By Jessica Honigford
Community Post
People across the country are scrambling to cut their energy costs, especially with winter coming slowly but surely, and Minster residents are no different.

New construction and renovations of businesses and homes bring about the term “geothermal,” but to Don Gagel, owner of Gagel Plumbing and Heating, the term is anything but new.
“We've been selling it (geothermal) since 1981,” he said.  “We were selling geothermal before it became popular.  From an ecological stand point it was a good way to go.  It's been more publicized because of the whole global warming concept.”
The green movement isn't the only driving force behind the move to geothermal, it's also much cheaper.
Gagel says geothermal heating costs 1/3 the amount of money spent to heat with oil or gas.  The upfront cost of a geothermal system is more, between $3000 and $8000, but it has paid for itself in about four years time.  
“Your return on investment, if you're comparing it to a C.D. is 30, 40, 50 percent sometimes,” Gagel said.
Geothermal heating systems work in two ways, open-looped and close-looped.  Open-looped geothermal systems use a well or a pond as a heat source.  Close-looped systems use a loop of buried plastic pipe for heat exchange. The systems use the temperature of the ground water to heat or cool the house.
The Minster area is well-suited for geothermal heating.  The ground water is at a consistent 54 degrees, allowing for easy cooling in the summer and heating in the winter.
Another option for people who aren't able or don't want to put in a geothermal system is an air-to-air heat pump.  While not as efficient as geothermal systems, an air-to-air heat pump can still cut energy bills in half.
“Basically in the summer time it's like an outside air conditioner unit and in the winter time there's a switching valve inside the compressor,” Gagel said. “Instead  of sending the hot freon gas to the outside coil, that hot gas goes tot he inside coil.  The coil provides warm air down to about 25 of 30 degrees.  Below that temperature the gas furnace turns on as necessary and supplements that heat.”
Gagel says when people are looking to build homes, they should install a geothermal unit from the start if they can.  “We've been suggesting that for 27 years, so we've been spreading the word for a long time,” he said. “Now people are finally discovering if you put in the most efficient furnace made it will still cost you three times more than geothermal.”  
Gagel mentioned one family in Celina who built their house two years ago and are now putting in a geothermal system because they realized it will pay for itself in four years.
Since 1981 Gagel Plumbing and Heating has installed more than 350 geothermal systems in the Minster-area, a number sure to increase as the country looks toward a greener and cheaper future.
To learn more about geothermal or air-to-air heating systems call 419-628-3052 or visit them online at www.gagel.com.