Local organization going geothermal

Energy saving technology from the earth

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - It's called geothermal technology and one local organization is hoping to save energy costs.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Seven is combining geothermal with an already existing solar powered system.

Twelve one-hundred foot deep holes are being drilled at the site.  Copper tubing is inserted to bring up the heat.

"Where refrigerant goes into the ground, absorbs the heat from the ground, transfers it back up into the compressor units and then we can decide where it goes from there, whether you're heating or cooling,"said Gary Prior of Terraclime Geothermal.

Geothermal energy systems can save anywhere from fifty to eighty percent of energy costs.

And no need for new construction.  Existing buildings can be retrofitted with the system.