Farm Energy

Roseau, Minnesota

Geothermal Heat Pump
$7,920
2007

Shirley Hovda knows the financial strain that can come from heating businesses through the long winters of the upper Midwest.

Her Quality Decorating company, which specializes in custom wood finishing and coatings, is located in Roseau, a northern Minnesota town famous for its local high school hockey team. In February 2007, Hovda faced a “body check” of her own, courtesy of a $1,200 natural gas bill.

The high heating costs convinced her that a change was needed. After researching a number of options, Hovda settled on a geothermal system to heat her newly constructed 6,000 square foot facility. With help from a $7,920 grant through REAP, she was able to purchase and install the system in January of 2008.

Geothermal heat pumps are a good fit for many businesses because they work efficiently in both the winter and the summer, heating or cooling, and replacing two separate systems. Hovda was attracted to geothermal for its efficiency and for the fact that it can operate year-round.

The system at Quality Decorating consists of a well that is dug into the ground which pumps groundwater through pipes in the building. The heat pump technology provides heating and cooling, as needed, through both in-floor and forced air mechanisms

Hovda has been very pleased with the unit’s reliability. But the true satisfaction, she says, will come from seeing energy bills that are 40% lower than in the past.