Our Geothermal Story

Geothermal has been a big part of our life for nearly 20 years. Who would have thought that the little barn in Northwest Iowa that we hosted our wedding reception at, and used geothermal to heat and cool it, would play such an integral roll in our lives? I mean, who spends the bulk of the visit to their wedding reception venue hanging out in the mechanical room talking to the owner about how geothermal works and how it’ll keep this old barn with 150 people in it cool on a hot July evening in steamy, humid Iowa?

Dan and Kari Rau

This guy. This Mechanical Engineer I met at Iowa State University and married a few decades ago. Little did we know that the geothermal system in that old barn set the stage for our passion, mission, and goals of building a small family geothermal business in the Rocky Mountains.

After a few years designing HVAC and geothermal systems Dan knew that he wanted to get out of the office and back to designing, building, and operating equipment. He loves processes and coming up with ways to improve geothermal installation to make it more safe, efficient and streamlined. His engineering degree came in handy when designing aspects of his drilling equipment. Dan’s engineering knowledge mixed with his drill operating experience has made him an unusual and rare occurrence in the geothermal industry. He frequently works with architects, engineers, designers, HVAC contractors, builders and clients to help guide them to the geothermal system most appropriate for their heating and cooling needs. Dan’s comprehensive understanding of geothermal design and installation, our specially designed equipment and our personnel allow us to successfully and repeatedly complete numerous geothermal jobs.

Over the years Colorado Geothermal Drilling has successfully designed and installed over 600 geothermal projects in Colorado and surrounding states. Our set-up is unique as we are able to access compact areas with our equipment, setting us apart from other drilling operations. With our vast knowledge of geothermal design and installation we can provide customers with valuable information, answering any questions, and providing the best energy efficient system to fit the clients’ needs. Colorado Geothermal Drilling strives to master leading edge technology and pride ourselves on the quality of services we commit to our clients. In fact, we have installed geothermal systems for our competitors.

Colorado Geothermal Drilling operates a specially designed and customized drill mounted on a skid loader with tracks. Each piece of equipment has been tailored by CGD to meet our high quality standards and to fully maximize the efficiency of our operations.

We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk too. We truly believe geothermal is the most energy efficient heating and cooling system available and have put it in our homes as well. Within 10 days of moving into our current house we set up the drilling equipment and installed our system. We have plans to install it in rental properties Kari owns and manages as well. What some see as scary upfront costs, we see as a great way to manage utility bills for many years to come. Installing geothermal in rental properties is a great way to save money, reduce our carbon footprint, and have a comfortable and long lasting system with very little maintenance to worry about. We can’t wait to get rid of the big propane tank on our next property!

Over the years we’ve done some really great projects. From wineries to fire departments, nature centers, military bases, art galleries and net zero homes. Educating people on the outstanding benefits of geothermal is one of things we love most to do and I hope to continue sharing these with people in the future. Like I’ve said before, one of the greatest things about geothermal is you can’t see it, but because of that so many people don’t know about it and how fantastic it is! Now is the time to really get the word out on geothermal!

Kari Rau is co-owner and VP at Colorado Geothermal Drilling and CEO and owner at HGB Home Co. LLC. She holds the title of World’s Okayest Mom, is a serial chips and queso addict, and loves to gossip about geothermal to anyone who will listen.