Larry and Lavonne Krause and the Krause House.

A tree had split and was threatening the house. The grass was inching above the sidewalk level, and the furnace, water heater, and air conditioner were rumbling near the end of their 25- to 30-year lifespan. Then, Larry and Lavonne Krause became aware of a 30 percent tax credit. The puzzle pieces had arranged themselves – last September, they hired Water Source Heating & Cooling, Inc. to tear up the lawn and convert their home heating and cooling system from oil-burning to geothermal.

“That initial cost really scares people off,” said Lavonne of the $17,000 to $23,000 price tag. “But when you consider the tax credit, it becomes attractive.”

Lavonne’s husband Larry has always been interested in the concept of exploiting constant ground temperatures, so when the pair attended a Home & Garden Show at the indoor sports center in 2009, a geothermal booth caught their eye. “We almost walked by because we thought it would be too expensive,” Lavonne recalled.

Within the realm of geothermal, there are four different configurations of piping. At the Krause abode there is a vertical loop system, in which four parallel plastic tubes go down to 120 feet, then loop up to a connecting piece (manifold) that brings the solution of water and alcohol indoors. As the solution travels the closed underground circuit, it has ample time to absorb the temperature of the ground, which hovers near 50 degrees year-round. In summer, the solution carries heat away from the home and dumps it in the “sink” of the earth. In winter, the earth-warmed fluid gets compressed to a higher temperature and distributed throughout the home. The geothermal system also assists the water heater, ramping it up to beyond the set temperature without using much electricity.

The couple’s previous oil-forced air system, installed when the house was built, is the least cost-effective method of heating and cooling out there, according to Larry. “We thought it was going to take off into orbit,” says Lavonne of the noisy contraption. The new setup will save them between $500 and $1,000 a year in energy bills. At 75-80 percent greater efficiency, the new project will pay for itself, so to speak, in about 10 years. As they look toward retirement and anticipate dependency on a fixed income, Lavonne says, “Who cares if oil goes up?"

So what does air cooled deep within the earth feel like? “It’s consistent,” said Larry. Lavonne agreed. “You can barely hear it. … You feel it running, but it’s not that real cold or real hot where you get a blast; … it’s very comfortable,” she said. They were instructed, however, to set the thermostat and leave it, since the unit takes a half day or longer to “recover” a substantial number of degrees.

     On the green scale, the Krauses are pretty average. “We’re not extremely green,” says Lavonne. Larry paused, then jokes, “I like John Deere ...” But they are both proud to say they recycle everything they can, reuse grocery bags, avoid disposable lunch containers, and have made the switch to CFL.

But their efficient system is still somewhat of a rarity in the area. So far, Water Source has installed 2,000 geothermal systems in the Chippewa Valley. Owner Dan Greene says progress has been gradual, but people are much more aware of it now than when he began in 1983.

“It’s going to catch on the most by word of mouth,” says Larry. The couple says it’s “the thing to do” if you have yet to build a home and establish a lawn, especially if you have large lot. With ample amounts of space, horizontal loops are doable – and these are a lot cheaper than vertical.

“It’s the ultimate renewable energy,” says Greene, pointing out that the ground temperature is a constant, as opposed to wind speeds and direct sunlight. “Seventy-five to 80 percent of your total energy is free, stored solar and heat. Ultimately the sun put it there,” he says.