Going Geothermal: an adventure

Last winter, Robin started helping with fuel oil bills. I had always taken care of them and had paid them off slowly and usually finished paying in early summer. I figured the local supplier knew where I lived (duh), knew how to contact me and knew I was good for it. Not so Robin. He likes to pay everything off each month, a luxury, as a teacher, I just don't or can't have. So...this winter was a huge eye-opening experience for hubby as we paid for and heated our 1890's farm house with a steam boiler, 1 zone, old radiator style system. Clang, bang, rattly-hiss.



He started making noise about about geothermal systems last fall, and at first I was skeptical, and not willing to go further into debt on the house. Just a couple years ago we insulated, put on a new roof, replaced windows and doors and really tightened the place up. Still paying THAT off, thank you very much. But the more we talked and looked at the tax incentives and the savings over time, not to mention the environmental impact (He sez it's the equivalent of taking 2 cars off the road, I see it more as taking one giant old farm house off oil and coal)we've decided to go for it. We are poised and ready to go.



I've decided since this is probably the most interesting thing that has been going on since I changed jobs and got to be a professor this past year (sorry, didn't blog about it...was too busy and stressed) that I will chronicle this process for anyone who is sleepless enough and bored enough to actually read my blog. Plus I'm getting in touch with my inner hippie these days. Planting a garden, composting, joining a CSA, riding a bike, taking yoga classes, eating kale and now gleefully discarding our oil and coal furnaces for something much much greener....this all makes me feel pretty happy.



First step: un-plumbing the existing infrastructure of steam pipes and radiators. A huge job, and we may not be able to get everything out by Monday when they want to officially start. That's okay. The Geotherm guys (Mark and Phil?) will also do whatever needs to be done. Robin cut through the first pipe this morning and I held a corner piece as he finished cutting. The pipe fell away. He looked at me and grinned and said "Well...we're committed!" He has since left to run to Lowes to get more saw blades. Cutting 40 year old pipes is rough on the blades apparently.



And so it begins.