Christ Church Bronxville, built over 100 years ago, is undertaking a modern experiment in tapping into the earth’s heat to warm the church and a number of attached buildings in the winter and cooling in the summer (via heat pumps). This is despite it being part of a densely built neighbourhood a few miles outside the Bronx where regulations and existing infrastructure make geothermal systems challenging to plan and implement.
The summer heat made the church, which did not have air conditioning, uncomfortable for parishioners. The church discussed whether to go with a new boiler and air conditioner units or go for the more upfront expensive and complex but ultimately longer lasting and more climate friendly geothermal option for several months and ultimately decided to go with geothermal.
The project, which took about a year to complete, required drilling 14 boreholes in the parking lot and an upgrade of the electrical system.
Federal tax rebates and financial incentives from Con Edison helped to decrease the $4.4 million cost so that the church expects to have about $400,000 in remaining costs.
Read more about other geothermal projects in and around New York City in the article and learn how even in especially dense cities there is still a place for carefully thought out and planned geothermal projects.