Though the technology to efficiently and cost-effectively heat and cool buildings has been around since the 1980s, only in recent years has this “geo-exchange” technique become a feasible alternative for homeowners and municipalities wanting to lower energy costs and institute proactive environmental actions.

Woodie Weiss has been at the forefront of Madison’s efforts to implement this technology in its buildings, including the Scranton Library and several upcoming retro fittings of existing facilities, including Town Hall.

Woodie got his master’s degree in electrical engineering, and though he spent much of his career in a family business with his father, he is an accomplished engineer. He and his wife had summered in Madison since the early 1990s and moved to town in 2007. Shortly after claiming resident status, Woodie found himself volunteering for several town committees focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Woodie helped design and install this technology in his Madison home and became an avid supporter of the technology from that experience. Though decades old and originally called geothermal technology, geo-exchange technology has only recently become more feasible for homeowners, commercial buildings, and municipalities to lower their energy costs and mitigate their environmental impact.

“It’s fabulous technology. I’ve put it in my own home, two of my daughters’ homes, and a friend’s house in Maine,” says Woodie. “We hired an architect to build our new home, which was started in 2007 and completed in 2012, and he suggested I meet with a geo installer because I wanted our home to be as low energy as possible. He said that I might get a real kick out of meeting this fellow, Guy Wanegar, and when Guy explained what it was and how it worked, I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ And with my engineering background, I became very interested in the control systems for the system. So, we worked together and Guy became a friend and mentor.”

Woodie was a member of the Scranton Library Building Committee and was integral in implementing the concept into that design.

“The library system is now running phenomenally well, and our utility bills for this building are less than the old building, and the new building is twice as large,” says Woodie. “Our goal as a building committee was to not saddle the town and its residents with high utility costs due to the size of the new library. I had hoped that we could get somewhere near the old costs, but never dreamt they would be less than the old building. There’s the proof that shows it works. I think that after what we’ve seen at the library, it was the convincing factor in having the new school be geo-exchange.”

According to Woodie, geo-exchange systems work because the ground temperature is warmer than the air temperature in winter months. During summer months, the ground temperature is cooler than the air temperature. By installing small pipes into the ground, heat is transferred to and from buildings without the use of fossil fuels.

“It is kind of magic until you really understand how basic and simple it all is,” Woodie explains. “Geo-exchange uses the earth to supply fluid at approximately 55 degrees to a heat pump that then raises or lowers the temperature to heat or cool the building. So, what’s a heat pump? Your refrigerator has a heat pump; your air conditioner has a heat pump. There are many types of heat pumps, and they all move heat from one place to another using a refrigeration cycle,” says Woodie. “The high efficiency of the geo-exchange system versus an air-sourced heat pump on the roof or ground is based on two factors. One, that water is an extremely conductive medium compared to air. Two, when you are starting at 55-degree water from the ground, to bring that up to 100 to 110 degrees to heat, it is only a 50-degree differential. With air-sourced units, if it’s 25 degrees outside, it’s an 85-degree difference. The efficiency of the heat pump is proportional to the temperature differentials. In the summer, it’s even better because you’re taking 55-degree water down to only 45 degrees, while an air-sourced heat pump must take 85 degrees down to 45. This is why ground-sourced systems have the highest efficiency of any current HVAC system.”

According to Woodie, Scranton’s geo-system obtains more than 70% of its yearly energy to heat and cool the building directly from the earth. During summer, that figure can exceed 80% via this process. The system is now responsible for saving significant taxpayer dollars while utilizing a fraction of the electricity and fuel that would otherwise be expended.

Woodie says he’s not stopping there. He is also involved in the retrofitting of Town Hall with the system in an effort to save thousands in operating costs and eliminate the use of fossil fuels. According to Woodie, the savings to taxpayers will be significant once installed.

“The Town Hall geo-exchange system is nearly ready to put out to bid and should be operational by year-end,” Woodie says. “I am also on the team that is evaluating Polson [Middles School] for upgrades to its HVAC systems, and geo-exchange appears to be the way to go. So, those keep me very busy. I am very pleased to be able to contribute to that.”

Woodie says that geo-exchange has been cost-effective for taxpayers — both personal and commercial — because of investment tax credits, but nonprofits and municipalities, which do not pay tax, were excluded. The new Inflation Reduction Act is a game changer, Woodie says, because it includes municipalities and nonprofits in the program.

Woodie says in planning the upgrades at Polson and Town Hall and the new school, the cost of geo-exchange versus conventional systems was evaluated. With the IRA rebate, the difference appears insignificant.

Beyond the cost-saving and environmental benefits of geo-exchange, lower maintenance costs and longer equipment lifespans are also critical factors in why the technology is such a clear alternative to current technology, Woodie says.

“This equipment has a very, very long service life because everything is protected by being indoors or underground,” Woodie explains.

While Woodie has helped lead the geo-exchange charge, he says that the projects wouldn’t even be possible without help.

“It’s important to mention that changes of this magnitude are not made by one person, and I’d like to thank our Facilities Director, Bill McMinn, who has been instrumental in moving these projects forward,” Woodie says. “His support over the years was and is invaluable to me. I’d also like to mention that both the Library Building Committee and New School Building Committee have been totally supportive of installing these systems and adopting them would have been impossible without their dedicated support. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of both committees.”