The City of DeKalb is trying to progress to a new age of renewable resources by exploring the use of geothermal energy sources.

At last week’s DeKalb City Council meeting, a consideration was passed unanimously to amend the local codes and allow geothermal exchange systems.

DeKalb proposed allowing up to four demonstrator systems to be installed to evaluate the positive and negative aspects of this technology.

“We should try to tap energy sources other than fossil fuels,” DeKalb Mayor Frank Van Buer said.

DeKalb homeowner Carl Simonson initiated the consideration. Simonson would like to install a geothermal system when he builds his new home.

“Geothermal heat pumps are heat pumps that use energy from the ground rather than the outside air,” Simonson said at the meeting. He added energy costs could be lowered by up to 50 percent.

Community Development Director Russ Farnum said city officials “must make sure installation procedures do not contribute to any groundwater contamination problems.”

The goal is to have an ordinance drafted for the first council meeting in November, Farnum said. The city staff will have to coordinate local codes with state regulations. In addition, Environmental Protection Agency regulations may supersede all local codes.

The four proposed geothermal systems would be built by private entities, not the City of DeKalb.

Geothermal exchange systems work efficiently because they capitalize on the constant temperature of the earth below the surface. They work by transferring heat in during the winter and out during the summer. Liquid, often water or antifreeze, is forced through loops in the ground and distributes heat in order to regulate temperature. A geothermal exchange systems works in a similar fashion to that of the circulation of air in a refrigerator.

Van Buer asked his staff to look around the country to find other examples of how to transition to geothermal energy. He stressed the need to “fast track” the transition process. Rockford and Elgin are examples of nearby communities that are also reviewing geothermal energy as a viable alternative.

The United States Energy Bill offers homeowners a $300 tax credit for the cost of new geoexchange systems. As another bonus, geothermal systems can use excess heat to provide hot water without natural gas.

A drawback to these systems is during the coldest months an electric heater is needed to sustain the system, which consequently lowers its efficiency.

The startup cost of these systems is about $10,000, but can be recuperated based on the savings on utilities, Farnum said.

There are more than 300,000 geothermal systems in use in the United States.