Habitat program agenda

I am Bill Conklin, for Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Connecticut. We serve the six-town area of Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Norfolk, Salisbury, and Sharon.

Our mission at Habitat is to provide housing that is Affordable- affordable for families or individuals in need of adequate housing who do not meet the level of income necessary to buy and maintain a home. By contributing over 400 hours of labor, our homeowner partners help to make this possible.

In the past two months, our affiliate dedicated its ninth and tenth home located in North Canaan and Norfolk respectively. As you know, the rehabilitation of the 11^th home behind us has just begun. Each Habitat house may serve as a home for a number of Partner families over the many years to come.

Habitat works with a variety of professional and non-professional volunteers to promote affordable home ownership in Northwest Connecticut in partnership with residents. Our volunteers range from 16 to 92 years old, coming from as close as the foot of this hill and as far as Hartford. Working and retired, skilled and non-skilled, from schools and churches, we have been supported by the labor and generosity of many.

In particular we are appreciative of professionals who donate their licensed expertise to make sure the houses are safe, secure and affordable.

Today, we are pleased to welcome the many professional members of the Connecticut Geothermal Association to the official groundbreaking, marking the start of a cooperative project to install a complete Geothermal heating system for this house. This is a Geothermal Association Community Service Project completely funded by the generosity of its members. It is truly a cooperative effort, drawing upon the time, money and skills of at least 13 different contractors serving the entire state of Connecticut. Combined with the heat loss controls to be built in by Habitat, it is a gift to the future partners who will live in this home, providing a safe, reliable climate control system that will also reduce their heating costs. Just as important, this geothermal system will be a gift to the environment, drawing heat from the ground, rather than burning a fossil fuel. This house will feature High-R insulation in walls and the attic, energy efficient windows and doors plus the new, sophisticated geothermal system installed by these members of the Connecticut Geothermal Association.

With me today representing Habitat, are President Tracy Atwood, Communications Director George Massey and Executive Director Dawn Whalen, and Mike Chapell, who is both a Habitat partner and our site supervisor for this job

In addition, Peter Harding from Home Energy Technologies will be acting as our HERS Rater for the CL&P incentive program, providing advice on how to make this house more energy conserving. The HERS incentive program is coordinated by Enoch Lenge of CL&P, who has been very supportive and helpful in our combined efforts to make this home as energy efficient as possible. Peter and Enoch could not be here today.

Joining us for the groundbreaking are the following members of the Connecticut Geothermal Association, all generous donors to this project:

First is the WaterFurnace International Territory Manager for New England, New York and New Jersey, Mr. James Sansoucy. They are donating a three-ton horizontal Series Five water to air geothermal heat pump, the NDH038 with two stage heating and cooling capacity at 4.8 and 4.1 Coefficients of Performance. This house will heat for less than one quarter of the cost of electricity from a conventional electric baseboard heating system. This will have monitoring, intellistart and a desuperheater for hot water. Thank you, Jim.

The next donor is Blake Equipment Company represented by Mr. Mark Henderson. Blake is donating the loop pipe to be installed in the borehole, the necessary fittings, the circulator flow pump and a hot water tank. Thank you, Mark.

The 400' borehole is being drilled by Connecticut Valley Artesian Wells. Morris Industries has donated the steel casing. The driller and assistant working today are Bob "Hutch" Hutchinson & Rob Cowles. Thank you to Company co-owner Mr. Joe Dilk

The loop will be installed by Sima Drilling Company. Preferred Pump has donated the bentonite grout and silica sand that Sima will mix and pump by tremie pipe into the 400 foot borehole tomorrow. Representatives of Sima include._____________________________ &______________________________ . And representing Sima and current Treasurer of the Connecticut Geothermal Association is Mr. Ray Sima. Thank you, Ray.

The mechanical permit is being approved under licensee Guy Wanegar of A & B Cooling and Heating Corp. Also present today is A & B partner Mr. Phil Robert. They will heat fuse and run the trench loop into the foundation and set the heat pump, with necessary connections up to start up.

Representing A&B is CT GEO past President Mr. Guy Wanegar. Thank you, Guy and Phil

The geothermal loop will be flushed of all air, and biodegradable propylene glycol antifreeze will be donated and introduced by Hydro-Dynamic Engineering. Representing HDE is current CT Geothermal Association president Mr. John Sima. Thank you, John.

Nutmeg Mechanical Services, Inc. has designed and will aero-seal the supply and return air ducts. From Nutmeg is_____________________________&_________________________ Representing Nutmeg is Steve Wierzbicki, the newly elected vice president of CT GEO. Thank you, Steve.

Stafford Mechanical Services Inc. will connect the interior plumbing from the outside ground loop to the circulator pump and the heat pump. With us from Stafford is ___________________ Representing Stafford is its president Mr. Bob Polmatier. Thank you, Bob.

Thermostats will be installed and the heat pump “Verification of Installed Performance” will be tested by Geo Source Systems, LLC. From Geo Source is_____________________________ Representing Geo Source Systems is CT GEO Public Relations and Community Outreach Chairman Mr. Bill Seguin. Thank you, Bill.

Volunteer excavator John Consadine will dig a trench supervised by contractor coordinator and Habitat Liaison Litchfield Geothermal, represented by Mr. Peter Tavino. Peter has been the moving force to bring together this project, working continuously with Habitat and Geothermal association members. Thank you very much, Pete.

I am pleased to join them all as we break ground for this Geothermal system, to allow it to heat and cool this soon to be renovated Habitat for Humanity home.

Conklin -Tavino -Seguin -Polmatier -Wierzbicki -J Sima (borehole) -Wanegar -R Sima -Dilk Henderson -Sansoucy

Photo and applause and Bill can thank everyone for attending. Should be 4:30 pm allowing time for members to drive to: