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QUINCY, Calif., Dec. 31, 2002 -- Perched on a mountainside, Feather River College borders Plumas National Forest in Quincy, CA.
The community college's 256-acre campus hosts a variety of wildlife, including a trout hatchery and an equestrian center with horse boarding facilities. With this natural world as a backdrop, the college notes that it is truly tucked away in one of California's quiet spots.
And while nature's charm is certainly part of the allure of Feather River College, the alpine climate, with its extreme ambient temperatures in both summer and winter, can make heating and cooling a difficult and expensive proposition.
Combine the effects of climate with the college's reliance on a combination of outdated heating and cooling equipment and the result was a huge energy problem for the college. In fact, space conditioning accounted for approximately 65 percent of the college's energy costs -- an estimated cost of $200 per student added to Feather River College's annual operating budget.
Looking for ways to cut these costs, the college decided to install geoexchange technology in four buildings. The 135-ton system relies on 24 individual geothermal heat pumps strategically located throughout the buildings. The geothermal heat pumps allow separate areas to be heated and/or cooled simultaneously and independently, based on need.
Two buildings have a horizontal loop system comprised of 20 trenches, 295 ft. long and 5 ft. deep. The other two buildings have a vertical loop system with 56 boreholes, drilled 120 ft. deep.
In the 18 months after completion of the project, the geoexchange system has saved the college more than $50,000 -- about $6,000 more than projected.
"It's even more efficient than the engineers told us it would be," said Ron Groh, Feather River College's assistant superintendent of business services. Not only had geoexchange delivered comfort at a reduced cost but it also fits in with the college's tranquil setting. "The system has been much quieter than our old system," said Groh. "That's really important to us in Feather River's educational environment."
Geoexchange Technology
Geoexchange (sometimes called geothermal, or ground-source heating and cooling) taps the renewable, safe, and virtually endless energy supply that lies just below the earth's surface.
The way it works is simple. In winter, warmth is drawn from the earth through a series of pipes, called a loop, installed beneath the ground. A water solution circulating through this piping loop carries the earth's natural warmth to a heat pump inside a building.
The heat pump concentrates the earth's thermal energy and transfers it to air circulated through interior ductwork to reach every space in your school or office building.
In the summer, the process is reversed; heat is extracted from air inside the building and transferred to the biggest "heat sink" of all -- Mother Earth -- by way of the ground loop piping.
Because geoexchange technology uses such a readily available source of energy -- and uses it so efficiently -- it can cut heating and cooling costs 25%-40%.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy have both recognized geoexchange technology as the most efficient and environmentally friendly home heating and cooling system available.
California Geoexchange Program
In an effort to bring the success of geoexchange to southern California, the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium (GHPC) has launched a program to increase the awareness and use of geoexchange technology. The primary focus is schools and commercial buildings within Southern California Edison's service territory, which includes 4.2 million customers over a 50,000 square mile area in coastal, central and southern California.
"We believe that Californians should have the opportunity to benefit from using geoexchange, an energy efficient and renewable energy technology that is providing significant cost savings to many facilities throughout the U.S. This program will help to educate school officials and business owners about how this technology can help reduce energy use cost-effectively, while promoting environmental soundness," said Wael El-Sharif, executive director of the GHPC.
GHPC has already begun conducting a series of educational seminars on geoexchange technology for school officials and business owners who are involved in heating and cooling decisions. GHPC is also conducting training workshops for engineers, architects, contractors and drillers who are involved in the design and installation of geoexchange systems.
In addition to the educational seminars, the GHPC program will install geoexchange systems at two schools. The specific schools are currently being selected. The schools chosen will receive funding for the project, which will result in the system being installed at no incremental cost to the schools.
GHPC is currently identifying prospective schools for the program. The schools will be selected based on need (limited funding resources) and limited access to information about energy efficient technologies.
GHPC is partnering with the Davis, California-based Association of Energy Efficient Environmental Systems (AEEES). The program is slated to run through December 2003.
More information about geoexchange technology is available from the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of geoexchange technology. GHPC is a resource for anyone wishing to know more about geoexchange and can provide technical expertise, marketing research data and insight, and current industry activity status. GHPC can be reached toll-free at 1-888-333-4472, or on the Internet at http://www.geoexchange.org .
This program is funded by California utility customers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. Participation in this program is voluntary and in no way obligates customers to purchase any additional full-fee service.
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