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COMMENTARY
GEO comes of age Geothermal Exchange Organization provides voice to the industry
future. we must aggressively edu- cate our elected and professional of- ficials about the benefits of geothermal heat pumps as they con- sider renewable energy legislation and regulatory policies.” Geo-enterprises president and
CeO Phil Schoen agrees: “By work- ing together, we can secure new op- portunities to help grow our industry.” indeed, a major GeO accomplish-
BY TED J. CLUTTER Special to TheWholeSaler
T
here’s a kid with a fresh face on the block in washington, D.C. — a non-profit trade as-
sociation plying the halls of govern- ment seeking recognition for the renewable energy, efficiency and en- vironmental benefits its members have to offer. GeO — the Geothermal exchange
Organization — is the reincarnation of the former Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, a government/industry partnership that was primarily aimed at utility support for demand-side en- ergy conservation programs during the 1990s. “with recent political upheavals in
washington, D.C. — and the growth of geothermal heat pump installations in the u.S. to approximately 100,000 units per year,” said ClimateMaster inc. president and GeO chairman Dan ellis, “major equipment manu- facturers, distributors and utilities saw the need to refocus Consortium activities toward industry advocacy.” and waterFurnace intenrational
president Tom Huntington noted, “The current economic and political environment will have significant impacts on the geothermal heat pump industry for the foreseeable
GEO works with the Interna- tional Ground Source Heat Pump Association and other allied organizations to pro- mote codes and standards for geothermal heat pump instal- lation training, certification and accreditation.
ment was a 30% federal tax credit for residential geothermal heat pump in- stallations, and a 10% break for com- mercial uses in the latest federal energy bill. Both credits will remain in force until 2016, and have helped the industry to survive and even thrive during the recession. “GeO’s government affairs and outreach strategies are more impor- tant than ever to knocking down bar- riers to growth of the geothermal heat pump industry,” explained enertech Manufacturing president Steve Smith. GeO works in four primary areas
of outreach to elected officials, gov- ernment agencies and the public, out- lined below.
Advocacy
GeO’s legislative and regulatory goals include: • Qualification of geothermal heat
pumps in pending renewable energy and climate legislation. • Development of model geother-
mal heat pump policy, legislation and regulations. • Support of government agencies
and initiatives for geothermal heat pump research. • accelerated installation of geo -
thermal heat pump systems in gov- ernment buildings. • Coordination of grassroots advo-
cacy for the geothermal heat pump industry by GeO members.
Partnerships GeO actively seeks strategic al-
liances with allied organizations, in- stitutions and agencies to pursue benefits for the industry, especially: • Development of joint positions
regarding federal and state legislation and regulations.
heat pumps at venues beyond the in- dustry, including conferences, trade shows, workshops and business meetings. • GeO’s toll-free information con-
sumer hotline, information-packed website, and our unique online Geoexchange Directory.
Quality standards GeO actively works with the inter-
national Ground Source Heat Pump association and other allied organi- zations to promote codes and stan- dards for geothermal heat pump installation training, certification and accreditation. Current issues of importance to
• Collaboration with electric utili-
ties to promote geothermal heat pump installation programs. • work with the u.S. Department
of energy on design and installation standards, and methods for monitor- ing geothermal heat pump efficiency.
Public outreach
GeO’s public education efforts in- clude Geoexchange® branding and a
public awareness campaign, includ- ing: • education of regulatory officials
and legislators about the unique re- newable energy advantages of geo - thermal heating and cooling, and the need for continued installation tax credits. • Organization of — and participa-
tion in — legislative renewable en- ergy education events at the federal and state levels. • encouragement of news media
coverage about geothermal heat pumps and industry issues by publi- cations, radio and television. • Presentations about geothermal
GeO include potential climate legis- lation and a nationwide Renewable energy Standard. “we want to make sure that geothermal heat pumps are recognized for the peak power use they can save by renewable heat ex- change with the earth,” said Gulf Power (Southern Co.) marketing manager keith Swilley. GeO is also actively seeking
government and university partner- ships for geothermal heat pump ef- ficiency and standards research and development. GeO offers its members the op-
portunity to assist the association's efforts with a Grassroots legisla- tive action Team, and annual train- ing on the most effective ways to educate elected and appointed offi- cials. a bi-monthly e-mail newslet- ter keeps members informed about legislative issues and industry news, and periodic action alerts help members educate their local political representatives. Members also receive GEO Out-
look magazine, produced by the in- ternational Ground Source Heat Pump association; listing in the asso- ciation’s online Geoexchange®
Di-
rectory; exclusive use of the Geoexchange®
trademark and logo;
and access to the online Geoex- change®
Forum—a popular platform
for discussions about geothermal heat pumps systems and installation. GeO membership is open to all
companies, businesses, commercial and non-profit organizations entities involved in the geothermal heat pump industry. Visit
www.Geoexchange.org or call 888/255-4436.
n
Ted J. Clutter is GEO vice president of marketing and membership services. He can be reached by email at tclut-
ter@geoexchange.org, or by phone at 509/758-2289.
• Be sure to visit
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•THE WHOLESALER® — MARCH 2011
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