Pennsylvania Power & Light Co., The Frederick Group, Ltd., and the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium announced today (9/6) a collaboration on the Lehigh Valley's first residential development to offer lots with heat-exchange loops for geothermal heating and cooling systems already installed. The development is Spring Wood Hills at Trexler Park in Allentown.
Spring Wood Hills is the first area residential development built using the "Buried Treasure" concept, explained Robert A. Boyer, manager of PP&L's new construction sales group.
"Together, PP&L, The Frederick Group and the consortium are promoting greater use of geothermal heating and cooling systems for cost savings, comfort, energy efficiency and environmental benefit," Boyer said.
With the piping loop already in the ground, lot buyers easily will be able to install a geothermal heating and cooling system to take advantage of clean, renewable heating and cooling from the earth.
The project may result in a total of 149 lots with heat exchange loops for geothermal systems.
"We have sized the underground loops to meet heating and cooling requirements for the type of the homes that will be built at Spring Wood Hills," Boyer said. "We can easily increase the size of the loop if a buyer wants to build a larger home."
He added that the loops are placed in a nonbuildable setback zone on each lot so that Spring Wood Hills residents will be able to add property improvements, such as swimming pools and landscaping, without concern for the underground piping.
Geothermal heating and cooling systems use the earth as the heat source to keep homes warm in the winter and the heat sink to cool homes in the summer. Ground temperatures are about the same all year, regardless of how hot or cold the air temperature is.
"The earth is a huge energy-storage device that absorbs energy from the sun — over 500 times more energy than mankind needs every year — in the form of clean renewable energy," said Jack DiEnna, member services manager for the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium.
Because geothermal heating and cooling systems transfer heat rather than make heat, they are extremely energy efficient. Water and a small amount of an environmentally safe antifreeze solution flow through the piping loops to absorb or release heat as needed. In the closed piping system used at Spring Wood Hills, there is no transfer of water between the loops and ground water.
Geothermal heating and cooling systems can save consumers 30 to 70 percent for heating costs and 20 to 50 percent for cooling costs when compared with conventional systems, Boyer explained.
"We are pleased to team with The Frederick Group and the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium on the Spring Wood Hills project," he said. "The Frederick Group is one of the top real estate and development firms in the area, and has been a leader in the use of innovative concepts such as geothermal heating and cooling."
Don Frederick, his son, Douglas, and daughters Carol and Constance developed the highly successful 80,000-square-foot Paragon Centre, the Lehigh Valley's first office building to use geothermal heating and cooling.
"At Spring Wood Hills, we are continuing our commitment to developing properties that are in harmony with the environment," said Don Frederick, president of the Frederick Group. "The geothermal system is just one of the many environmentally friendly features we will be incorporating into this unique single family development. It was also very important to us to preserve and compliment the natural beauty of nearby Trexler Park."
The Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium is a partnership of electric utilities, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, manufacturers and trade allies aimed at promoting the installation of geothermal heating and cooling technologies. The consortium, formed in response to the National Earth Comfort Program, has a six-year goal of increasing geothermal installations nationally from 40,000 per year to 400,000 per year.
As members of the consortium, the EPA and Department of Energy are helping to fund this "Buried Treasure" development at Spring Wood Hills to promote geothermal heating and cooling.
For people interested in building a new home or finding out more about geothermal heating and cooling, Spring Wood Hills has an information center open to the public starting Sept. 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekday hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., or by appointment.
Spring Wood Hills is located off of Springhouse Road across from the entrance to Trexler Park in Allentown.