Dan Turner

President, Turner Engineering, PC

Years in current role: 23

What sustainability initiative or environmental goal has your organization made the most progress on in the past year?

Our firm has made geothermal HVAC and domestic water heating systems a priority. In the last two years, tax credits associated with the Inflation Reduction Act, coupled with support from the NY Clean Heat Program, we have seen a tremendous increase in interest and implementation of geo. We have designed geothermal systems for several affordable housing projects, fire stations, a daycare, among others. With the push toward electrification, geothermal has sometimes become the most affordable option available from a first cost perspective, and definitely the most affordable after incentives have been accounted for. Geothermal also helps reduce the overall demand on the grid, reducing the need for costly modifications to the grid and energy generation systems.

What gives you confidence about how Rochester businesses and institutions are addressing environmental challenges?

The Rochester area has been embracing sustainable energy systems in the last few years. We have experienced an increase in university, health care, for-profit, nonprofit, and housing projects that have been more willing to investigate geothermal energy systems to reduce peak demand, energy consumption, maintenance and long-term energy costs. Many clients have also complemented the geothermal projects with solar energy, resulting in much less energy required from utility sources. All these distributed energy systems increase the overall reliability of the utility energy grid.

What area do you think needs more attention or collaboration to strengthen Rochester’s environmental future?

Great strides have been made, but building owners must continue to look closely at sustainable energy systems such as geothermal coupled with solar. This combination improves system reliability and reduces the stress on the utility grid, resulting in a reduction in required future grid capacity. Ultimately this saves the ratepayers much more than the initial investment.

What advice would you offer to individuals or organizations that want to start making a measurable environmental difference?

Start small and think about how your idea can be grown or combined with other sustainable concepts. Incorporating multiple sustainable concepts tend to build on each other, resulting in a multiplier effect. Example: When designing a building, proper siting and improving the building envelope result in lower energy usage. This results in savings in the HVAC system due to smaller equipment. These lower loads result in a larger impact from a solar array, which will save money for 30 years.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy the natural beauty of the Rochester area?

I enjoy skiing at Bristol in the winter. In summer, I like to spend time on the Finger Lakes, and hike locally and in the Adirondacks.