Eco-friendly living

Leigh Pomeroy stands in front of his 2018 Toyota Prius Prime that gets 54 miles per gallon in town and 133 on the highway.

By Grace Brandt | Photos by Marianne Carlson I n recent years, more and more people have tried to live “eco-friendly” lives, in the hopes of preserving and even improving the world’s environment for future generations. There is a wide range of opportunities for people who are interested in sustainable living, including recycling, purchasing electric vehicles and exploring renewable energy sources. While some homeowners may worry that eco-friendly options are more costly than “normal” home expenses, there are actually opportunities in the Mankato area to “go green” for any budget. Solar energy

One way homeowners have been embracing renewable energy for decades is through solar panels and other solar energy opportunities. While initially quite costly and not all that effective, solar panels have greatly advanced in recent years to become worthwhile investments. Thanks to a 26 percent tax credit from the state of Minnesota, it now costs about $11,800 to install a 5-kilowatt system onto a home’s roof, and these panels can last upwards of 30 years.

For Mankato resident Leigh Pomeroy, the interest in installing solar panels came about 10 years ago after he attended a Nobel Conference focused on energy at Gustavus Adolphus College.

“It really woke me up to the issue of climate change,” he recalled. “I said, ‘I’ve got to do something about this.’”

The first steps that Pomeroy and his wife took were small: replacing old lightbulbs with LED lights and ensuring that their home was sufficiently insulated. But Pomeroy wanted to do more, so he started looking into solar panels. At the time, Minnesota offered a 30 percent tax credit for installing solar panels, so Pomeroy and his wife utilized that to install their panels in 2016. The panels only took a few days to install and produced enough energy to cover about 90 percent of the couple’s energy use. A few years later, Pomeroy had more panels installed (his energy use increased after he purchased a hybrid electric vehicle), bringing the total number of panels on his roof up to 24.

According to Pomeroy, the solar panels more than cover his energy use, meaning he doesn’t pay for his electricity anymore. In fact, he receives a credit from his electricity provider, Xcel Energy, every month because of his renewable energy source. (Xcel Energy offers the Solar Rewards program, which offers about $0.07 per kilowatt hour produced by a solar system.)

“I just checked my Xcel bill for this month, and it’s -$151,” he said. “I’ve got a credit coming to me for $151. So it’s paying off. When we put on more solar panels, the break-even point went further out, but I don’t care. I’m just doing it because it’s the right thing to do. It’s also nice to not to have to pay electricity bills.”

In addition, his house’s value increased by about 2 percent thanks to the solar panels, and that increase was exempt from

property tax.

Pomeroy said there are some things to consider before installing solar panels. In fact, for people who really want to live sustainably, he recommends starting even smaller before looking into something like solar panels.

“The first thing people should do is look at [their] home and see how energy efficient it is,” he said, referencing energy-efficient windows, doors and insultation. “Have you replaced your incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs? Your furnace and air conditioning units—are they efficient? The low hanging fruit is dealing with energy inefficiencies of the home, and, once that’s taken care of, then you look at solar panels.”

When people are ready to move forward with solar panels, they need to consider is just where they plan on installing them. A roof (or area in the yard that will be used for panels) needs to face south/southwest in order to receive enough sun. It’s also important to work with a reputable installer. Pomeroy said there are several good companies in the area, but he still recommended obtaining several quotes and asking for references from others.

In addition, people should be aware of the state of their roofs before installing any solar panels, because solar panels can last 25 years or longer—which just

The front of Leigh Pomeroy’s home is covered by a small hillside that helps save on energy costs. The roof of the house is metal and covered with solar panels, both of which, are very energy efficient.

might be longer than a roof will last if it’s not recent.

“The biggest problem that a lot of people have are roof penetration issues,” Pomeroy said. “What’s [a panel] going to do to the integrity of your roof? You don’t want to put brand-new solar panels on an old roof. If people are really thinking of putting solar panels in their roof, it’s probably a good idea to get a new roof first.”

Pomeroy actually recommended looking into metal roofs, like the one he installed on his own home, because metal roofs can last 50 years, are more energy efficient (because they keep homes cooler) and are safer, meaning insurance costs also go down.

While people may worry that solar panels could be easily damaged by Minnesota’s harsh weather, Pomeroy said that the truth is solar panels are built to withstand everything from rain to snow to hail, and they’re also great for protecting a house’s roof.

“People worry about storms ruining solar panels, but they’re made to withstand that,” Pomeroy said. “I don’t know anyone who has lost solar panels to wind, sleet, hail, snow… It just doesn’t happen.”

While advances in technology have resulted in more affordable, efficient panels, Pomeroy acknowledged that it still isn’t an affordable option for everyone. However, he said for him, the investment was well worth it.

“As for downsides… there are none,” he said. “For me, it’s paid off. I know of no one who’s put on solar panels who regrets it—and I’ve talked to people who put up solar panels 20 years ago, back when it was really expensive and they weren’t that efficient, and they still say it was the greatest decision they ever made. I highly recommend it to anybody who has the ability to put them on their roof.”

Geothermal systems

Another option for people who want to harness more eco-friendly energy systems is to install a geothermal heat pump. These heat pumps draw energy (in the form of heat) from the earth under a home. Fueled by electronic power, the heat pump will gather heat from the earth during winter months and expel heat from the home to cool it off during the summer months. It can also create hot water during the summer.

Mankato resident Kathy Brynaert and her husband Tony Filipovitch decided to install a geothermal system in their home in 2009. At the time, there were federal and state rebates for alternative energy systems, but Brynaert’s home had too many trees to make solar panels a viable option. Instead, she and her husband looked into geothermal heaters.

“We’ve always been committed toward any ways in which we could contribute to using energy in a way that is more compatible with the best interests of the environment as a whole,” Brynaert said.

A driller’s perspective on geothermal heat systems

14 • • MAY 2020 • The Free Press

Todd Seppman, of Mankato-based drilling company Jadd Seppman & Sons, said he has dug wells for geothermal heaters for about 10-12 years. The systems were especially popular when more tax credits were available for them, but they’ve “really died off” in the last three years, especially since gas has been cheaper lately.

However, Seppman said that geothermal systems are “a lot more” efficient than a traditional furnace, as far as the amount of energy they can produce.

“For a typical furnace, they’re in the 90 percent efficient range,” Seppman said, explaining that that means homeowners receive about 90 percent of the heat they pay for, while the other 10 percent of heat is wasted. “A geothermal furnace can be 300 percent efficient.”

Seppman added that his company only drills the wells for the geothermal system, while heating contractors work on the inside process. He said a typical house will need 4-6 wells, which are usually around 180 feet deep. It takes about 2-3 days to drill the wells, and workers “flush” them out with a foodgrade antifreeze so that any leakage won’t affect the area water table. The wells are also grounded from the bottom-up, meaning that they’re filled in (with soil or cement) once the pipes have been installed inside.

Some of the challenges of installing geothermal systems come from the type of soil a house sits on and how cramped a house’s yard is, since contractors need to use rather large pieces of equipment to drill the wells. Because of this, it’s difficult to give an estimate of how much it would cost to install a geothermal system, especially on an older house.

“We’ve done some new construction, which is easier, because you have more room to move stuff around,” Seppman said. “With an existing house, everything’s in place, so it’s getting the lines into the house without wrecking the yard and landscaping too much. For new houses, we come in pretty early before they do any landscaping so we can get our mess made and done. It is kind of a messy process.”

Seppman said almost every heating contractor in Mankato now offers geothermal work, and it’s best to talk to one of them before coming to him for the wells. He installed a geothermal system in his own house in 2007 and said he hasn’t touched anything on it for 12 years.

“When the gas prices went up, my heating and cooling bill stayed steady,” he said. “We’ve put [a system] in my shop, too. And for a lot of these systems, there’s also rebates through the power companies. I’m on ‘off peak’ on mine, [so the electric company] controls my furnace on and off, and I get a better rate.”

According to Filipovitch, installing a geothermal heating system was more expensive than normal because their home sat on limestone, which meant the contractor had to drill through 150 feet of solid rock to reach usable soil. The entire process took a few weeks, since the contractor had to drill enough wells (five total) to supply sufficient heat.

“It was kind of a mess,” Brynaert said with a laugh. “They destroyed our backyard. It was kind of dramatic to see these [huge pieces of equipment] digging.”

However, once the system was installed, the couple said it’s not really much different than a standard furnace. The inside structure is the same, except for the tubes that allow for heated air to enter (or exit) the house. The heat that comes into the home is about 55 degrees, and it is then further heated by flowing through the heat exchanger. There is a gas burner in the furnace that kicks in as a backup if the temperature outside is extremely cold, such as zero degrees or lower. (“Most of the time, we’re heating off the ground,” Filipovitch said.)

The system also provides for the couple’s air conditioning, the first A/C system they’ve had since they moved in. Before, they only used window air conditioners, but Brynaert said the geothermal system is “much more even and efficient.”

According to Filipovitch, the couple’s heating is now almost completely carbon free, since they purchase their electricity from the Cooperative Energy Futures Community Solar Garden in Waseca. In addition, the geothermal system has “never had any issues” since it was installed, and they expect it to last quite a long time.

“We’re really happy that we did it,” Brynaert said. “It’s a commitment that we had that we wanted to be able to follow through on, to do everything we could to make our way of living as sustainable as possible.”

If someone is interested in installing a geothermal system, Filipovitch highly recommended looking into the state of the house first to ensure it’s already as energy efficient as possible.

“The advice that we got when looking into geothermal was, the first thing you do is insulate,” he said. “The cheapest and most effective way to conserve heat is insulation. Upgrade your windows. That’s also often where a lot of the energy goes out of the house. Once you do that, then look at better ways to generate the heat.”

Solar energy gardens

A geothermal system is one of the most efficient ways you can heat and cool a home.

According to Brynaert, solar panels are still much more popular in the area when it comes to homeowners trying to live sustainably, especially since people can feel intimidated by the digging process that comes with geothermal systems and how their furnace needs to be reworked instead of simply adding panels to their roofs. But she said geothermal heaters are really worth the effort.

“To me, it’s the best kept secret,” she said. “You’re using the energy of the earth and enlisting the planet in being a more responsible steward.”

Other eco-friendly options

While solar and geothermal energy systems can be great ways for people to live more sustainably, it isn’t possible for every household to utilize one of those two systems. However, there are still many ways people can live more eco-friendly lives.

One resource for Minnesotans is CERTs (Clean Energy Resource Teams), a team of professionals across the state working with the University of Minnesota and the MN Department of Commerce. CERT teams are spread throughout the state and work with individuals, businesses, schools, farmers, cities, counties and others to become more energy efficient.

Dan Thiede, CERTs strategic communications and engagement director in the state’s central region, said the group’s goal is to help connect Minnesotans with the tools and resources they need to complete renewable energy projects and live more sustainably—and this can include the “small steps.”

“We like to think about it like, ‘You can start with small steps,’” Thiede said. “Usually when you get a couple good successes under your belt, it’s easier to think about [bigger] things. The exciting thing is, a lot of the measures that you can take to make your home more energy efficient are also things that can make your home safer, healthier and more comfortable.”

Thiede suggested starting with a home energy audit, which is when a professional examines a home and gives suggestions for becoming more efficient. Some small changes include switching lightbulbs to LEDs and adding insulation to walls. From there, a larger step could be looking into purchasing more energy efficient appliances. Besides big-ticket items such as furnaces, there are smaller appliances—such as refrigerators, washers and dryers—that have also made advances over the years to be more energy efficient.

While Thiede said there is no longer a federal tax credit for energy efficiency improvements inside the home, many utility companies offer rebates for energy efficient appliances and other efforts. (There is still a federal tax credit for solar energy systems.) For example, Xcel Energy offers Xcel Rewards, where the company will pay homeowners for any electricity they produce that exceeds what they use. The company will also offer a rebate to recycle an old, working refrigerator if a client wants to upgrade to a more energy efficient one.

Thiede said another way people can utilize renewable energy options, even if they don’t have the ability to install whole systems themselves, is to opt into “green pricing” through their utility company. Blue Earth County-based electric company BENCO offers the “Wellspring Renewable Wind Energy Program,” where BENCO members can sign up for wind- or solar-generated electricity, with a slight increase to their monthly bill.

“It’s a really great time to be looking at ways that you can save energy and deciding how you want to power your life with renewables,” Thiede said.

Another option for people who want to utilize solar energy but can’t install panels on their roofs is joining a solar energy garden. There are several in the area, such as the Waseca Community Solar Garden (run by Cooperative Energy Futures). This garden is open to residents in Waseca County or any of its neighboring counties (which means it’s available to Mankato residents).

When subscribing to the Waseca Community Solar Garden, people can choose how much energy they want to receive, ranging from the minimum subscription of 200 watts (about enough to power two 100-watt incandescent lightbulbs) to the maximum of 120 percent of a household’s energy use. Subscribers who receive their energy from Xcel Energy receive a bill credit for whatever amount of solar they subscribe to, which means they’ll “zero out” their bill if they subscribe for their full use. Meanwhile, subscriptions cost $.02-.03/kilowatt hour, depending on the size of the subscription. People can either pay-as-they-go or pay a larger chunk up front (which ends up being cheaper in the long run).

Brynaert has been a member of the Waseca Community Solar Garden for several years and said it’s a great option for people who can’t use their own solar panels.

“Sometimes, people think these alternative choices are only ones that people in a better economic position can make, but the solar gardens tries to create options even for renters, or people of less means, so that they can still participate and make a commitment to that environmental cause.”

For more information, visit www.cooperativeenergyfutures. com.