By Logan Braman

The Cowan-Browns will have another reason to love their new home because of the energy efficient assets included with the house. The home uses a closed loop geothermal system for heating and cooling, a wind spire turbine for electric costs and various energy efficient appliances and options inside the home. Cris Dorman, coordinator for Public Outreach and Education for the Indiana Office of Energy, said the construction was set up so the house would be fairly energy efficient.

The geothermal system, which was installed by Earth Link Geothermal Systems from Ossian, includes six pipes that make up the closed loop system. The 400-foot pipes, which were buried six feet underground, are filled with liquid that absorbs heat from the ground so it can be transferred to the house for heating during the winter. In the summer, the pipes carry heat from the home and transfer it back into the ground. Doorman said the system should have a noticeable impact on heating and cooling costs.

“That closed loop should help offset the heating and cooling cost anywhere between 50 and 75 percent, “ Doorman said. “It looks like [the home] will have a gas fireplace, which will also help offset some of the heating costs.”

The geothermal system is placed underground because the ground temperature is relatively constant. Workers from Earth Link said the entire installation process took about 10 hours to complete, including digging the trenches for the pipes. Doorman said more and more homes are being built with geothermal systems, despite the high initial cost. He said a traditional heating and cooling setup for a new home could cost anywhere between $5,000 and $7,000, but geothermal costs about $15,000 to install.

“Even though there’s a higher initial cost, the payback is typically five to ten years,” Dorman said. “You see the immediate savings in your heating and cooling costs.”

A wind spire turbine will help provide electricity as well. The turbine, which was installed by Wind-Wire, will generate electricity for the home as it spins in the wind. Dave and Glen Smith, co-owners of Wind-Wire, said they were excited to be involved with the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” project because it was a way to give back. The brothers started the company about two years ago when they were laid off from their jobs, and they’ve been installing windmills ever since.

The Smiths installed a 45-foot Windstream turbine, which has three six-foot blades to catch the wind. After the pole was delivered, it took the Smiths about two hours to set up the installation and 15 minutes to install the $16,000 turbine. The Smiths said a turbine like the one at the Cowan-Brown’s home typically pays for itself in about four to eight years. Doorman said the turbine will run whenever the wind is blowing, except when it could be dangerous.

“All wind turbines will lock down at a certain speed to prevent the rotors from breaking,” he said. “From my experience, it will automatically be going. In certain inclement weather situations it will shut down.”

Both the geothermal system and the wind turbine are outside the home, but there are energy efficient aspects inside the home as well. The appliances are Energy Star rated, which means they are 10 to 20 percent more efficient than other models. Another energy-saving feature of the home is lighting. The home was built with plenty of windows so natural light can be used when possible. When that isn’t enough, the home also includes LED lights, a relatively new energy efficient technology.

Juno Lighting, a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, donated the LED lights for the home. Amy Huntington, president of Schneider Electric U.S., said the lights came on the market last year and are an alternative to florescent bulbs.

“We provided more than 150 LED down lights,” she said. “They save 80 percent energy versus incandescent. They’ll last 50,000 hours so it’s likely this family won’t have to change light bulbs.”

With typical use, that means the lights in the Cowan-Brown’s home could last up to 11 years before they have to be replaced. During all that time, the family will be able to reap the rewards of spending 80 percent less on lighting costs. Huntington said her company was glad to help out with the build and was impressed with the energy efficient options in the home.

“The other thing that’s really neat is finding out that Hallmark has been able to make this home energy efficient,” she said. “It falls into what we’re all about too, really helping people make the most of their energy.”