15 minute read
Historical Past Meets Sustainable Future
by IdeaSoil
A makeover to Twin Maples, a 6,500-sq.-ft. mansion and headquarters of The Fortnightly Club in Summit, NJ, coincided with the home’s 100th anniversary and included the installation of a geothermal system to supply heating and cooling. Photos: Marisa Pellegrini
Historical Past Meets Sustainable Future Geothermal system is one of several green technologies that support 1908 structure.
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Since its construction in 1908, Twin Maples has been a silent witness to history, some of it up close and very personal, including a top-to-bottom makeover that coincided with the home’s 100th anniversary and included the installation of a geothermal system to supply heating and cooling to the house.
Twin Maples, in Summit, NJ, includes a 6,500-sq.- ft. mansion and a carriage house that originally sheltered carriages and horses in two large bays for the home’s owner. Today, the neoclassic structure, designed by architect Alfred F. Norris, is home to The Fortnightly Club of Summit, as well as a number of other organizations in the area.
As Twin Maples approached its 100th birthday, club member Heidi Evenson recalls the decision facing the organization. “We either needed to sell the building, because it really hadn’t been properly maintained, or we needed to renovate it to a certain level and then allow the mansion to become a show house.”
AFFORDABLE UTILITIES “Our goal was to renovate the house so that other charitable organizations could use it at an affordable rate, a rate which basically covered the cost of utilities,” recalled Evenson. “And, as we thought about our extraordinary heating bills, which were far too high to ask other organizations to cover, we began to think it would be great if we could use this show house to demonstrate to the community how to be green, and better yet, how to be green and at the same time, preserve an historic treasure like Twin Maples, which is listed on both the National and New Jersey Registries of Historic Places.”
With the help of “Green Talk” blogger Anna Hackman, club members considered the energy-efficient options that were available to them to replace the home’s inefficient steam-heat system. They narrowed their choices to a gas forced-air system or a more sustainable, and also more expensive, geothermal system to supply heating and cooling to the house.
A geothermal system takes advantage of free solar energy stored just below the surface of the earth. Using a series of pipes (an earth loop) buried in the ground and a geothermal or ground-source heat pump, the geothermal heating and cooling system extracts heat from the earth and carries it to a home in the winter. In
the summer, the process reverses and the system ex- tracts heat from the home and rejects it to the earth. In either case, the geothermal system delivers consistent temperatures and efficiencies that exceed those of con- ventional systems, offering savings as high as 70% for heating, cooling, and hot water.
In addition to consistent temperatures, a geothermal system ensures good indoor air quality (IAQ ) because the system does not require combustion and therefore produces none of the products associated with combus- tion, including carbon monoxide. Nor does it require a system to vent carbon monoxide and other dangerous exhaust gases. The average system lifespan exceeds 24 yr.—compared with 15 yr. for a more traditional heating and cooling system—contributing to the sustainability goals of The Fortnightly Club.
The group did their homework and eventually decid- ed to raise the additional funds to install a geothermal heating and cooling system. They then turned to Anto- nio Poccia, operations manager and owner of Perfection Contracting Inc., Newton, NJ, to perform the work. Not only did Poccia select the equipment and install the sys- tem, he did so at a considerable discount, much to the delight and appreciation of The Fortnightly Club.
GEOTHERMAL EQUIPMENT EVOLVES In 2004, Poccia purchased the heating and contracting business that his father started years earlier, so he was well-acquainted with geothermal technology from an early age. “The principles of geothermal technology have remained constant,” he said. “But the equipment continues to evolve and get better, most recently with the addition of multi-stage equipment.”
Installing a geothermal system at Twin Maples pre- sented challenges unique to the age of the property. “We wanted the system to be invisible, both inside and outside, so it wouldn’t impact the aesthetics of the his- toric home,” Poccia explains.
Outside, the company installed a vertical earth loop, drilling four bores at the corners of a 20 x 20-ft. square. “We chose a vertical rather than a horizontal loop to lim- it the impact on the yard. And because a geothermal sys- tem does not use any outside equipment, there is no visi- ble sign of the system on the exterior of the mansion.”
Inside, Poccia discovered the original owners had in- stalled a steam-heat system that included radiators sus- pended below the floor and a series of iron grates in the floors that distributed heated air throughout the house. With an eye to preserving the historical integrity of the home’s interior, Poccia designed an unusual duct system that uses the existing grates to heat and cool the struc- ture. He then created a return-duct system using addi- tional grates he found in the basement of the mansion.
Poccia installed three WaterFurnace, Ft. Wayne, IN, geothermal heat pumps—two new Envision units and a Premier II unit—in the home’s basement. The Envision
Above. Twin Maples project demonstrates that geothermal is an effective replacement system for an existing heating and cooling system in retrofit applications, no matter the age of the structure. Shown here is the home’s study.
Left. Twin Maples was renovated as a show house and then made available to other charitable organizations for a fee that basically covered the cost of utilities. The home’s geothermal heating and cooling made that cost affordable to those organizations. One of new features is a screening room.
Three WaterFurnace geothermal heat pumps–two new Envision units and a Premier II unit–were installed in the home’s basement. The Envision units–one 3-ton and one 4-ton–feature multi-stage operation for improved comfort and energy savings. units—one 3-ton and one 4-ton—feature multi-stage operation for improved comfort and energy savings. All Envision units use ozone-safe R-410A refrigerant to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), Washington, requirements. Coated air coils add durability and long life. A sophisticated microprocessor control sequences all components during operation for optimum performance and provides easy-to-use troubleshooting features with fault lights and on-board diagnostics. In addition, heavygauge metal cabinets are coated with durable poly paint for long-lasting protection.
Poccia removed a 6-ton Premier II unit from another house, cleaned and serviced it, and installed the unit in the basement of Twin Maples, confident it would provide years of service to the club. Together, the three units deliver 13 tons of conditioned air to the building and are tied to one flow center and a common earth loop, requiring the fewest watts of pumping power/ton of geothermal equipment.
YEAR-ROUND COMFORT Although members of The Fortnightly Club appreciate consistent temperatures in Twin Maples throughout the winter and far more manageable utility bills, they are especially pleased with the air conditioning. Prior to the renovation, the home was not air conditioned. “For all practical purposes, this meant we could not use the building during the hot summer months, which is prime wedding time,” said Evenson. “Now, the house is available, affordable, and comfortable year ‘round.’”
“When all was said and done, the Twin Maples project demonstrated, and continues to demonstrate, that geothermal is a viable replacement system for an existing heating and cooling system in retrofit applications, no matter the age of the house,” Poccia said.
But the renovation did not end with the installation of the geothermal system. In fact, after The Fortnightly Club had completed most of the major structural repairs and replacements, they raised $1.4 million in donations of goods and services to complete work in and around the house. Forty-five designers volunteered to decorate the home’s rooms, hallways, and closets. In most cases they honored the club’s desire to “go green,” incorporating environmentally responsible fabrics, wall coverings, flooring, carpets, furniture, and accessories, along with Energy Star appliances in their designs. Those who decorated the exclusively green carriage house were required to use materials that were re-used, recycled, or renewable in every facet of their designs.
Today, Twin Maples regularly welcomes a variety of community organizations and provides a setting for fundraisers, meetings, and celebratory events. Some of the home’s new features include a new kitchen and pantry, barrier-free bathroom, screening room, wine cellar, and a geothermal display in the basement that helps interested parties understand how the system works.
“The Fortnightly Club definitely made the difficult, but right, decision to tackle the renovation,” said Evenson. “But the real success of the project rests with the architects, designers, builders, contractors, and manufacturers who volunteered their expertise, their time, their services, and their products to the project—people such as Antonio Poccia and companies such as WaterFurnace. Their efforts will help ensure a second century of service at Twin Maples.”
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Learn about geothermal systems and WaterFurnace equipment Learn about geothermal systems and WaterFurnace equipment at the company’s commercial web page: at the company’s commercial web page: waterfurnace.com/commercial.aspx
Learn more about Twin Maples and view the facility at historictwinmaples.org
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