Manlius, NY
Square Footage: 2,300
Year Built: 1976
Annual Energy Cost: Before: $300/month for only oil | After: $240* for all household energy use, including two electric vehicles! *estimated monthly cost of energy if purchased from utility - mostly eliminated by solar panels!
“Amazingly, with geothermal heating in place, for what we would have spent on heating/hot water alone, we were able to do the heating, and to power our household, drive our EV, and drive our PHEV. “
- Tony Viglietta, Homeowner
Installation and Energy Details
Prior Energy system: Forced air oil system, no cooling system
Prior Insulation or Sealing: Fiberglass batting in walls and attic crawl space, blown in cellulose in attic crawl space
New Energy System: Geothermal Horizontal Loop and Heat Pump Water Heater, powered by solar photovoltaics
New Insulation or Sealing: --
System Specifications:
- Climatemaster TEV049 (four-ton capacity) geothermal heat pump with horizontal 2400’ loop field in four 300’ trenches
- State 66 gallon Premier Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater
- 7.2kW solar PV installed in 2017, and an additional 9.9 kW in 2019
Results
- In 2017, concern for the climate and personal finances led the Vigliettas to install their first solar panels. In 2018 they bought a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. They encountered a HeatSmart CNY table at a local community fair and, despite initial skepticism about heat pumps working in Central New York’s climate, educated themselves and reached out to local installers to consider the options for their home. The combination of federal tax incentives and NYSERDA and National Grid rebates made a geothermal system surprisingly affordable, allowing them to eliminate oil use from their home entirely. The geothermal heat pump and heat pump water heater were installed in February 2019, followed by more solar panels and another electric vehicle. They have been pleased to discover that not only is the geothermal system keeping them warm through the winter, their comfort has increased due to the even heating and cooling throughout the home. Because geothermal cooling uses so little energy, the Vigliettas are now able to keep their home cooler in the summer as well.
Motivation for Heat Pump Technology
- Environmental concerns combined with financial incentives prompted the Vigliettas to change energy systems and nearly eliminate their fossil fuel use. Their heating was converted from expensive oil to efficient geothermal, paired with a heat pump water heater. The photovoltaic solar panels were installed purely for economic reasons and now contribute up to 81% of the home, HVAC and transportation electrical needs. These investments guarantee that the Vigliettas have minimal energy costs from now on. The Vigliettas are happy to combine their electric vehicles with their new home energy renovations to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint.
Expenses
Case Study: Viglietta
| Cost Category | Initial Cost | Incentives | Final Cost |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | $32,120 | $6,000 (NYSERDA Incentive) | $16,784 |
| $7,836 (30% Federal Tax Credit) | |||
| $1,500 (National Grid Rebate) | |||
| Heat Pump Water Heater | $2,000 | $300 (National Grid Rebate) | $1,700 |
| Solar Power | $51,730 | $5,990 (NYSERDA grant) | $27,018 |
| $13,724 (Federal tax credit) | |||
| $5,000 (State tax credit) |