Staff writer
Flaming’s Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. was recognized as one of the top geothermal heating dealers in the state of Kansas by Enertech Inc. Feb. 9. Enertech is the maker of GeoComfort equipment and they recognized Flamings as the top GeoComfort dealer in a four-state region.
Since 2008, Flaming’s has installed 23 geothermal heating and cooling systems in homes and businesses in Kansas.
Flaming’s is also the only company in Marion County that installs geothermal heating and cooling systems.
Flaming’s employee Dale Geis put a geothermal heating system in his home this past fall. Even with frigid temperatures this winter, Geis has been pleased with the heat the system creates. He said that his house has been warm and the machine has been quiet.
“You will be comfortable,” he said, “and the system is beneficial for the future.”
Geothermal energy has both environmental and financial benefits. Geothermal power uses some electricity to fuel the heat pump, but the pollution created by the use of fossil fuels is minimal. Geothermal power is also the most cost effective way to heat and cool a building.
“Heat is where the big gain comes from,” Geis said. “Just not having a meter in your house will save you a little money.”
The cost of drilling or digging to put in the system is expensive, but the federal government is offering a 30 percent income tax credit for installing a geothermal system.
“For a new house, you don’t even need to bring gas to it,” Geis said.
Geothermal energy is gathered by harnessing the steady heat from bellow the earth’s surface. A pump cycles the air from the ground to the building. Geothermal power works for heating and cooling because the ground will be warmer than the surface temperature in winter and cooler in summer.
The company uses two systems of piping to gather the energy from the ground.
The first method is a horizontal loop field. Flaming’s will contract with a company to burrow to the bottom of a building’s foundation and an area that must be 12,000 by 40 square feet. When the ground has been dug up, Flaming’s employees have a day to place rows of coiled pipe into the hole and connect them to the house. If they wait any longer, weather can become an issue; rain can flood the hole and make installation more difficult.
For larger homes and businesses, Geis recommends the horizontal loop field method. Flaming’s has put in loop fields for businesses and is preparing to install a horizontal field for a new business in Hillsboro later this month.
The second method is a vertical loop. Flaming’s contracts with a company to drill holes approximately 200 feet below the surface. Vertical loop is the desired method for houses and businesses lacking necessary space for a horizontal loop field.
Regardless of which system that is installed, Flaming’s sees geothermal heating and cooling as the way of the future.
“We’re not a huge company,” Geis said. “We’re pretty proud of the accomplishment.”