Neighborhood Geothermal Project Cuts Energy Costs, Aids Environment

Eric and Jennifer Mauchan used to fret about the higher bills that come with cranking up the A/C in summer and the reverse in winter. Now, the Framingham, Massachusetts, couple tells ABC News they’ve “won the home lottery.” 

That’s because this summer, the Mauchans are beating the heat with a lower cost, environmentally friendly system. Three dozen of their neighbors will also benefit. It's a geothermal system installed and run by Eversource. It's an energy company.

That’s a first. People seeking to change to a geothermal energy system for their home often have to shell out tens of thousands of dollars. The systems do pay for themselves within 5-10 years because of lower bills. But the project in Framingham is different. Eversource is paying to build the system. It says users of their system should see their energy bills drop an average of 20% without having to pay any of the massive upfront costs.   

“Geothermal ground-source heat pumps have been around for a long time,” Zeyneb Magavi told WBUR-FM. She works for the environmental nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team. But, she added, the upfront cost of building a system is too high for most homeowners.

Buildings heated and cooled with geothermal energy rely on underground pipe loops. It does not require the burning of any fossil fuels like oil or gas. Instead, the pipes contain flowing water and a small amount of antifreeze connected to heat pumps. In the winter, these systems draw warm air from the earth to heat a house. In summer, the flow is reversed. The pump pulls heat from the house into the ground. It then recycles cooler water to provide cool air to a home. The result is a year-round indoor temp of 70 degrees.   

Advocates hope the Eversource project works well. If it does, they hope to expand it statewide.   

Reflect: What are some ways that finding new solutions for energy use can change how we live and care for the environment?

Photo of ground breaking on the Eversource Geothermal Pilot Project from framinghamma.gov.