Bits of Business

Two local companies count on alternative energy going mainstream

Nick Malawskey

Green is in these days, what with the pending deregulation of electricity, continuing instability in energy prices and new incentives from the state and federal governments.

Locally, there are several firms that are breaking

ground in new and innovative ways in the renewable energy field, with geothermal systems, wind turbines and solar panels.

I thought this week we could do a “green theme” and talk with two of the companies about where they are now and what they

If you were out in the Pennsylvania Furnace area a little more than a week ago, you may have heard drilling and pounding noises coming from the back entrance at the Ag Progress Days ground outside of Fairbrook.

That noise was the installation of a small geothermal loop by Geo Energy ( www.geoenergy.net) during the annual summer meeting of the Pennsylvania Groundwater Association.

Geo Energy is a new kid on the block, started a few months ago by Chris Exarchos. The company focuses on the installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems, especially in retrofitting older homes.

While the company may be new to the alt-energy game, Exarchos is not — he’s been heating and cooling his home and other business ventures with the technology since the early 1980s.

“I thought it was a neat way to get energy,” he said.

The geothermal industry is expected to boom over the next few years as homeowners look to save money on energy bills.

A typical geothermal system, according to government estimates, can save 30 percent or more on monthly electricity costs.

Todd Giddings, with the Pennsylvania Groundwater Association ( www.pgwa.org), said new tax breaks along with other factors are conspiring to create a “perfect