A Greenburgh couple claims that a geothermal system they had installed in their house to improve heating and cooling and reduce costs has been a bust.
Katherine and David Stowe accused Dandelion Energy Inc. of negligence, in a complaint filed on July 17 in Westchester Supreme Court. They are demanding $250,000 in monetary damages.
“The design and installation of the system was faulty in numerous ways and has never functioned properly,” the complaint states. And the couple has “not been able to enjoy or be comfortable in their home since the Dandelion system was installed.”
“While we cannot comment on ongoing legal matters,” Dandelion publicist Kathy Berardi stated in an email, “we take these concerns very seriously and we remain focused on resolving this matter constructively and quickly.”
The Stowes own a 2,200-square-foot, 4-bedroom, mid-century modern house built in 1959, in the Greenville neighborhood near Scarsdale.
The main floor and basement were heated with hot water baseboards fueled by heating oil. The main floor was cooled by conventional air conditioning.
The Stowes wanted to remove an underground heating oil tank and use an alternative method to correct uneven heating and cooling spots throughout the house.
Dandelion, based in Virginia and operating out of a Mount Kisco office, offers geothermal systems. During the winter, cold water lines are pumped through a loop deep underground where it is warmed up and then recirculated through the house. During hot weather, warm air in the house is pumped into the ground to be cooled and recirculated in the house.
Dandelion boasts on its website that its technology is quiet, “built for extreme weather,” and produces “the lowest utility bills you’ll ever have.”
The Stowes calculated that the system would cost about $80,000. It would save $4,500 to $5,000 a year in utility costs, thus paying for itself in 16 to 18 years.
Dandelion surveyed the house and determined that it was acceptable for a geothermal system, as long as the Stowes put in additional ductwork.
In 2020, the couple paid a contractor about $16,676 to install the ductwork, and they gave Dandelion the go-ahead. At that point, the complaint states, project costs were estimated at $52,185.
By October 2020, the geothermal system was installed.
Problems allegedly surfaced right away. The system was noisy, and there were hot and cold spots throughout the house. On Nov. 4, 2020, for instance, bedrooms were at 57 degrees in the morning. Winter utility bills were as high as $2,200. During the summer months, the main floor sometimes reached the high 80s.
Dandelion made many service calls, according to the complaint, and made stop-gap fixes. In summer 2022, the company allegedly concluded that the system could not keep up with heating and cooling demands because it was undersized. Dandelion installed new equipment, but problems persisted. This past winter, the Stowes claim, there was no heat in part of the house, and they had to pay $10,000 for new ductwork and $20,000 to replace a ceiling.
This past March, Dandelion concluded that the root problem was lack of insulation in the vaulted ceiling, according to the complaint. Insulating the roof would cost about $60,000 to $80,000.
Dandelion allegedly said it would not cover the costs because the surveyor had made a reasonable assumption about the state of insulation, the couple had signed the survey, and the design decisions were based on that information.
The Stowes claim that Dandelion has not given them the survey, and they do not recall the information about insulation. But Dandelion employees were aware of the uninsulated roof, “and beyond that, it was visible to the eye that the roof was uninsulated.”
The Stowes accused Dandelion of negligence for lacking the competence to fix the geothermal system; fraud for representing that a geothermal system was suitable for their house; and breach of contract for not installing a functional system.
Dandelion’s publicist said the company is “dedicated to ensuring customer satisfaction and is committed to delivering high-quality work on every project.”
