Tens of thousands of commercial buildings and hundreds of thousands of homes in the United States and Canada are already using GeoExchange for their heating, cooling, and water heating. You too can employ the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly heating and cooling systems available anywhere — GeoExchange.
Below the frost line, the temperature of the earth is relatively constant. GeoExchange systems use geothermal heat pumps to take advantage of this constant temperature to provide efficient comfort conditioning. Since GeoExchange systems operate by moving heat from or to the earth, no fossil fuels are burned. This approach taps an inexhaustible source of renewable energy.
Geothermal heat pumps are attached to the earth through either a series of buried plastic pipes (closed loop) or water wells (open loop) often beneath parking or green areas. Closed loop systems circulate water or an environmentally safe antifreeze. The fluid absorbs heat from the ground during the winter and transfers it to the heat pumps inside the building. In the summer, the process is reversed with heat from the building returning to the ground. Open loop systems operate on the same principle, and can be installed where an adequate supply of water is available.
Today, architects are concerned with designing a building that is aesthetically pleasing to the senses, meets the owners needs, and facilitates the building's intended function. Integrating design components including shell, glazing, structure, and heating and cooling systems to gain synergies and economies is a major responsibility and opportunity for the architect as the key design professional.
GeoExchange can improve a building's form, function, aesthetics, efficiency, and comfort, adding to owner satisfaction with the finished. In addition, GeoExchange is ideal for the restoration of historical properties.
Form and function guide the design of each and every building. Form — the look and feel of a building's exterior and interior spaces — creates a first impression and an atmosphere that visitors unconsciously extend to the occupants of the building. GeoExchange can benefit a building's form by eliminating unsightly and noisy rooftop equipment, such as split systems and cooling towers. Without rooftop equipment, the architect has more freedom to experiment with alternative roof styles — adding flair to the building's form. Eliminating rooftop equipment also reduces the load-bearing requirements of the roof structure.
The use of GeoExchange systems may reduce construction costs in some buildings. Boiler rooms can be eliminated and the size of the mechanical rooms can be reduced. GeoExchange can reduce the size of air distribution ducts and reduce required plenum spaces. This can either allow higher ceilings or simply reduce construction costs.
Where form is the look and feel of a building, function relates to how well a building facilitates the activities for which it was designed. For example, as the design of a performing arts center must allow people to see and hear the performance from every seat, the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system must be able to handle wide fluctuations in sensible (temperature) and latent (humidity) cooling loads.
GeoExchange systems offer many advantages to architects. Less mechanical space means more productive space and more design freedom. For example, the extra space could be used to improve traffic flow or handicapped access, create well-planned reception areas, or allow more special-use areas.
The function of a building also dictates temperature control requirements of the different spaces. GeoExchange inherently supports greater individual temperature control than competing HVAC systems because zones are relatively small.
GeoExchange systems offer better occupant comfort than conventional systems by virtue of greater individual temperature control. Since they move heat rather create it, GeoExchange systems are particularly beneficial in applications requiring cooling in some spaces and heating in others — applications that include most office buildings and other large commercial and institutional facilities.
The elimination of outdoor or rooftop equipment improves reliability over conventional systems whose equipment is exposed to the temperature extremes and dirt of the harsh outdoor environment. For this reason, less maintenance is required for GeoExchange systems. And they retain their high efficiency over the years.
In cases where GeoExchange systems are initially more expensive, case studies how that those costs are quickly offset through energy and maintenance savings. In other cases, an integrated design approach shows that GeoExchange helps control initial cost.
Low energy operating costs are one of the key benefits of GeoExchange. Numerous case studies document the energy savings of GeoExchange projects.
The application of GeoExchange to, for example, combination convenience stores / gas stations demonstrates the flexibility of these systems. They integrate space heating, space cooling, and water heating with the convenience store refrigeration cases and ice maker. Many stations also tie in car wash water heating and ice melting to the GeoExchange system. Hybrid systems, combining the benefits of GeoExchange with other technologies, are increasingly being used in industrial applications, where they are particularly advantageous at integrating different heat sources and heat requirements within a facility.
Renovation of buildings with historical merit while preserving their architectural values is often challenging. They have a few, small closets, and finished surfaces (including ceiling heights) have intrinsic value and must be preserved. Because GeoExchange installations are so flexible, they are generally the easiest systems to design into an historic building. One successful strategy is to use smaller heat pumps dispersed in closets, basements, and attics to provide space conditioning and ventilation with minimal ducting. Of course, the ground heat exchanger is completely invisible, so there are no unsightly condensers on roofs or in back yards.
To achieve the maximum benefit, GeoExchange must be integrated into the design process from the beginning. Bring in experts early in the collaborative process while the drawings are still on the board and specifications are being laid out. The Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium can help you locate suitable experts in your area. Electric utilities can also provide information on local experts.
The Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, Inc. (GHPC) is ready to provide a wide variety of information to help you get started in applying GeoExchange to your clients’ benefit. GHPC may also be able to provide design assistance for large or multi-site projects. Call us toll free at 1-888-ALL-4-GEO (1-888-255-4436). And visit our web site at http://www.geoexchange.org.
The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA), based at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, has state-of-the-art training and research facilities.
IGSHPA-certified installation workshops are held nationwide. Their number is 1-800-626-4747.
The most valuable information sources are other professionals with GeoExchange experience. The case studies developed by GHPC as well as those prepared by GeoExchange manufacturers and utilities can lead you to the architects and engineers responsible for actual GeoExchange installations.
Contact the electric utility in your area or in areas where you anticipate potential GeoExchange projects. They can tell you about other projects in the area — visit one or two, talk to owners, occupants, and facility maintenance staff. The utility will be happy to tell you about any incentive programs for GeoExchange systems — investigate specific rebate levels for future geothermal cost analyses.
Many utilities offer technical assistance to support potential GeoExchange projects such as co-funding of feasibility studies or engineering design. Utility staff are often available to meet with clients interested in investigating potential projects.
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