December 19, 2001—Eleven New York companies and institutions plan to install geothermal heating and cooling systems in the near future, thereby saving a total of $200,000 per year in electricity costs. The geothermal systems will qualify for nearly $1,000,000 total in rebates under the Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) Clean Energy Initiative. The five-year, $170-million initiative provides technical assistance and financial incentives to commercial customers who utilize geothermal technology for their heating and cooling needs. The program also provides rebates and incentives to save electricity, and helps promote the development and use of clean energy alternatives such as wind, solar, fuel cells and geothermal.
The projects, involving ten companies and institutions on Long Island, and one in the New York City borough of Queens, will reduce peak electrical use by about 500 kilowatts while cutting total energy use by roughly 1.4 million kilowatt-hours per year—enough to power about 175 homes. New York Governor George E. Pataki announced the projects December 1, 2001, during a visit to Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, which has completed its geothermal installation and is using it to control the water temperature in a shark tank. Since its installation, Atlantis has saved approximately $20,000 in energy costs and received a $52,500 rebate from LIPA for installing the geothermal system.
For more information about geothermal heating and cooling systems, visit the Geothermal Heat Pumps page on the DOE Geothermal Energy Program Web site.
