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Houston's First Cohousing Community - 115 Lenox St.


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Concept Neighborhood, the project's developer, says CoHousing Houston will be the first development of its kind in Harris County to use geothermal energy, as well as being the state’s first formal co-housing project.  Members hold an equity stake in the overall project in addition to owning their individual units. Construction started in September at the 1.5 acre site at 114 Delmar, with the foundation expected to be poured within a few weeks. The 33-unit community is set to open in 2024.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/houston-housing-community-plans-tap-geothermal-17799418.php#photo-23512368


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On 2/27/2023 at 10:43 AM, hindesky said:

Concept Neighborhood, the project's developer, says CoHousing Houston will be the first development of its kind in Harris County to use geothermal energy,

Geothermal Energy? Can someone please explain how they plan to harness geothermal energy?

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1 hour ago, 2ndwardOG said:

Geothermal Energy? Can someone please explain how they plan to harness geothermal energy?

"Geothermal energy is probably great if you live in Iceland. But here in the US? Who knew? A Houston developer is digging deep to create power for his new project. 

“This is like drilling a water well,” says developer David Kelley, “We’re going about 300 feet deep, and it’s pretty much the same technology in creating a water well. You can reduce your electricity use by up to 50%.” In its simplest form, geothermal energy uses the earth’s heat to create electricity."

https://www.connectcre.com/stories/houston-co-housing-project-to-get-creative-about-energy-source/

 

"The communal housing concept hopes to promote sustainability, and holes are being drilled into the ground so it can operate largely on geothermal energy.

"This is like drilling a water well," developer David Kelley said on the 62 holes needed to make the concept work. "We're going about 300 feet deep, and it's pretty much the same technology in creating a water well."

In its simplest form, geothermal energy uses the earth's heat to create electricity.

Kelley said it costs about 50% more than building a facility that uses traditional electricity, but it pays for itself in around five years.

"It is a quiet and reliable renewable energy source," he said. "You can reduce your electricity use by up to 50%."

Facilities using this technology still have to be tied to the grid in order to operate the pumps needed to create renewable energy.

 

The technology is around, as the architect behind CoHousing Houston said it's being used at the Houston Endowment building near Memorial Park, as well as at Fire Station 55 on Cullen.

That being said, the use of this form of energy isn't widespread.

"It's not, but it is becoming more so," Kelley said. "I think we'll see more and more of these projects."

Kelley added that geothermal energy could be retrofitted to fix existing buildings, though it is at its most efficient when built as part of a new project."

https://abc13.com/geothermal-energy-communal-housing-houston-cohousing-project-east-end/12872995/

 

"A 33-unit ‘co-housing’ development in East Houston will be the multifamily project in the region to use geothermal heating and cooling systems, reports Kyra Buckley in the Houston Chronicle. “Geothermal is a renewable energy source created by drilling, using the earth’s natural heat for energy and releasing nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions in the process.” While the technology is not new, it has not been widely adopted in residential buildings in part due to high up-front installation costs, which can be 50 percent higher than other options.

“The co-housing project is drilling 62 vertical wells as deep as 300 feet. Two pipes are inserted into each well, connecting at the bottom to form a U-shape. The series of U-shaped pipes are connected to the buildings' heat pumps, which are designed to provide heating, cooling and hot water. ” The developers will use federal tax credits to pay back some of the cost of the system. 

CoHousing Houston also claims to be the state’s first formal co-housing project, with shared spaces like kitchens and community gardens, and “will have a Homeowner’s Association when residents move in, as well as a set of community agreements. Members are to make decisions on a consensus basis, providing input on nearly every stage of the site selection, design and development process.” The community is set to open in 2024."

https://www.planetizen.com/news/2023/02/121924-houston-co-housing-project-use-geothermal-heating-and-cooling

 

 

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