UTA looking at hot-water heat to save money

Hot water from the earth's interior could save the Utah Transit Authority thousands of dollars each year on its heating bill and also reduce the agency's emissions.

UTA said Tuesday it is researching whether geothermal energy from Wasatch Warm Springs could be used to heat its commuter-rail maintenance center at 900 North and 400 West in Salt Lake City. A feasibility study, paid for by a federal program called GeoPowering the West, is now being conducted by the Geo-Heat Center at the Oregon Institute of Technology.

The study will look at heat needs, heat resources in the area and the cost to install a geothermal heating system. UTA officials expect the study will be finished by the end of December.

UTA estimates it would cost $15,000 a month to heat the commuter-rail center without the help of heat from the springs. The agency had no exact estimate for how much a geothermal system would save in heating expenses but anticipated it could be thousands of dollars each year.

"We are trying to become a more sustainable organization," said Grantley Martelly, UTA manager of safety and environmental protection. "One way is through conservation of energy and a reduction in our dependence on fossil fuels. Geothermal energy is one of the things we're looking at."

If the study shows that geothermal energy could, indeed, heat UTA's maintenance center, work would begin to build a geothermal heating system. One type of heating system uses pipes in the ground to draw up water. The water would run through a heat-exchange system, then return into the ground.

The study will show what type of system works best to obtain the energy, Martelly said. The Utah Geological Survey would grant UTA permission to use the hot springs for heating.

"This is basically using energy that is available from the ground that provides or creates no emissions," said Philip Powlick with the Utah Geological Survey. "It doesn't deplete a resource and saves the user energy costs."

The Utah State Penitentiary in Draper is heated with geothermal energy from Crystal Hot Springs, according to Powlick. Milgro Nurseries, located in Bluffdale and in Iron County, also uses geothermal energy.

The Utah Geological Survey estimates that more than 100 natural hot springs can be found in Utah. Wasatch Warm Springs is located at the northern border of Salt Lake City.

UTA's 165,000-square-foot maintenance facility is just across the street from Warm Springs Park. The facility is being renovated to hold cars for UTA's commuter-rail system, which is now being constructed from Salt Lake City to Pleasant View.