Whether augmenting your existing geothermal heating system or installing new, wood boiler furnaces should be considered. Combining geothermal with outdoor wood boiler furnaces brings even more heat in which allows a steady source of heat via the heat pump. With a batch heating boost you can install snow melt sidewalks, outdoor patios, and still have a reduction of heat pump run time which will save you even more money.

The reason a outdoor wood boiler system was chosen was because, unlike systems that rely on fossil fuels, wood is a totally renewable resource, which, when burned, results in no net carbon dioxide increase. Carbon dioxide is part of the natural plant-growth cycle and occurs naturally when trees are allowed to rot on the forest floor. On the other hand, fossil fuels, when burned, release carbon dioxide which otherwise would stay trapped in the earth. This causes a net increase in carbon dioxide, which is believed to be responsible for the heat-trapping "greenhouse effect." In addition, harvesting firewood has a pruning effect on forests, which allows new growth to flourish. And the wood you burn most likely comes from your local area -- it's not imported, as is the case with oil.

At the HOP Shop Center, the geothermal loops, Wirsbo in-floor heating system, and heat pump were installed when the domes were built. But expanding the benefits of radiant in-floor heating to the patios driveways and sidewalks with the current set-up would put more work on the heat pump, so a wood boiler furnace by Central Boiler was installed. Not only to increase the square foot of floor heating but to reduce the heat pump run time. Pictured above: Wood Boiler Furnace in place. HOP Shop Center in background.