Geothermal Air Conditioning: An interview with Jay Egg of Egg Systems

I want to thank Jay Egg for taking the time to answer my questions with his very busy schedule. Jay is the owner of Egg Systems International, a leading provider of geothermal air conditioning systems. Geothermal HVAC is a new technology for me, so I asked Jay to provide some background to the technology as well as some practical information for homeowners. For more information about Egg Systems and geothermal air conditioning, go to www.geothermalsolutions.info.

How does geothermal air conditioning work?

Outdoor temperatures fluctuate with the changing seasons but underground temperatures don’t. Four to six feet below the earth’s surface, temperatures remain relatively constant year-round. A geothermal system, which typically consists of an indoor unit and a buried earth loop, capitalizes on these constant temperatures to provide “free” energy. In winter, fluid circulating through the system’s earth loop absorbs stored heat and carries it indoors. The indoor unit compresses the heat to a higher temperature and distributes it throughout the building. In summer, the system reverses, pulling heat from the building, carrying it through the earth loop and depositing it in the cooler earth.

How long has geothermal air conditioning been available for homeowners?

About 35 years or more.

How much would the average geothermal HVAC system cost for a 2000 square foot home?

We find that systems costs range from $6000 to $9000 per ton. A 2000 foot home will need about 4 tons of air conditioning. The cost is between $24,000 and $36,000.

I noticed you cover Tampa, Orlando and Atlanta. In what areas is geothermal HVAC most viable?

In Florida, the high ground water table allows for a good heat transfer. In Georgia, the cooler Earth allow for a good efficient exchangers for the hot summers. Because of the relatively constant temperatures in the Earth, the viability is a close tie, in my opinion.

Geothermal Air-conditioning seems to work anywhere the you can drill for water, or to put in closed loop piping. The website http://www.epa.gov/Athens/learn2model/part-two/onsite/ex/jne_henrys_map.htm gives a good idea of what your starting temperature is. Anything above freezing, or below 90 degrees is worth the investment in my opinion.

How much land is needed for a homeowner to be able to place the required piping for geothermal air conditioning?

When it is possible, and especially when we have limited land, we recommend pump and reinject technology (click here for video: Pump and Reinject Technology).

What rebates and credits are available to help a homeowner afford to install a geothermal HVAC system?

The federal rebate is in the form of a tax credit equal to 30% of the cost of installation of the Geothermal systems. There are state and local incentives that are impressive as well: http://geothermalsolutions.info/residential_rebates.html.

What are the optimal scenarios for a homeowner to consider installing a geothermal air conditioning system?

I believe geothermal needs one of two scenarios:

1. Customer is considering replacing the AC unit anyway due to age or upgrade needs. At this point the incentives and efficiency offer a remarkable payback to up sell to and Egg geothermal Air conditioner.
2. New construction. It seems to always make sense to put a geothermal in during new construction.

The real key is that if you are in the market to buy an Air conditioning system, the federal rebates make it viable to upgrade to a geothermal Air Conditioner.

What are some recent advancements in the area of geothermal air conditioning?

Higher efficiency due to Variable speed blowers, and two speed compressors have pushed efficiency ratings into the 30EER range. This is 3 times the efficiency of much of the equipment currently installed, and twice the efficiency of geothermal systems that we started with in the ’90’s.

Other than geothermal air conditioning, what other green technologies do you view as most important in the coming decade for homeowners?

Photovoltaic and solar water heating are my personal best bets.

How did you find yourself in the world of geothermal air conditioning?

After serving in the Navy, I settled in Orlando. I continued my work in the HVAC field as the Service Manager of a Statewide company at the age of 24.

In about 1990, I thought that I had invented geothermal, or ground water cooled air conditioning. As it turned out, It had been around for quite some time, and Oklahoma State University had done extensive work in the design. I traveled there and was certified as a designer. It became the focus of Egg Systems. In about 1995, we began to expand our focus to other HVAC technologies. But we never stopped doing the geothermal Cooling.

When we heard about the Stimulus Package, we began to focus once again on this technology. We’re having a remarkable response to Egg Geothermal Air Conditioning marketing. Because of the unprecedented Rebate for Geothermal Credit in the new Stimulus Package, and our extensive experience over the past 20 years, Channel 8 in Tampa just filmed an Egg Geothermal Installation, and will air it as early as next week in a Green Segment of the news, and Channel 13 is asking for a spot. We have engineered millions of dollars worth commercial and residential systems, and we are currently under a backlog of dozens of Geothermal Air Conditioning units, some of which are being highly publicized. We have optimized our websites for geothermal HVAC.

Jay, his wife Kristy and 4 children (all wearing GREEN!) reside in Hudson, Florida

Final Thoughts. I want to thank Jay again for his time. Geothermal air conditioning is a fascinating alternative energy technology for homeowners that is gaining popularity as an option for homeowners upgrading to more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly HVAC systems.