September 28, 2009
A building inspection completed prior to Eric Lange’s purchase of a 70,000 square foot office and warehouse complex in Mississauga in July 2006, surfaced that the structure was plagued with inefficiencies. A $3,800 hydro bill received by his company, Lange Transportation and Storage Limited, before they’d even had a chance to move in, confirmed it.
With the lease on his existing office and warehouse set to expire in December of that year, Eric and his management team quickly researched what options might be available to them to make the building more energy efficient before they moved in.
A few months later, the transportation and logistical management company became the first company in Canada to totally retrofit a 70,000 square foot office and warehouse with geothermal heating and air conditioning. Lange temporarily gave up the use of an adjacent driveway to allow for the installation of a vertical loop system to support 14 GeoSmart Energy geothermal units in the building.
“The geothermal installation has totally eliminated the use of natural gas to heat and air condition the entire complex and also supplies our hot water needs,” says Eric. “The system is also virtually maintenance free, requiring just one to two hours a month to wash the stainless steel filters.” No more quarterly or semi-annual maintenance visits synonymous with traditional heating and cooling systems. Eric points out that he used to pay $2,400 a year in maintenance fees for a building half this size.
He also likes the fact that the compact geothermal units are all housed within the walls of the building, protecting them from the rain, hail, snow, lightening and vandalism damage that many rooftop systems are vulnerable to.
“We have totally eliminated the approximately $60,000 per year in natural gas bills, and have seen our hydro costs drop from $4,200 to $4,400 per month to $2,200 to $2,400 per month.”
The geothermal installation has also given Lange the ability to control the indoor climate in its office and warehouse spaces, where they maintain a 72F office temperature year-round and a warehouse temperature of 50 to 65F in the winter and 82F in the summer. “This means the goods we store in our warehouse don’t experience extreme temperatures.”
Geothermal isn’t the only eco-friendly investment the company has made. Lange also upgraded the lighting system in their office and warehouse space utilizing bulbs and solar tubes that use 35-50% less energy. Single pane windows were replaced with high efficient double pane windows and a new roof installed directly over the existing roof increased the R7 value to R24 over the office and R19 over the warehouse.
Lange was one of several companies that recently participated in the 2009 Pearson Eco-Business Zone Sustainability Tour providing local businesses with the opportunity to witness firsthand the green initiatives being undertaken by other businesses in the area. GeoSmart Energy was among some of the Lange suppliers invited to be present to speak with those visiting Lange’s premises on the tour.
“What we’re trying to do is make sure people are aware of the simple things businesses can do to make a difference,” says Eric. “We’ve had people come from the United States and across Canada to see us. What we want to demonstrate is that any business can do the same eco-friendly things that we’ve done and get a payback on their investment.”
Eric was so impressed with the geothermal results he achieved with his business that he and his wife elected to replace an aging gas furnace in their home with a Geosmart Energy geothermal system in November 2008.
