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
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.
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.
Bottom Slope/Fish Ramp at Ley Creek (pre-existing stone dam on the left)
Streams and lakes in Onondaga County in Central New York area have been significantly altered and degraded as a result of urbanization and industrialization. Located in the Lake Ontario watershed, the area is eligible for funds under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for habitat improvements in the watershed. In 2010, the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA), secured funding under the GLRI for restoration measures in the Onondaga Lake watershed.
Following the successful restoration of Beartrap Creek in Salina, New York in 2010, an additional habitat restoration effort was undertaken in the South Branch of Ley Creek in DeWitt, New York. The Central New York Chapter of the IWLA, in consultation with the Onondaga Environmental Institute (OEI), identified a low head stone dam suspected as acting as an impediment to upstream migration of walleye and northern pike for spring spawning as an opportunity for improvement. Natural Systems Engineering designed a stone bottom slope (or fish ramp) consisting of field stones placed to the toe of the dam to allow fish passage during periods of higher streamflow. Partners on the project include Joe Green Excavating (Phoenix, New York) for construction, OEI for pre- and post-construction biota monitoring, and the Central New York Chapter of the IWLA who was instrumental in site selection and logistics.
Photograph 1: Grouting of geothermal wells
Photograph 2: GeoStar 4-ton Combination Heat Pump
In the late summer and early fall, the urban retrofit geothermal project located at 248 Bryant Avenue in Syracuse, New York was completed. Pipes were fused and run into the basement and pressure tested. The wells were then grouted with a flowable cementitious grout (See Photograph 1).
Following completion of the site work, the mechanical contractor, Renaissance HVAC (Verona, New York), completed the installation of the 4-ton GeoStar Cypress Combination heat pump see Photograph 2). Wells were completed by purging and filling with a 20% ethylene glycol solution for freeze protection. The combination heat pump system allows the heating of the house both with air and radiant hot water and air conditioning in the summer. The geothermal heat pump will be powered by the grid-connected 6.4 kW solar array mounted on the home’s rooftop.
Piping and the heat pump system were provided by Phoenix Energy Supply who, along with Renaissance HVAC, also provided tremendous support on this challenging project! The next steps on the path to net-zero are to connect domestic hot water to a heat pump and switchout the natural gas fueled stove and oven!
The Ra-Lin “Save the Rain” project designed by Natural Systems Engineering was featured on WSYR News Channel 9 on September 30, 2016. The project involved construction of approximately 16, 000 sq ft of porous asphalt and a bioretention area to manage stormwater runoff from the 1.5 acres of impervious areas at the discount appliance store located on Burnet Avenue in Syracuse. The project will result in the management of over 1.2 million gallons of stormwater annually, preventing that volume from entering the storm sewer system and contributing to combined sewer overflows to Onondaga Lake. The story on Channel 9 shows how the porous asphalt allows infiltration of rainwater through the porous surface.
Natural Systems Engineering’s urban retrofit geothermal project was featured on YNN’s “Going Green” program on May 16, 2016. Ground source heat pumps will be powered by existing roof top solar panels. Check back for follow up story later this year.
Drilling was completed on May 12, 2016 for an urban retrofit geothermal system being installed at 248 Bryant Avenue in Syracuse, New York. Two vertical closed loops of 300 ft each were set in two wells and will serve the 4-ton combination heat pump system yet to be installed. Drilling was initiated using an air rotary rig, but was switched to a cable tool rig on the second hole when water was pushed back through the first hole through a void in the bedrock geology. Water was encountered in each hole, but was contained on-site. Saline groundwater was a concern, but wasn’t encountered until ~280 ft depth. System design by Natural Systems Engineering. Drilling performed by Caster Well Drilling and Water Conditioning (Fulton, New York).
Front Yard Geothermal Drilling – Tipperary Hill, Syracuse
Construction of green infrastructure was completed in late 2015 consisting of a dry well to management roof runoff and a porous asphalt system to manage parking lot runoff. Green infrastructure was designed by Natural Systems Engineering and construction was performed by the Rich and Gardner Construction Company (Syracuse, New York). The project was funded by Onondaga County’s award winning Save the Rain program.
Swallow’s Porous Asphalt Placement
In October 2015 construction was completed on the porous asphalt installation at Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, 515 Oakwood Avenue, Syracuse, New York designed by Natural Systems Engineering. The project involved construction of 12,000 sq ft of porous asphalt surface to manage runoff from approximately 70,000 sq ft of impervious lot and rooftop. The project was funded by Onondaga County’s award-winning “Save the Rain” program and will remove over 1.5 milion gal of stormwater per year from the City’s combined sewer system! The contractor was Ruston Paving Company (DeWitt, New York). 