This month, the Town of Brookhaven was presented with a $10,000 check from PSEG Long Island for adopting the Suffolk County Planning Commission’s (SCPC) model geothermal code, published last year.
A cost-saving, energy-efficient alternative to conventional heating and cooling systems, geothermal systems make use of the Earth’s stable below-ground temperatures to heat and cool buildings and homes. Piping laid deep underground siphons heat in the winter and cool air in the summer from the constant subsurface temperatures. Geothermal designs may be closed loop, open loop, standing column or direct exchange.
In 2014, Suffolk county became the state’s first county to adopt a model geothermal building code, modeled in part on the code already being used in the Town of Brookhaven.The Suffolk County Planning Commission partnered with the Long Island Geothermal Energy Organization (LI-GEO) to draft the rules for the code, which were developed over the course of about seven months and were published last November. The code sets building standard guidelines and requirements for both homes and commercial structures that intend to implement geothermal energy technologies.
One environmental concern with geothermal technology is the necessity of using anti-freeze chemicals in the pipes, required in most climates to prevent freezing in the heat pump. To ensure maximum safety, the commission used the precedents created by other green energy codes as a template, but restricted the use of liquids that could be harmful to groudwater, even in closed-loop systems. Environmentally-friendly, non-toxic anti-freeze solutions such as calcium chloride and propylene glycol are available.
PSEG LI is offering $10,000 for implementation assistance to each township that adopts the county code. Smithtown was the model’s first official adopter back in March.
The geothermal code follows on the heels of the commission’s model codes on solar and wind energy, which have either been adopted or are being considered across the New York state.