Homer, NY Geothermal Project Completed!

In late 2020 NSE completed our final geothermal project for the year in Homer, New York.  The design was of a closed loop ground source heat exchanger for a 4-ton water-to-air system to serve a residence on Houghton Hill Road, Homer.  Modeling of design heat loss using the ASHRAE Manual J  program and the design of the ground loop using LoopLink software by NSE allowed the owner to obtain a Clean Heat rebate of $6450 from National Grid.

One of the three trenches for the six horizontal GHEX loops associated with the project
Trench and two-pipe laying configuration of GHEX

NSE is approved by NYSERDA (and affiliated utilities) as a designer and installer of ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems, thus making owners eligible for rebates as per the above.  Contact us for your residential or commercial project!

Restoration of Tributary 26 to Butternut Creek (LaFayette, NY) Nearing Completion

On June 30-July 1, 2017 an extreme rainfall event caused the lateral migration of the of Tributary 26 to Butternut Creek located south of Colton Road in LaFayette, New York.  The migration of the stream channel caused undercutting and erosion of the stream bank to the east and deposition of new point breaks downstream.

Tributary 26 looking southerly. Eroded streambank visible on left (east).

In collaboration with Dr. Ted Endreny from SUNY ESF and the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District, NSE developed a design plan for the restoration of this stretch of Tributary 26 and was intended to reclaim riparian area east of the creek for the landowner and implementing conservation and restoration techniques intended to prevent future lateral migration of the creek and preserving it’s natural function.  The design followed Rosgen stream restoration principles and consisted of:

  • reestablishment of the creek channel to the west
  • bendway weirs to deflect and dissipate energy away from the eroding east stream bank
  • rock riffles and large stones to dissipate energy within the newly reestablished stream channel
  • dogwood plantings in the reclaimed floodbank and fascines to protect the edge of bank.

Design plan for Tributary 26 Restoration

Construction was initiated per the design plan by the selected contractor J&J Landscaping the week of November 27, 2017 and earthwork completed on December 8.  Plantings to follow in mid-December.

Reestablished creek looking southerly from Colton Road.

Assuming continuing adaptive management measures to be informed by the landowner, the reestablished creek and energy dissipation measures will provide for a stable planform, yet able to pass extreme events via a connected functioning floodplain.

NSE’s Urban Geothermal Project Featured on Spectrum News and ESF’s “Going Green” Program!

Natural Systems Engineering’s Kyle Thomas discusses the performance of our recent urban retrofit geothermal project and NYSERDA’s incentives on Spectrum News’s and ESF’s “Going Green” television program.

Front Yard Geothermal Drilling – Tipperary Hill, Syracuse

 

Solar Power during the Eclipse!

Here in Central New York we experienced 68% of totality during the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse.  There seemed to be general agreement among observers that there wasn’t a significant perceptible reduction in ambient light during the event.  But check out the reduction in solar PV output during the ~1:30 to ~3:30 PM timeframe and the peak at 2:38 PM in the plot below.  The reduction in output is significant, but comparable to a cloudy period based on a comparison with the cloudy afternoon of August 15 the previous week.

Solar power on Eclipse Day.

Porous asphalt vehicle display lot completed for Crest Acura!

With funding under Onondaga County’s award-winning Save the Rain program, Crest Acura’s porous asphalt lot was completed this summer.  The project was designed by Natural Systems Engineering and constructed by Lan-Co Construction (East Syracuse, New York).  The porous asphalt was designed to capture runoff from the 10,000 sq ft porous surface and the 9950 sq ft impervious asphalt lot located to the northeast.  Roughly 1000 sq ft of greenspace was added to replace asphalt in the right-of-way of the City of Syracuse.

The project will manage a minimum of 400,000 gal of strormwater per year, removing that flow from Syracuse’s combined sewer system.

 

 

NYSERDA Launches $15 Million Initiative to Spur Ground Source Heat Pump Market!

Individual Projects can Receive up to $1 Million Rebate Depending on Size

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced on May 30 the availability of $15 million in rebates for the installation of ground source heat pump systems for residences, businesses and institutions. The announcement states that “renewable heating and cooling technologies such as ground source heat pumps not only provide environmental benefits but also provide energy bill savings, increased comfort levels and health benefits compared to conventional heating and cooling technologies.”

The amount of funding available to each project will depend on its size. Smaller projects (e.g., residential and small commercial buildings) can receive up to $15,000 when the installation is completed. A typical residential system will qualify for about $6,000. Larger projects (e.g., multi-family, hospitals and college campuses) can receive up to $500,000 per building with payments being made throughout the project. No single site can receive more than $1 million.

Rebates will be available to qualified installers for two years or until all funds have been exhausted. The total amount of the rebate will be deducted from the total cost of the system, thereby passing the savings along directly to consumers. Any ground source heat pump system for which installation was complete on or after January 1, 2017, and that meets the requirements of the program, is eligible.  Only participating, qualified designers and installers may submit applications.  Natural Systems Engineering is such a provider!

To discuss an application for your project, please contact:

Kyle E. Thomas, P.E.

Natural Systems Engineering, PLLC
315-425-9347
kthomas@naturalsystemsengineering.com

Natural Systems Engineering’s Kyle Thomas Quoted in Long Island’s Newsday

Natural Systems Engineering’s Principal, Kyle Thomas, was quoted for this Newsday (New York) newspaper article on green stormwater management.   The story describes how the Nassau County municipalities of North Hempstead, Great Neck Plaza and Floral Park have released their 2017 Stormwater Management Reports calling for the management of stormwater water in an eco-friendly manner.  Thomas was interviewed to provide a somewhat technical perspective on what management of stormwater in a green fashion actually means.

 

A Village of Great Neck Plaza street sweeper

NSE’s Urban Residential Geothermal Retrofit project named a NY-GE0 2017 Top Job Finalist!

Natural Systems Engineering’s Urban Residential Geothermal Retrofit project has been named a Top Job Finalist for the NY-GEO 2017 Conference!  The conference will be held on April 19-20, 2017 at the Albany Radisson Hotel.  The Top Job competition is at 1:30 PM on April 20th.

Looking forward to sharing the challenges and experiences on this job and hearing ideas from others.

Front Yard Geothermal Drilling – Tipperary Hill, Syracuse

 

Urban Retrofit Geothermal System Results are In!

The hydronic and forced air components of the ground source heat pump system at Bryant Avenue Syracuse, were completed in December 2016, thus completing the urban retrofit geothermal project.  The heat pump is a 4-ton combination (water-to-air and water-to-water) unit.  The forced air is given priority to bring the house to temperature.  The system then switches to water to fill the buffer tank for the radiant system.  Three zones of hydronic call for water from the buffer tank to heat the floors.

Given the contribution of the solar PV the first utility bill following installation shows delivery charges only!  Note the drastic reduction in natural gas usage from 2016 to 2017!

Stay tuned.  An analysis of the return on investment to follow on this blog.

 

Final 2016 “Save the Rain” Green Infrastructure Project Complete!

In November 2016, construction was substantially completed for the Gear Factory Porous Asphalt lot serving the northern 200 block of South Geddes Street.  The project involved conversion of impervious alleys and a parking lot associated with the Gear Factory building and the building housing City Hardware into a porous asphalt lot and infiltration basin, which will manage runoff from the 19,000 sq ft of impervious hardscape and almost 15,000 sq ft of rooftop.  The project will manage roughly 630,000 gal of runoff annually preventing that volume of runoff from entering the City of Syracuse’s combined sewer system and mitigating combined sewer overflows from that system.

Gear Factory Alley Porous Asphalt