Hubbard Street Factory-to-office Conversion, Chicago

Home today to an engineering firm, a florist, a printing and marketing firm, as well as other for-profit and non-profit organizations, this building was once a rubber gasket factory. The Hubbard Street building conversion stands as a success story not only for Indie Energy and the building owner, but also for the adoption of geothermal technology in Chicago. At the time of its retrofitting it was the largest geothermal building in Chicago.

Eighteen geothermal energy wells each 450 foot deep were drilled beneath the parking lot, providing sixty tons of heating and cooling energy to the building. Inside, geothermal heat pumps distributed throughout the building provide heating and cooling to each office and commercial space. The system saved the owner-operator more than $27,000 in heating and cooling costs in its first year of operation. The actual heating and cooling energy bills, shown below, are listed on the developer's website.

Building Type: Commercial    Use: Office/Light Industrial    Size: 27,000 SF
System Size: 60 TONS    Number of Wells: 18    Depth of Wells: 450 FT

2007 to 2008 Energy Bills - Total for Building: $6,477.34
July 2007 $627.11
August $668.36
September $447.92
October $390.03
November $763.38
December $659.12
January 2008 $763.78
February $759.60
March $663.27
April $348.63
May $211.03
June $175.11

 

Kinzie Street Warehouse-to-office Conversion, Chicago

The Indie Energy geothermal system at the Kinzie warehouse-to-office conversion building is an elegant, simple, and powerful application of geothermal heating and cooling technology that employs no back-up system-it is 100% geothermal. Thirty closed-loop wells at 500 foot depths deliver more than 120 tons of heating and cooling capacity to the building, where geothermal heat pumps sized to the heating load of each space deliver space conditioning.

Providing year round heating and cooling at more than 60% savings over conventional, the geothermal system delivers dramatic economic and sustainability benefits.

Building Type: Commercial    Use: Office/Light Industrial    Size: 48,000 SF
System Size: 120 TONS    Number of Wells: 30    Depth of Wells: 500 FT

GeoLofts, Chicago

With over 18 miles of energy exchange piping installed in the geothermal energy field, the GeoLofts in Chicago is one of the largest closed-loop installations in the U.S. Seventy energy wells at 650 feet supply 400 tons of heating and cooling to the building. The former warehouse/factory building was once home to many different Chicago-based industrial enterprises. It is now reincarnated as a leading green building nationwide.

The GeoLofts building is a LEED Gold development. The Indie Energy geothermal system contributed significantly to this classification for energy savings, indoor air quality, and innovation in design.

Building Type: Commercial    Use: Industrial/Aritist Studio    Size: 186,000 SF
System Size: 400 TONS    Number of Wells: 70    Depth of Wells: 650 FT

City of Chicago Field Houses

Indie Energy is proud to be working with the City of Chicago to bring geothermal heating, cooling and indoor air quality benefits to the Taylor-Lauridsen and Jesse Owens Park and Field Houses. These buildings mark Chicago's commitment to designing geothermal into public works projects, and will save the City tens of thousands of dollars while helping it be "the greenest city in the U.S.".

Building Type: Field house    Use: Public    Size: 18,000 SF (each)
System Size: 60 TONS (each)    Number of Wells: 12 (each)    Depth of Wells: 650 FT

Boocoo Cultural Center and Café, Evanston, IL

Employees at Boocoo like Indie Energy geothermal because it is comfortable and doesn't have the temperature swings they are used to in gas-based heating systems. The management likes geothermal because it keeps their operating costs low and helps promote their sustainability mission. The patrons say the air inside Boocoo is great, and feels healthy.

These testimonials exemplify the spectrum of reasons that Indie Energy customers come to seek geothermal-based systems in building sectors from residential to commercial. The Boocoo system serves a spectrum of uses as well: music and movement school spaces, a café, a recording studio, offices, and a dining area. It is a great example of the flexibility and effectiveness of geothermal-based HVAC systems to heat and cool diverse building uses and loads, while saving money and providing significant environmental performance benefits.

Building Type: Public    Use: Café, Cultural center, Recording studio
Size: 5,000 SF    System Size: 20 TONS    Number of Wells: 14    Depth of Wells: 125 FT

Church Street Village Town Home Development, Evanston, IL

The Church Street Village town homes represent one of the first planned unit developments to adopt geothermal technology to provide 100% of the heating and cooling energy. Indie Energy installed one geothermal energy well beneath the slab of each town home, to a depth of 400 feet. This energy well provides all of the heating and cooling energy for the individual unit-there is no auxiliary system.

The decision to go geothermal at Church Street Village held tangible benefits for the development. In a slowing housing market, the geothermal energy system was a boon to the marketing and sales effort. The geothermal systems also helped with PR, garnering more media coverage that highlighted the innovative energy systems.

Building Type: Town home development (40 units)    Use: Residential     Size: 2,100 SF each   
System Size: 3 TONS each (120 total)    Number of Wells: 40    Depth of Wells: 400 FT

Hyacinth Place: Transit-Oriented, Workforce Town Homes, Highland Park, IL

Hyacinth Place is the first attainable workforce housing development in the Chicago area to adopt geothermal technology.

The town homes at Hyacinth Place are for-sale, subsidized residential units. They will provide a source of affordable real estate-both in terms of purchase and ongoing costs-to buyers in the Highland Park area.

Each town home has one geothermal energy well beneath the garage slab that providing 100% of the heating and cooling energy. A water-to-air heat pump in the basement provides hot or cool air to the 2,000 square feet of living space.

Building Type: Town home development (14 units)    Use: Residential    Size: 2,000 SF each   
System Size: 3 TONS each (120 total)    Number of Wells: 14    Depth of Wells: 450 FT

Youth Services Center, Glenview, IL

The Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook, Illinois is committed to the health of families and children in their community. The Indie Energy geothermal building system at The Youth Services new youth center helps them deliver on this mission by reducing energy costs in the building by more than 50%, and providing healthy indoor air. The adoption of geothermal technology demonstrates a commitment to the environment and the ecological health of the community.

The Indie Energy geothermal building system consists of fourteen wells at 650 foot depths located underneath the gymnasium floor. Inside the building a central mechanical room contains water-to-air heat pumps that distribute heating and cooling to the entire building. Energy recovery ventilators capture heat from the exhaust air, providing another dimension of energy savings.

Building Type:Youth center    Use: Public/Gymnasium    Size: 18,500 SF
System Size: 55 TONS    Number of Wells: 12    Depth of Wells: 650 FT

Residential retrofit, Highland Park, IL

This residential retrofit is a leading edge application of Indie Energy geothermal building technology. The single family home was given a complete green building makeover, complete with a geothermal and solar thermal heating, cooling, and hot water system. The home is served by a radiant floor system heated with water-to-water heat pumps and an integrated array of solar thermal panels on the rooftop. In the backyard, four geothermal energy wells of 500-foot depth provide more than sixteen tons of heating and cooling energy.

Building Type:Single family home    Use: Residential    Size: 8,000 SF    System Size: 16 TONS
Number of Wells: 4    Depth of Wells: 500 FT

Single family home, Chicago

This is a classic Chicago home enhanced with a renewable energy system. Indie Energy's geothermal building system retrofit at this single family home consists of two geothermal energy wells at 650-foot depths located in the backyard. Inside the house, a combination radiant floor and forced air system provide 100% geothermal heating and cooling capacity. The system saves the owners money and makes their home carbon neutral.

Building Type:Single family home    Use: Residential    Size: 3,300 SF    System Size: 10 TONS
Number of Wells: 2    Depth of Wells: 650 FT

Casa Maravilla Senior Housing, Chicago

Indie Energy is excited to be providing the Casa Marvilla affordable senior apartment building with affordable, renewable, geothermal energy. The Indie Energy geothermal system will save The Resurrection Project, its non-profit developer more than 50% on annual heating and cooling costs.

A network of thirty geothermal energy wells at 650-foot depths will provide 100% of each apartments heating and cooling needs year-round. Each apartment and public space is served by a geothermal water-to-air heat, giving tenants complete temperature control. A rooftop energy recovery system will save energy otherwise lost through exhaust air.

The geothermal system at Casa Maravilla is a leading example on the national level of how to bring true affordability to the affordable housing sector by lowering ongoing energy costs and getting off of the natural gas grid.

Building Type: Affordable senior apartment complex    Use: Residential/Public space
Size: 67,000 SF    System Size: 150 TONS    Number of Wells: 30    Depth of Wells: 650 FT