Dandelion will offer geothermal heating and cooling systems to homeowners, starting in the northeastern United States. Another one of Google’s secret projects is becoming its own company.
A new startup called Dandelion, born from the secretive and futuristic lab “X” of Google’s parent company Alphabet, says it will offer affordable geothermal heating and cooling systems to homeowners. Existing systems are typically expensive with big upfront installation fees, discouraging homeowners from adopting the technology.
In the winter, water located inside the pipes absorbs heat from the earth. The pump then turns it into warm air. In the summer, the pump pulls warm air out of the home and the pipes disperse the heat back into the ground.
Dandelion’s drill is fast and lean, allowing for only one or two deep holes a few inches wide.
The system will cost between $20,000 and $25,000, compared to conventional systems priced as high as $60,000.
Geothermal systems are better for the environment because they significantly cut down on carbon dioxide emissions. In the northeast region of the U.S. — where Dandelion will begin offering its system — traditional heating and cooling generates a lot of carbon because it widely uses fuel oil or propane as heating fuel.
Buildings are responsible for 39% of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S., according to the U.S. Green Building Council. Most of these emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels to provide the building with heating, cooling and lighting, and to power appliances and electrical equipment.
Dandelion is the latest X project spun off into its own company. Last December, Alphabet(GOOGL, Tech30) turned its self-driving car project into a standalone startup called Waymo, joining health data company Verily and Google Watch now part of Android.
The division is known for its “moonshots,” or big ideas intended to shape the future, such as bringing Internet access to remote areas with Project Loon balloons.
The company is now accepting sign ups from customers in New York. It plans to partner with local heating and cooling installers in the future.
