From the (Vice) President
Avoiding the California Duck Curve

IGSHPA should pause and consider what we must do to be relevant when the tax credits are gone. Your committees are doing fantastic work at IGSHPA and their efforts are going to be of great benefit. However, our industry needs a marching flag to follow.

The simple truth is that all renewables have a higher first cost but possibly a lower life cycle cost. Some renewables maintain the credits-but not ground source as it expired for whatever reason(s). Electricity produced from renewables is battling the massive investments by utilities across the U.S. Natural Gas fuel is currently inexpensive but the transmission and distribution infrastructure of natural gas requires major upgrades and the heating and power generating consumer will pay for the upgrades. In my opinion, electric utilities are embracing pricing methods that divides the service into several streams and further bifurcates the pricing components as they move into an uncertain future.

• Return on invested capital
• Fuel costs
• Demand fees (kW)
• Usage fees (kW•hr)
• Program fees to offset efficiency losses

The rates and riders by electric utilities are getting complicated and along with fear of the “California Duck Curve” utilities are hesitant to consider changes. Add on top of this the Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) long-term planning needs and one can see the electric utilities’ frustrations.

It is time for IGSHPA and OSU to develop reliable and accurate tools to compare energy and power loads for various heating and cooling methods; which are the majority of heat, energy and power requirements for all homes and commercial buildings. Since nearly all cooling is air sourced this should be our first objective to document and compare. The experts in IGSHPA must document and easily explain how ground source systems provide the reductions in utility capital, demand, usage, and fuel to consumers, energy regulatory agencies, and electric utility’s executives. IGSHPA must build our organization as the best advocate for consumers and electric utilities searching for true sustainable resources. This should be IGSHPA’s flagship mission we carry.

1. Let us develop a straightforward demand and usage comparison of cooling using air source and ground source systems at peak outside air temperatures (OAT).
2. Do the same for heating at peak heating OAT. The variable refrigerant volume (VRV) and flow (VRF) systems offer a compelling “proffer” but in the end at peak they are simple refrigerant systems struggling to move heat to or from the OAT.
3. Prepare an easy to understand paper demonstrating ground source systems superiority to all other systems including solar.

Committee Updates

Certified Geothermal Inspectors Workshops

Cary Smith and John Turley have been teaching the Certified Geothermal Inspectors Workshops across the nation since the rollout of the course in October 2016 in Kansas City. Classes have been held in North Carolina and New York and will soon be moving to the western United States October 11-12 with a course in Salt Lake City, Utah, sponsored by Sound Geothermal.

The courses following the Utah course will be in Oklahoma City and Fort Wayne, Indiana. ClimateMaster will sponsor a course October 26-27 in OKC while WaterFurnace will sponsor a course November 9-10 in Fort Wayne.

IGSHPA has several opportunities across North America during 2016 for you to become certified or accredited through one of our programs. Please visit our training homepage for more info and to register to attend a class.

There Is Still Time To Renew And Recertify