Gerry Ferns, is one of the most senior participants in the geothermal heating industry in Canada.

A Well Trained Technical Salesman

Gerry started in the geothermal business in 1983, only a couple of years after geothermal systems first started appearing in Ontario. Unlike many people in the HVAC industry, he learned the heating and air conditioning business working solely within the geothermal industry itself.

Proficient in the art and science of:

• residential heating and cooling load calculation
• light commercial heating and cooling load calculation
• R2000 construction/air tight buildings
• residential HVAC ductwork design
• commercial HVAC ductwork design
• fluid dynamics pertaining to earth loops and hydronic systems
• energy usage and cost analysis
• energy use financial payback and R.O.I. analysis

Initially, Gerry spent five years selling, designing, and installing geothermal systems to homeowners and companies around the Greater Toronto Area.

He sought out and and was given guidance from Dan Ellis, (then Chief of Engineering at WaterFurnace International in Indiana, now President of ClimateMaster Industries in Oklahoma), who he always considered a mentor. He gained a wealth of experience successfully applying geothermal technology into hundreds of custom homes up to the end of 1987. and within three years, the company he worked for, Deakin Geo-Systems Ltd. became the second largest residential geothermal dealership in Canada,second only to Urban Heating in Windsor, Ontario.

In 1988, Gerry became the Sales Manager of WaterFurnace Inc., the sole Canadian distributor of WaterFurnace Systems ground source heat pumps at that time. WaterFurnace International Inc., of Fort Wayne Indiana, (who manufacture WaterFurnace Systems equipment) was the only manufacturer with an in-depth geothermal training programme for staff and contractors at that time.

Trained as a “Canadian Instructor” for Geothermal System Design at WaterFurnace International Inc. in Indiana:

• geology and soils identification
  

  14,700 sq ft Home Near Orangeville, Ontario

• fluid dynamics
• pressure drop calculation
• on-site materials storage
• thermal fusion, polyethylene and polybutylene
• software training for reliable loop design
  • open loops
  • vertical loops
  • horizontal loops
    • 2 pipe
    • 4 pipe
    • 6 pipe
    • race track
    • slinky close space
    • slinky wide space
  • hybrid loops
  • pond loops
  • large lake/open water loops

Trained as a “Canadian Instructor” for Service and Installation at WaterFurnace International Inc.

• 

  Pond Loop Cooling 14,700 sq ft Home

  pipe materials handling

• loop flushing theory and practice
• flushing system design
• loop fluid selection
• proper loop fluid handling
• heat pump refrigeration theory
• the “Carnot Cycle” and refrigeration psychometrics
• heat pump refrigeration troubleshooting
• troubleshooting air flow and water flow problems
• electrical system troubleshooting
• advanced heat pump technologies
  • microprocessor controls
  • scroll compressors
  • ECM/ICM motors

Contractor Trainer

Gerry became the first “Factory Certified Geothermal Systems Trainer” in Canada and was responsible for a great deal of the sales growth, network expansion and dealer training of the early Canadian Contractors for WaterFurnace Inc. (Now WFI Industries).

In the early nineties, there was a need for Government recognition and support of this so called “alternative heating technology”. An emerging commercial market demand for geothermal systems could not progress and mature without Government acknowledgement and the support of the engineering and architect communities. This drove the initial demand for “Industry Standards” within Canada.

A CSA Standards Technical Committee Member:

Gerry has sat on technical committees for CSA Standards relating to geothermal technology since 1990.

• CSA Standards C – 445 for The Installation of Ground Source Heat Pumps
  • technical sub-committee for installation standards
• C – 446, for The Performance of Ground Source Heat Pumps (system efficiency) were released in the early 1990’s
  • technical committee for performance standards testing

Notes on Government Rebates and Incentives:

By 1992, both CSA Standard C–445 and CSA Standard C–446 were referenced by the National Building Code of Canada and by most Provincial and local Building Codes as well. The implementation of the first national standards precluded the introduction of utility rebates for geothermal system retrofits in various regions accross Canada. For example in the early nineties, the old Ontario Hydro, offered rebates of $2,000.00 along with very attractive finance rates to retrofit electrically heated homes.

Over 7,000 homeowners took advantage of that programme. What few consumers knew at that time however was that along with the rebates, a sudden emergence of new “geothermal specialist companies” and many “new to Canada” manufacturers suddenly appeared in the market, ready, willing and easily able to capitalize on the market stimulus that resulted from the rebates.

A few other little known industry facts from around that time are:

• Along with rebates to consumers, Ontario Hydro also offered manufacturers and distributors a 50/50 co-op advertising plan to help promote the rebate programme
  • meaning that Ontario Hydro would match every advertising dollar spent by a manufacturer or distributor on promoting the programme.
• Instead of spending money on marketing, all of the major players scaled back their own marketing and advertising instead and simply road upon the promotion efforts of the utility.
  • This left approximately $7,000,000.00 available in the budget for co-op advertising and industry promotion unspent
• In Ontario, within 6 months of the ending of Ontario Hydro incentives, 70% of the new contractors had closed up shop
  • leaving customers looking elsewhere for warranty, service and maintenance.
• The market for geothermal systems almost completely disappeared overnight for about 3 years
  • The utility rebate had pre-sold the market which rushed to receive financial incentives before they disappeared.

Similarly the most recent Federal and Provincial rebates for geothermal installations over stimulated and pre-sold the market place. Literally hundreds of both well experienced HVAC companies and inexperienced companies from other diciplines of all kinds entered the geothermal marketplace with very little more than a 3 day training in loop installation theory.

Another sudden emergence of new “geothermal specialist companies”, and once more, many “new to Canada” , or returning to Canada manufacturers became involved in chasing the rebate money.

• As some industry members predicted, drilling prices for residential vertical loop installations rose by $5,000
  • A good deal of the rebate went to drillers in urban installations
• Installation pricing became unstable with wide fluctuations appearing
  • Even with the incentive, consumers tended to gravitate towards unrealistically low pricing
• Some inexperienced contractors promised the impossible from their installations
  • Not all installations delivered what the contractor promised
• Some contractors installed very poor loop designs
  • Some loops had to be re-installed correctly.
• Competition between contractors increased ten fold in some areas
  • Pressuring some established contractors out of business
• Non geo certified contractors would sub-contract installations to certified contractors or moonlighters
  • Circumventing the training efforts of the industry

Of course many thousands of successful installations went in under the incentive programme as well and from a national growth perspective, some call the programme a success however, although the size of the business pie grew, for many, their share did not get bigger, or actually shrank during the rebates.

If we examine who in the industry really benefitted from the incentives we find that the big winner of coarse was the homeowner who retrofitted a horizontal or open loop system in Ontario where up to almost $8,400 was available in rebates to reduce the costs.

• Residential horizontal loop retrofit systems would almost always be installed in the country
  • Mostly replacing oil, propane or electric systems, the 3 most expensive heating systems to operate and the systems that geothermal traditionally has competed against successfully for years without any rebates

Other big winners were:

• Contractor training company
• Larger U.S. didtributors
  • Who dominate 95% of the Canadian geothermal heat pump system market
• Larger well established geothermal installation companies
• HVAC companies that could adapt to the geothermal market quickly

Once again and as predicted however, since the end of the rebates, particularly in the Ontario market, the geothermal industry is left in a sales slump.

• Canadian manufacturers are closing up shop
• Other industry players are simply leaving Canada again to persue the rebates and tax incentives in the U.S.
• Industry customers are left without service and maintenance

Notes: Many long term industry players believe that Governments would serve both the public and the industry better if they spent money on public education regarding the many financial and environmental benefits associated with geothermal heating and cooling systems rather than simply spending public money on Government rebates for a short time.

In today’s energy market, geothermal technology stands up well on its own merits without Government subsidies, particularly against oil, propane and electricity, which have become such expensive commodities over the last 10 years. With sufficient promotion and endorsement only, in the rural residential and commercial markets, there is plenty of retrofit and new business available to provide huge industry growth.

Right now, with gas prices held low, geothermal does not compete so wel, partly because natural gas serves the urban market and drilling vertical loops adds so much to the cost of an urban installation. Natural gas prices will rise at some point and there will be a future for residential urban geothermal systems.

Commercial and industrial systems on the other hand are still quite viable in urban markets, simply because the cooling demands of large buildings are so high and the heat recovery potential available through internal building loops using heat pumps is so large.

Further, a tax credit incentive, similar to that in the U.S. where homeowners and businesses can write the total installation cost of green energy conversions off of their taxes is considerred by many industry members a better type of incentive for most installations and a much more appropriate response to the needs of the industry.

Technology Transfer

In the early nineties, Gerry also became involved with the technology transfer efforts between the industry and the engineering and architectural communities. With only handful of large commercial projects operating in Canada, geothermal heating and cooling technology was practically unknown to most of them at that time.

To gain a wider acceptance of geothermal technology as a reliable and cost effective alternative to fossil fuels in commercial and institutional buildings, Energy Mines and Resources Canada and the Canadian Earth Energy Association and the larger U.S. and Canadian heat pump manufacturers, spearheaded technology transfer presentations across the Eastern part of the Canada, from Ontario to Newfoundland.

Gerry introduced the technology to hundreds of engineers, architects, utility personnel and other professionals through those presentations. Among the early adopters of geothermal technology at that time were school boards across the country.

The news regarding extroadinarily low per square foot energy costs travelled quickly between school boards and soon geothermal based systems of various designs were installed into many new schools and retrofitted into many existing schools under renovation.

A Direct Expansion Ground Source Heat Pump Co-Developer

After four years with WaterFurnace Inc., and now having either direct of indirect involvement in thousands of geothermal installations, Gerry joined Earth Systems International Inc. in Kitchener, Ontario, to participate in the development of a direct expansion geothermal system.

Further responsibilities included the establishment and training of a Dealer Network of Direct Expansion, (DX or Waterless) Geothermal System contractors.

• A direct expansion geothermal system utilizes a heat pump directly coupled to a copper earth loop containing refrigerant as opposed to a plastic earth loop filled with a water and alcohol solution, (secondary coolant).

This required many hours of “hands on” experience in R & D, studying the fluid dynamics of a bi-phasic heat transfer system. Understanding both the refrigeration side and the air delivery side of Geothermal Systems at the “expert level”, Gerry authored software to predict the flow dynamics and pressure drop of tapered bi-phasic copper heat exchangers. He also authored most of Earth Systems International Inc’s technical training and marketing materials for their Dealer Network.

The increased skill level and corresponding technical qualifications required to install a DX geothermal system required the establishment of a new class of geothermal dealer, a Dealer that was specifically refrigeration oriented rather than plumbing oriented. The product was received very well by refrigeration mechanics and companies across Ontario and the U.S. mid west. Gerry became involved in training mechanics in the various aspects of DX GSHP installation, working both in the classroom and in the trenches, with the men on the front lines of DX geothermal.

A Consultant to the Geothermal and Process Cooling Industries

Since the mid-90’s Gerry has consulted to a number of Canadian manufacturers and distributors of geothermal and refrigeration related products in both technical areas and marketing including but not limited to Enertran Inc., International Cooling Systems Ltd., G.E.I. Technologies Inc.

Gerry gained extensive experience in industrial process cooling system design and application during that time.

• industrial process cooling system design
• industrial process cooling applications
• industrial refrigeration system design
  • medium temperature
  • low temperature
  • very low temperatures (but above cryo)
• industrial HVAC ductwork design
• compressed air system design

Of particular significance was knowledge and experience gained in process load calculation for industries such as:

• plastics
• candle making
• processed foods
• robotic welding
• painting
• galvanizing
• adhesives
• paint
• wallpaper manufacturing
• etc.,

More recently in 2001 Gerry participated in the CSA Technical Standards Subcommittee for The Design and Installation of Earth Energy Systems, which built on and replaced CSA Standard C – 445 M92 as CSA Standard C – 448. At that time Gerry co-authored the Geothermal System and Earth Loop sizing method described in Annex C of C – 448 which was released in 2002 and subsequently adopted by The Ontario Building Code and the National Building Code of Canada.

In 2009 CSA Std C – 448 was amended to include DX GSHP systems. Gerry sat on the Technical Advisory Committee for the amendment and is currently a member of the Technical Advisory Committee to the latest version of CSA C448 currently under revision.

In 2001 Gerry founded Just Geothermal Systems, a geothermal contracting firm that came to specialize in the complete design and installation of sophisticated zoned hydronic and forced air geothermal systems throughout South Western Ontario.

For answers to your Geothermal questions, e-mail info@gerryongeo.com or Telephone 519-808-3987