Alf's Geo & Drilling Powerin' The Patch - GeoSmart Energy

FEATURETapping into theearth’s energyBy Katie RyanTaking a look outside in the heart of winter,it’s hard to imagine that so many are actuallystaying warm thanks to heat beneath their feet.As geothermal heating gains steam as analternative to traditional heating systems, oneAlberta company is already busy handling newinstalls and retrofits.From neighouring farm boys to partners inAlf ’s Geo and Drilling, Darren Winczura andBrian Vitek drill water wells, test water wellsfor the oil industry and now thanks to theincreasing interest with geothermal energy, thepartners are installing more and more geothermalheating and cooling systems.“I was doing my own house about five yearsago, I looked into other things but I reallywanted air conditioning,” said Winczura, ofhow he first learned of geothermal energy.“My uncle suggested it because he was doingdrilling for geothermal hookups, so I lookedinto it and priced it out. I decided to take acourse and the instructor who taught it is nowthe president of GeoSmart Energy.”In layman’s terms, a geothermal system takesadvantage of the ground’s heating and coolingproperties, to heat or cool entire buildings.Using a standard pump and compressortechnology, the heat ‘exchange’ betweenthe ground and building is achieved, takingadvantage of the fact that the ground is alwaysseveral degrees above freezing.“I was just in awe – there are so many neatthings about geothermal – you can heat, youcan cool, you can power freezers and fridges,make ice, the possibilities are endless,” saidWinczura, at a recent open house the partnersheld in Lloydminster.“It’s not just for residential, it’s endless whatcan be done. We actually put a pool heater inin Phoenix, they love it. The heat pump justuses the heat from the air and pumps it intothe pool.”As geothermal specialists, the partners usetheir expertise to determine the best type ofearth loop for the land space available.A water-antifreeze mix circulating throughplastic tubing buried under ground or submergedin a large body of water, enables theenergy transfer and microprocessors controlthe main functions of the geothermal units.Winczura and Vitek, who are accreditedinstallers under the Canadian GeoExchangeCoalition, install geothermal units supplied byGeoSmart Energy of Ontario.Established in 1975 by Alfred Winczura,Darren took the reigns of the Viking, Albertabased company in 1988 and transformed itinto Alf ’s Geo and Drilling in 2006, whenVitek came on board.Informing the public about geothermalenergy and its multiple benefits is ongoing forWinczura and Vitek, who regularly holdingopen houses around the province and in theirshop. The next open house is slated for March.For those considering installing a geothermalsystem, both Winczura and Vitek encouragepeople to keep the big picture in mind. Initially,geothermal is not cheap, costing $20,000 ormore to install but in the long run, the benefitsare numerous.“If you are building, yes it is a little more, it’s30 to 40 per cent more, but you are going toget that back in anywhere from four to sevenyears,” said Winczura.“It’s very environmentally friendly, whicha lot of people are interested in now; it’s liketaking two cars off the road with each unit orplanting 750 trees for each unit.”Added Vitek, “It can be used for anythingyou heat now with natural gas or coal – it canbe heated with geothermal. It is a very green,efficient heat. It’s also very comfortable in yourhome.”Geothermal energy systems, which provideboth heating and air conditioning whereconventional systems require separate heatingand cooling systems, operate 30 to 70 per centmore efficiently than ordinary heating and airconditioning systems.“When you put this unit in, the value of yourhouse will probably go up another $30 to $60thousand more because it’s environmentallyfriendly and people will pay less for utilities.We sell them the furnace and give them theair conditioner free -that’s our motto,” saidWinczura with a laugh.For more information visit Alf ’ s Geo andDrilling website: www.alfsgeothermal.com16 - Powerin’ the Patch • January 2009

Left, the most popular type of loopconfiguration are horizontal loops, which areused where adequate space is available. Theyinvolve one or more trenches, where the highdensity green geothermal pipe is inserted.Above left, Darren Winczura shows what a GeoSmart unit iscapable and all of the equipment needed to heat your home,at a recent open house in Lloydminster.Left, Brian Vitek and Darren Winczura pause amoment from answering questions at their openhouse.January 2009 • Powerin’ the Patch - 17