{"id":1956,"date":"2019-06-26T13:47:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T17:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dandelionenergy.com\/when-natural-gas-runs-out-the-geothermal-solution-emerges-as-the-clean-choice"},"modified":"2025-09-19T10:57:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T14:57:16","slug":"when-natural-gas-runs-out-the-geothermal-solution-emerges-as-the-clean-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dandelionenergy.com\/when-natural-gas-runs-out-the-geothermal-solution-emerges-as-the-clean-choice","title":{"rendered":"When Natural Gas Runs Out, The Geothermal Solution Emerges as the Clean Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the story about the <\/span>Westchester County, NY Natural Gas (NG) moratorium<\/a> that was imposed by Con Edison in March 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also about a man on a mission; his name is Bob Wyman. You can see him in the image at the Con Edison Gas Hearings at the White Plains Library on February, 13, 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before getting too deep into the story, I want to point out the reason this issue came up. The area was running out of natural gas capacity. Existing pipelines could not handle the growth. This was true even before considering emissions, infrastructure costs, or other concerns. Putting in more NG capacity was out of the question…<\/p>\n

The normal \u201cbusiness-as-usual\u201d solution would have been to upgrade the gas capacity in the ground, or in other words, install larger and more NG pipeline capacity. But that does not fall in line with the 80% emissions reduction strategy of New York State<\/a>, and indeed the world. What we have found while going through this exercise is that there are several solutions provided that are far more beneficial than we even realized. We needed a renewable energy heat source, since natural gas is used to provide combustion heat for homes and businesses.<\/p>\n

Comparing Pipelines: Natural Gas vs. Geothermal<\/h2>\n

If you look at the image below, you will see that both the natural gas system, and a geothermal heating and cooling system need a pipe in the ground. Interestingly, it is actually the same material for both types of pipelines, high density polyethylene. There are several major differences beyond the fact that both need pipes in the ground.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"slide2PNG\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first difference is that the geothermal pipe does not consume anything. Rather it is constantly recycling the renewable characteristics of the thermal energy in the Earth.<\/p>\n

The next item to note is that geothermal provides heating and cooling<\/a>. Natural gas provides space heating.<\/p>\n

Finally, and perhaps the most important item is that there are no on-site emissions with an all-electric geothermal heat pump.<\/p>\n

\"slide3PNG\"<\/p>\n

In one simple strategic move, we have eliminated the need to supply other consumable resources (natural gas) to this pipeline by installing a permanent geothermal pipeline for homes and businesses. As a result, there will be no shortages or price hikes due to supply and demand. The thermal resources of the Earth will always be available for the nominal charge of the electrical pumping energy.<\/p>\n

Cost Comparison: Gas Lines vs. Geothermal Loops<\/h2>\n

The first question most people ask is about cost. How much does it cost to install a natural gas pipeline compared to a geothermal heating and cooling pipeline? According to Con Edison, the average run is 49 feet and costs ratepayers $22,000. This price covers only the tap from the main to the house. It does not include the furnace or any other costs. Central Hudson Gas & Electric <\/a>estimates the cost at closer to $35,000 per customer for older pipelines. In those cases, they suggest it would be better to switch all the customers on that section to a geothermal line.<\/p>\n

The average cost of a geothermal Loop is about $15,000. Comparing the two, obviously the geothermal pipe is favorable in first cost, and with no consumables associated with it, it becomes a durable piece of infrastructure; quite the opposite of a natural gas pipe, which becomes essentially a stranded asset.<\/p>\n

I’ve had the privilege of working with natural gas companies for a few years now. I’ve watched them dabble with the possibility of becoming a geothermal utility. After all, they are in the energy business.Almost any financial analysis shows that it\u2019s a better business model to sell a connection to an energy source that is on-site, perpetual, and renewable. I reviewed a presentation from Central Hudson Gas & Electric that confirmed this idea. The utility outlined a strategic plan to upgrade its natural gas system to a distributed geothermal heating and cooling system.<\/p>\n

\"interconnGeoDist\"<\/p>\n

Utilities Exploring Geothermal Distribution<\/h2>\n

It’s really nothing new, geothermal utilities have been growing over the last couple of decades. Smart Energy utilities like Con Edison, National Grid and Enbridge are leaving no Stones unturned as they investigate the virtues of getting into the geothermal energy distribution business.<\/p>\n

Energy utilities have invested our money into natural gas infrastructure. Similar geothermal loop structure cost less, and has all the virtues needed to help us reach our goals to reduce carbon emissions, and use renewable energy. The real focus here comes down to complete electrification of our homes and buildings. Simply put, the grid already has a good supply of green energy supplying our needs. Over time, the green energy supplied to the grid continues to grow as more solar panels, wind farms, and other renewable resources are added.<\/p>\n

\"electricitygen\"<\/p>\n

A Statewide Push Toward Heat Pumps<\/h2>\n

On April 1st, New York Joint Utilities (all utilities acting as a group) are requesting PSC approval to spend<\/a> an additional $289 million on heat pump deployment before 2025. In the document, each utility lays out its plan for achieving its share of the PSC’s order that New York State save 5 Trillion BTUs via heat pump installations by the end of 2025. Much of this spending is in addition<\/u> to the $250 million that is already approved for the Westchester Country Clean Energy Action Plan<\/a> which addresses the gas moratorium in that county.<\/p>\n

Are you concerned because you don\u2019t have the time to become certified as a designer or installer? That\u2019s no problem. Most everyone needs continuing education units (CEUs) to keep their license current with the authorities that have jurisdiction. You can go online and earn 6 hours of CEUs, while getting a good overview of the technology from IGSHPA. Log on to the course, Introduction to Geothermal Systems Technology<\/a> to get started on your way. You can stay online for more in depth courses. For plumbers, note that the pipe is HDPE; it handles and installs similar to gas pipe. There\u2019s a lot of opportunity for trade uptake within the exisiting skillset.<\/p>\n

Special thanks to Bob Wyman<\/a>, (Beneficial Electrification Advocate, Geothermal Heat Pump Advocate, Founder of Dandelion Energy, Google Consultant, etc.) for his vigilance in mining data for years that has helped bring these numbers and these results.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article was originally published in the June 2019 issue of PHCP News<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jay Egg is a geothermal consultant, writer, and the owner of EggGeothermal<\/a>. He has co-authored two textbooks<\/a> on geothermal HVAC systems published by McGraw-Hill Professional<\/a>. He can be reached at jayegg.geo@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As New York State’s energy needs grow, the question of whether to expand natural gas pipelines or find energy alternatives emerges. Curious about the benefits of geothermal or natural gas? Geothermal expert Jay Egg discusses the benefits of geothermal over natural gas pipelines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":4499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[48,88,120],"class_list":["post-1956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-post","tag-natural-gas","tag-natural-gas-moratorium","tag-westchester-ny"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWestchester Gas Moratorium: Geothermal is a Smarter Alternative<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 2019 Westchester natural gas moratorium showed the limits of fossil fuel pipelines. 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