Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. will present a grant to the Masonic Homes in Elizabethtown on Wednesday (7/10) to help cover the cost of installing geothermal heating and cooling systems for 31 apartments.

The Masonic Homes, a continuing-care retirement community, is renovating several buildings to provide additional apartment space for its residents.

"Geothermal heating and cooling will increase the comfort of the Masonic Homes' residents in both winter and summer," said Derek Jones, PP&L's Commercial Services account manager for the Lancaster area.

"We evaluated several types of heating systems for comfort, efficiency and cost before choosing the geothermal system," said Joseph E. Murphy, executive director of the Masonic Homes. "It has been performing well."

Geothermal systems use clean, renewable energy from the earth to heat homes in winter and cool them in the summer. The systems create and maintain a heat exchange between the earth and the home, which saves money on energy bills and reduces the consumption of fossil fuels.

This process makes geothermal systems extremely energy efficient and less costly to operate than other heating and cooling methods. The systems also help protect the environment by using a clean, safe, natural and renewable source of heat from the earth.

According to Jones, PP&L encourages energy-efficient uses of technology, such as geothermal heating and cooling.