Energy-efficient, environmentally friendly GeoStar products are playing a best-supporting role in the geothermal heating and cooling system that earned Hunt Country Vineyards the New York Geothermal Energy Organization’s (NY-GEO) 2015 TOP JOB award. Presented by NY-GEO Treasurer John Manning of Phoenix Energy Supply, Auburn, N.Y., the first NY-GEO award, sponsored by Lockheed-Martin/PSEG Long Island was conceived primarily to showcase the incredible breadth of how geothermal technology can be applied.
“The variety and creativity exhibited in the 14 applicants clearly achieved this goal. We could not have been more thrilled with the success and are eagerly looking forward to next year,” states Manning.
Congratulating the Branchport, N.Y., winery, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and John B. Rhodes, president and CEO of the New York State Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) also recognized the role Moravec Geothermal of Penn Yan, N.Y., played in the innovative geothermal heating and cooling system. The design engineering firm installed the system, which includes eight wells (each 375 feet deep), a single 20-ton vertical loop, six four-ton GeoStar Aston hydronic water-to-water heat pumps and three GeoStar air handlers that provide heating and cooling to four buildings that house a tasting room, storage and production facilities. The geothermal system, which also heats process water for red wines, has saved the winery an estimated $26,000 in energy costs over the past two years.
“We are thrilled to be associated with this high-profile project and the opportunity it afforded us to help another customer reduce its environmental footprint,” says Kevin Moravec, owner of Moravec Geothermal. “GeoStar products anchor the 100 percent hydronic system, combining innovative technology and components to achieve high-performance levels, in this case resulting in significant energy savings and increased comfort.”
A panel of four energy experts considered six geothermal projects, which were selected as finalists from the 14 submitted projects before selecting Hunt Country Vineyards as the 2015 TOP JOB award winner. The winery is a sixth-generation family farm whose wines have garnered more than 20 major awards in recent prestigious competition across the country.