by 20 percent.
Geothermal systems definitely are a significant investment for consumers and building owners. However, heating and cooling costs are projected to continue to rise, and people are learning about the technology and recognizing the benefits it offers. In fact, there is no other comparable geothermal system with a 25 plus year life expectancy, and the closed earth loop comes with a 50 year manufacturer's warranty. There is no other system that offers a lower life-cycle cost than geothermal. It's exciting to "Go Green!" and be part of a worldwide industry that promotes a responsible, energy-efficient technology that is also good for the environment and your comfort needs.
Thank you for visiting us!
Allen Kent, President, CGP
Geothermal Green Clean TM SPECIFICALLY FORMULATED FOR GEOTHERMAL OPEN LOOPS & IRON MINERAL DEPOSITS REMOVAL Info click here
Worlds Largest Manufacturer of Water Source Heating & Cooling - Hot Water Systems
Copyright @ 2005/09 Geothermal Division - Kent Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. all rights reserved 906 Roosevelt Road, Valparaiso IN 46383 Office: 219.464.9181 or 219.736.0300 E-mail: Kent Geothermal Division
