Restoration - Geothermal Technology

Geothermal System Controls Climate of House

The temperature of The Westcott House is regulated by a computerized direct digital control system—a feature that even Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed the house, could not have imagined. Yet Wright would undoubtedly approve of its use, both because it assures that no unsightly heating and cooling fixtures detract from the spacious elegance of the house and because it should result in long-term cost savings.

"Every time I walk into the house, there are new 'wows'," says Kevin R. Matthies, vice president of Hauck Brothers Heating and Air Conditioning, the Springfield, Ohio, company that installed the system. The system itself is one such "wow"—ironically enough because in large part it is invisible. In fact, the major challenge for Matthies and his crew was two-fold: to analyze the original heating system—including the ductwork—and then to apply appropriate current technology—with no conspicuous intrusion—upon the house as it appeared upon its completion in 1908.

In this regard, it can be argued that the craftspeople working on the heating and cooling system had the toughest job of the multi-million-dollar Westcott House restoration project that began in 2001, for their task was to fit a complex new system into spaces not designed for it—and to keep it hidden. Hence, foreman Shayne Houseman and his crew had to deal with irregular stud spaces, diagonal bracing, and similar challenges. "Not surprisingly, therefore, many sheet-metal installations—including all of those on the second floor—are custom-made," says Matthies. "And ductwork is creatively camouflaged in unexpected places: beneath brass grills on the baseboards and behind slots on the inglenook benches, for example."

Positioned in the front of the house are fourteen wells, sunk two-hundred feet deep that serve the main house. Another ten for the carriage house are in the back. In each cavity are two pipes spaced a few inches apart and surrounded by grouting material packed tightly up against the earth. The pipe—all six thousand feet of it—is filled with an antifreeze solution that the heat transfer from the earth maintains at a temperature of thirty to fifty degrees Fahrenheit.

In a closed loop system, the liquid flows from the outside to indoor pumps controlled by a geothermal compressor unit that sends it through a refrigeration process to heat and chill the water. In other words, unlike heating and cooling systems that use forced air, the exchange is with water. Strategically placed sensors linked to a sophisticated computer board monitor the air to guard against wild temperature swings.

Before this system was installed, careful analysis of several heating and air conditioning options occurred. "Despite a price-tag of $250,000, this state-of-the-art system was selected because of its substantial energy savings— says Matthies, "and its consequent dollar savings as well."

The Durable Slate Company, Columbus, Ohio, contractor for The Westcott House project, coordinated installation efforts with engineers of Schooley Caldwell Associates, also of Columbus, Loop Master International of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Hauck Brothers.

"Work on the system is the kind of assignment that comes along only 'once in a lifetime'," says Matthies, "happy to be a part of it."