The German Society of Pennsylvania, an 1829 Victorian building located near the corner of 6th and Spring Garden streets in Philadelphia, has completely eliminated its use of natural gas by adding a closed loop geothermal energy system, writes Susan Phillips for WHYY.

“We had a steam heating system for parts of the building,” said Tony Michels, the society’s vice president. “We had a hot water system, we had split units, window units, you name it, we had fireplaces. We had everything you can imagine, and we eliminated all of that.”

The society decided to get rid of the old systems eight years ago because of their high price tag, inefficiency, and contributions to climate-warming pollution of the atmosphere.

They now use geothermal energy to heat and cool the entire building, including an 1888 addition that is home to a library, a ballroom, and a bar in the basement.

“For us, it was a no-brainer,” said Michels.

The only visible part of the new underground system is six metal plates in the parking lot labeled “water.” The well field for the ground loop system is located beneath the parking lot. The entire system cost around $1.4 million to install.

Read more about the German Society of Pennsylvania its way of generating heat in WHYY.

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