Heating From the Ground Up

KANSAS CITY EDITIUN
2O10 WINTER OLYMPICS
The U.S. continues its dominance in
skiing as Bode Miller wins his second
medal, a silver in the super-G. | B1
Local celebrities share photos from their, shall we say, formative years. | CI
TODAY'S WEATHER: HIGH 32, FALLING TO A LOW OF 26. RAIN AND SNOW MOVE IN BY EVENING. | B12
FUELING THE FUTURE | Green energy in the Midwest
PATIENT SAFETY QUES
Officials also scrutinize c
Heating from the ground up UQCDI1
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FACES
POSSIB
CLOSIN
Two Rivers psychiatric
says the problem involv
"medical charting issue
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DAVID PULLIAM I THE KANSAS CITY STAR
FIRST IN AN
OCCASIONAL
SERIES
Wind farms and ethanol
are familiar fixtures in the
Midwest. But the region has
little-known potential for
virtually every
unconventional energy
source, from solar,
geothermal and
hydropower to cleaner
ways to power our cars and
trucks. In occasional stories
throughout the year, energy
reporter Steve Everly will
explain and explore those
possibilities — and what's
already under way.
Workers with Evans Energy Development, including (from right) Lance Stewart, Jeron
Fuller and Travis Sullivan, recently drilled 200 feet into the ground to install polyethylene
pipe for a geothermal heat pump at a home near Pleasant Hill.
By STEVE EVERLY * The Kansas City Star
D
rill, baby, drill!
The rig tearing into the backyard of a Pleasant Hill home last
week would have brought a
smile to any oilman's face, except for one thing: It was drilling
holes for a geothermal energy system.
The rig's owner, Evans Energy Development
of Paola, Kan., did get its start finding oil and
natural gas. But drilling for geothermal heatpump systems accounted for 80 percent of its
revenue last year.
"It's been good for business," said Scott
Evans, the company's owner.
As the shift in his business shows — along
with other projects in and around Kansas City
— you don't need a geyser to use geothermal
energy.
In fact, the Midwest's underground temperatures — in the mid-50s year-round — are ideal
for helping heat and cool homes and commercial buildings. Drill some holes or dig a trench,
run pipes to circulate water or other fluid underground, hook them up to a heat pump and
you're in business.
The Raytown School District has used geothermal energy for a decade, and the University
of Central Missouri recently began using it for
many of its classrooms. More homes around the
area are being equipped with geothermal heat
pumps, including two built by Habitat for Humanity. And the Army's Fort Riley base in Kansas is starting to use them.
The technology, which has been around for
60 years, can slash heating and cooling bills by
40 percent or more. That means annual savings
of anywhere from $700 to $1,300 for a 2,000square-foot home.
SEE HEAT I A6
APOLOGY OR CORPORATE PITCH?
More Americans
are saving money,
but to make money
they must change
their ways. | AI3
obotic, insecure and tearyeyed, Tiger Woods, the
' world's most popular athlete, ended on a curious note the
13-minute public-relations address
intended to halt his fall from grace.
R
JASON WHITLOCK
A Kansas City psychiatric hosp
tory of patient-care problems cou
close if it can't persuade federal o
protecting patients' safety and
quate treatment.
Medicare officials were planni
ments to Two Rivers Psychiatric
today. But a judge granted the
weeks to work with the federal
back into compliance.
Problems over the past two yea
ers include a patient suicide an
tempt, malfunctioning safety e
treatment plans that appear to
more than keeping patients med
ing to Medicare inspection repor
The license of a staff psychi
pended last year for having phon
tient.
The 105-bed hospital at 5121
said it was surprised by Medicar
notice. Loss of Medicare certifica
its revenues and likely force it to
SEE
LOCAL
They've al
fought thi
battle befi
Efforts by KC district to
schools span many yeai
multiple superintenden
By JOE
The K;
When Bernard Taylor heai
storm over Kansas City schi
this week, he felt like an old f
a familiar soap opera.
"It's like 'The Young and th
said Taylor, now ;\-
HEAT: Ground-up approach gains momen
FROM A1
So why do geothermal heat
pumps provide only about 1
percent of heating and cooling
in the nation's buildings? Because before you can save a
dime on fuel costs, you have to
pay a lot for equipment and installation, often double the
price of an efficient central air
conditioner and gas furnace.
Sales of the systems have
nearly doubled in the last two
years, to,an estimated 93,000
units last year in North America. A big factor is a federal tax
credit, enhanced last year as
part of the stimulus package,
good for 30 percent of the cost
of a home system. The industry
expects sales to keep rising and
has set an ambitious goal of 1
million geothermal heat pumps
sold annually by 2017, the year
after the credits expire.
"We have a solid foundation
to move forward on now," said
Dan Ellis, chief executive officer of Climate Master Inc., the
world's largest maker of geothermal heat pumps. "This is
really going to take off."
Others aren't so sure, especially with regard to residential
use, which makes geothermal a
perfect example of America's
renewable-energy quandary: A
green future isn't going to
come cheap, and if it's too expensive it may never happen.
Without sufficient foresight or
incentives — tax credits, a lasting rise in fossil fuel prices, or
both — people may never
adopt alternatives widely
enough to curb oil imports and
greenhouse gases.
, George Schluter, owner of
area builder GWS Homes, said
some of his customers had installed geothermal heat pumps,
figuring that with, the tax credit
they made economic sense.
But he questions whether
HOW IT WORKS
Geothermal energy
doesn't need a geyser
to work. In fact, the
mid-50s temperatures
beneath the earth's
surface in the Midwest
are perfect for the
process.
•
Slices Gotcha, also
known as Jabrielle
Francis, was a rising
underground star.
By SARA SHEPHERD
The Kansas City Star
HEATING YOUR HOUSE
IN THE WINTER
To heat your
house in winter, a
geothermal heat
pump system sends
cold refrigerant
underground to
absorb heat.
The heat pump
compresses the
fluid, which raises
its pressure and
the temperature
of the 55-degree
fluid well over 100
degrees.
A vertical
closed-loop
system can go
as deep as 100
to 400 feet.
In the air|handler, the
heated fluid
warms air,
which is pushed
throughout
your home.
Some rie'&t can <
be diverted to
help your water
heater.
After losing its heat,
the cold refrigerant is
returned underground
to gather more heat and
continue the cycle.
Sources: Williams Comfort Air.
CNmate Master, This Old House
GREG BRANSON [ THE KANSAS CITY STAR
COOLING YOUR HOUSE
IN THE SUMMER
To cool your house in the summer, the system is
reversed The system sends hot refrigerant fluid
from your house into the much cooler earth,
which absorbs the heat before sending the
cooled refrigerant back up to your house.
GEOTHERMAL IN THE MIDWEST
Big advantage: Given
moderate underground
temperatures — which the
Midwest has — geothermal
heat pumps are regarded
as the most
energy-efficient way to
Shooting takes ]
of hip-hop artis
conditioner and gas furnace
combo.
Economic factors: A 30
percent tax credit for
homeowners can cut in half
how long it takes to recover
a system's up-front costs,
ciency air conditioner and gas
furnace would be about $8,000.
The geothermal heat pump
could save $700 a year in heating and cooling expenses, so
without the tax credit it could
take 10 to 14 years to make up
the difference in up-front costs,
longer than the average home-
The recent homicide of Kansas City hip-hop artist Slices
Gotcha will leave a void in the
local music scene, relatives say.
Friends and family will
gather today at funeral services
for Jabrielle L. Francis, 28, who
was shot to
death Feb. 12
in Kansas City.
The Kansas
City
native
started his recording career
as a teen,
when cousin
Rich the Fac- Francis
tor
and
brother
Felix
Mitchell
recruited him to join their label, Major Factor Records, according to the Slices Gotcha
Web site. He also was a partner
in Lifted Logic graphic design
and Web studio.
Francis rapped about street
life and money. His songs include passages about violence,
drugs, partying and escaping
the law.
"He took his surroundings,
life, dreams, goals, ups and
downs, and put it to music,"
cousin Maulana Shah said.
Francis grew from a writer to
a businessman
said Francis w
his music int
product, inspir
ing musicians.
In a 2009 on
mencha Magaz
album "Prince
its way to beco
ground Hip He
ing the artist h
establishing hir
in the indep
scene.
"I can only r
know, what FA
I've come fron
the magazine."
for the people t
it."
Francis had
and two sons a
dad," Shah sai
was on his wa}
children when'
killed.
Police found
in the intersect
Olive streets,
police they sa^
door sedan, p
sunroof, leavinj
Services are
p.m. today at ]
tist Church, 9
Kansas City.
Shah said si
why anyone wi
her cousin otht
To reach Sara SI
816-234-4366 C
sshepherd@kcs
BACK FOR SOME MORE
i i t r n i m iu vwv-H I n i n v 111 | v j • > ,
home market, where most of
the pumps were sold before
the construction slowdown.
Even when the economy recovers, he said, home buyers will
want other features. The immediate satisfaction of granite
countertops, a deluxe bathroom or a finished basement
could win out over long-term
energy savings.
For some considering heat
pumps, just the idea of using
less energy is worthwhile. Kristin Riott of Prairie Village, an
avid environmentalist, a couple
of years ago wanted a more efficient way to warm and cool
her home and picked a geothermal heat pump that cost
$21,000 installed. She figures
the energy savings will pay
back the investment in 15 years,
a good enough return for her.
"I would do it again," she
said.
School districts, colleges and
some other commercial building owners also have found the
systems worth considering
even without a big tax break.
Besides their energy savings,
the systems can be less expensive to maintain because of
fewer moving parts and a 25year expected lifespan, longer
than most other heating and
cooling equipment.
The University of Central
Missouri has geothermal heat
pumps up and running for
three buildings as part of the
school's $36 million energy efficiency plan. Miles of plastic
pipe filled with liquid thread
through 450-foot-deep holes
drilled into the earth.
The system was financed in a
15-year deal with Bank of
America, with the payments
coming out of fuel-cost savings
and from money formerly
spent keeping the old heating
system operating.
"It's been an awesome pro-
They have no fuel costs
and can generate at least
three times the energy of
the electricity it takes to
run them.
Other pluses: Technology
is long-established; no
breakthroughs needed.
Fewer moving parts can
mean lower maintenance
costs and long life; systems
are built to last 25 years
and underground pipes 50
years.
Big drawback: Up-front
costs can be at least
double those of a
high-efficiency air
ject," said Betty Roberts, the
university's vice president of
administration and finance.
The Raytown School District
started to go geothermal in
2000, and about 80 percent of
its schools and space are now
heated and cooled with geothermal heat pumps. The work
was financed with bonds, and
the savings from the beginning
have been higher than the
bond payments.
"We have saved millions of
dollars over the years, and it
feels great to be green," said
Travis Hux, the school district's superintendent of support services.
For homeowners it has been
trickier, unless they had deep
pockets to pay for the systems.
Folding the cost into mortgages
was difficult because appraisers have been reluctant to increase the value of real estate
because of energy-efficient
equipment.
But the Appraisal Institute, a
trade group, recently said it
had begun training appraisers
to include the value of such improvements. And Fannie Mae,
which buys mortgages, plans to
announce incentives this sum-
typically 10-15 years
without the credit.
Commercial installations
get a 10 percent tax credit
and accelerated
depreciation.
Short-term potential:
Sales of geothermal
systems have soared the
past two years.
Long-term potential:
Uncertain, especially when
it comes to persuading
homeowners to take the
plunge. But the tax credits
run through 2016, and the
industry hopes to be selling
1 million systems a year by
2017.
mer for making energy-savings
improvements.
The federal tax credit also
gives homeowners extra help.
Commercial buildings can get
10 percent credit with no cap
when buying a geothermal heat
pump. But consumers buying
one for a residence get a 30
percent credit, with no cap as
long as the heat pump qualifies
for the high-efficiency Energy
Star designation.
"That tax credit is really going to launch it," said Dave
Wagner, manager of commercial and residential channels
for Kansas City Power & Light,
who installed a geothermal
heat pump in his home in 1985.
Buying energy-saving equipment always makes the most
economic sense when existing
furnaces, air conditioners or
heat pumps need to be replaced anyway. In those instances the tax credit, which
will be available through 2016,
makes geothermal a more serious contender.
Here's one example: A geothermal heat pump for a 2,000square-foot home can cost
$15,000 to $18,000. By comparison, the cost of a high-effi-
But you can slash the payback time in half because of the
30 percent federal tax credit. If
other incentives are available
— KCP&L customers can get
an $850 rebate, for example —
the payback time is even less.
ECS Geothermal and Grandview Furnace, area companies
that specialize in geothermal
heat pumps, both say they have
seen more business since the
tax credit began.
Traditional heating and airconditioning companies also
say the geothermal heat pumps
are being taken more seriously
by customers.
A.B. May has installed more
than a dozen recently, "more in
the last four months than we've
done in the last few years," said
sales manager Don Heydon.
Steve Burbridge, owner of
Anthony Plumbing, Heating &
Cooling, said his company was
also selling more of the heat
pumps, and inquiries have
grown as well.
In fact, Burbridge said, when
he recently went to see his doctor about a sinus infection, the
physician had another matter
to discuss first: "He shook my
hand and said, 'Tell me about
geothermal.'"
Terry Sellers, owner of
Grandview Furnace, has been
installing geothermal heat
pumps since 1982. At first he
sold them only in rural areas
that had no natural-gas service.
But now he has installed them
in homes ranging from 2,000 to
20,000 square feet, and the tax
credits have moved people
from considering a geothermal
heat pump to actually installing one.
"The up-front cost was usually an issue," he said. "I'm excited about what is happening."
To reach Steve Everly, call
816-234-4455 or send e-mail to
[email protected].
• RICH SUGG I THE KAN
Rascal Flatts returned Friday night to Kansas City
Performing at the Sprint Center were Jay DeMarc
and Gary LeVox. See Monday's FYI for a concert r
Two plead guilty
to gambling char
By MARK MORRIS
The Kansas City Star
Two brothers, grandsons of
Kansas City's last prominent
organized crime boss, pleaded
guilty Friday in federal court to
operating an illegal sports gambling operation.
Michael C. Sansone and Anthony V. Sansone, 30 and 27, appeared together in federal
court to confess their roles in
an Internet betting operation
that has been the focus of a federal investigation for at least a
year.
Their grandfather, Anthony
"Tony Ripe" Civella, led the local outfit for several years following the deaths of his uncle,
mobster Nick Civella, and Tony
Civella's father, Carl Civella.
By taking gambling to the
Web, the Sansones brought a
longtime family business into
the 21st century.
Tony Civella ha(
object of federal att(
the late 1950s, mos
of his involvemen
making, according
file, which the bure
to The Kansas Cit;
Civella's death ir
2006. He served tv
federal prison, both
gambling business
1970s and 1980s.
Like two other are
pleaded guilty e
month, the brothei
that they operated
business that used
telephone number
site, both routed to
Costa Rica, to pro
wagers on sporting
To reach Mark Morris
816-234-4310 or sen<
[email protected]
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