The SMITH-FLATS Building, which was featured on our Geothermal Featured Projects (Commercial) page has quite an energy savings story.

In the 1980's the local utility, Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., studied some 40 plus "energy efficient" buildings. They took two years of data on heating and cooling costs and published the results to a binder. We have a copy of that binder for your review.

The results of those studies were astounding. The lowest heating and cooling costs were in the Smith-Flats building in Glens Falls, NY.

Total heating and cooling costs were 39¢/squarefoot/year. The next closest runner-up was over twice that cost. Most of the others were over $1.00/squarefoot.

Of the over 40 buildings and homes studied, Smith-Flats was the only geothermal heated and cooled building and boasted the oldest, most drafty windows, and the poorest insulation of all.

This made it very obvious the reason for the substantially lower energy costs was its fuel source, the drilled water well next to the parking lot.

Today, Smith-Flats has been geothermally heated and cooled for over 19 years.

A well, not unlike tens of thousands of other residential and commercial water wells in the Northeast. Many of those wells are only supplying drinking, sprinkling, shower, wash and cooking water.

Most could also be used as a clean, renewable, economic continuous source of heating and cooling.

If there is no existing water well, drilling one for a geothermal system's "permanent fuel tank" could easily be the best long term investment you've made, after your home or building.

Fossil fuel systems historically cost from 20-50% more to operate than geothermal, and the prices of oil and gas are at the whim of foreign sources.

70% of a geothermal system's energy comes from the earth. The remaining 30% is conversion cost. This conversion process uses electricity, whose costs are locally controlled by each state's public service board or commission.

Another Commercial Example ...

Regan & Denny Funeral Home This Queensbury, NY Funeral Home has been geothermal heated and cooled over 11 years. It's heating and cooling costs average $440 / month for the 10,000 sq.ft. building. The permanent fuel tank for this building is a 360 ft. well between the parking lot and rear of the building.