May 8, 2008
Cutting energy costs in South Salem
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Woodstead brothers 'go geothermal'
Like the hybrid car engine, geothermal home heating and cooling was once warily viewed as a somewhat suspect “tree-hugging” technology not well suited for everyday life.
But geothermal heating and cooling may be heading down the same road as the growing number of cars with now-popular hybrid engines.
More and more people are interested in geothermal energy and starting to use it on a day-to-day basis with the goal of simply saving money. In Lewisboro, about a dozen homeowners have already “gone geothermal.”
Steve Woodstead, a partner with his father, Harold, and brother Bob in the Vista-based Better Water Well, has installed a geothermal system for his home on Birch Spring Road. His brother has “gone geothermal” in his Brewster home and his parents are “starting to think about it.”
Saving money
The Ledger sat down with the Woodstead brothers last week to discuss how geothermal heating and cooling is working out for them.
“I saw my first geothermal system when I was visiting a job site in Southbury, Conn., several years ago,” said Steve Woodstead. “The contractor explained it to me and said you could run a whole house on it and save a lot of money. And this was back then in 1995 when energy was a lot cheaper than it is now.”
Mr. Woodstead tucked the concept away for a while and did some research. “About 2000, I decided I wanted to do it for my own home,” he said.
Mr. Woodstead’s research revealed that geothermal heating is based on one simple fact. About six feet down into the ground the temperature is the same — about 54 degrees — the whole year round.
“This makes it relatively warm in the winter and relatively cool in the summer,” he said. “The energy source — the earth — is constant and not affected by the change in seasons. So in winter, you take the heat out of the ground using pipes and duct work and put it into the house. The temperature is raised to the desired level by using a compressor that is part of the system.
“In the summer, you circulate water in another pipe through the ground to cool it. You then use the chilled water to cool the air pumped through the house using the same ducts. It’s amazingly simple.”
Mr. Woodstead installed his system in 2000, drilling a 700-foot deep geothermal well for the equipment. He was so satisfied with the tremendous savings and the improvement in the air quality in his home that he encouraged his brother to do the same thing, but not go nearly as deep.
“I got a bit carried away with the depth of the well,” he admitted. “It’s way beyond what is needed.”
He said he now gets lots of inquiries on his system.
“People ask me about it all the time,” he said. “I tell them I am running my entire house on less than half of what I previously spent for energy. My bill for heat, air-conditioning and hot water is now about $300 a month. We think geothermal has a huge future due to the tremendous increases in the prices for all types of energy.”
Installation
Mr. Woodstead said the main impediment in the minds of most people is the cost of installation.
“The main unit is only about the size of a modern oil burner,” he said. “But you do need to drill for the piping and you may have to install duct work in your house. If I had it do to over again, I would definitely not drill a single 700-foot-deep well. You can do it with multiple wells that are not nearly as deep. Some contractors do it with deep trenches. Installing a complete geothermal system costs around $26,000.”
The typical geothermal system has four parts: the pump to move the water around the circuit, the compressor, the heat exchanger and the fan to blow the air throughout the house.
Mr. Woodstead said homeowners with good-sized ponds and lakes have another option. “All you need is eight feet of water depth to make it work,” he said. “The PVC piping is placed in a coil formation that rests on the bottom of your pond. The system runs through the water rather than through the ground.”
Improved air quality improvement is another reason to consider a geothermal system. “There is no combustion from a furnace, so the air in the house is fresh and not dry during the winter months. Geothermal creates a different and very pleasant, very fresh atmosphere.”
When asked if Better Water Well would be getting into the geothermal installation business, both Woodstead Brothers said they were taking a “wait-and-see” attitude.
“For now, geothermal heating is putting money in my pocket, but only through saving money at home, not through the business,” said Bob Woodstead. “I am saving at least 40 to 50% since I put in my system in 2003.”
Roots in Vista
The brothers said they refer customers who ask about geothermal to reputable installers but for now, are sticking to the “bread-and-butter” business of Better Water Well.
“We started the company in June 1986 and, thankfully, have done very well,” said Steve Woodstead. “Both Bob and I grew up here in Vista, went through the local school system, and love the town. Our dad joined the business a while back so now it is a family effort, drilling and servicing wells and water systems in northern Westchester and Fairfield [County].”
The Woodsteads are a well-known family in Lewisboro. Between Better Water Well, Steve Woodstead’s active involvement as chairman of the Vista Volunteer Fire Department Board of Commissioners, and their mother, Barbara Woodstead’s, longtime position as secretary in the town building department, they have a wide circle of friends, co-workers and satisfied customers.
The third Woodstead brother, Jim, has relocated to North Dakota where he operates his own well business.
“We all like being in business as a family,” said Bob Woodstead. “We divided the responsibility equally among the three of us and it works very well, even though we are on call 24/7, 365 days a year.”
Steve Woodstead agreed. “You can always count on getting that emergency call on Thanksgiving or Christmas. We just get into the truck and go. Providing excellent customer service is a big part of what we do, along with standing behind our work and charging fair prices.”
The Woodstead approach to business has earned them success. “We have an active roster of about 4,000 customers, about 650 in Lewisboro,” Steve said.
Both men are happily “married, with children.” Steve Woodstead and his wife, Kimberly, have three children: Danny, Abby and Danielle. Bob Woodstead and wife, Michelle, match them with their own trio: Robert, Emmaly and Andy.
But whether or not Better Water Well ever goes into geothermal installation, both Woodsteads expressed enthusiasm for the concept and the results. Steve Woodstead noted that the North Salem School District is now using a geothermal system for part of its energy supply.
“With geothermal heating and cooling, you can harness clean, pure energy straight from the earth at a greatly reduced cost,” he said. “Why not at least think about using it?”
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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