Geothermal HVAC Field Trip for the US Department of Energy

DOE Employees Enjoy Geothermal Comfort

"...It's just so quiet and there's not much to see..." Those were some of the comments uttered as Department of Energy employees got to have a day away from the office...

Each year, The National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) a division of the US Department of Energy hosts a series of “Energy Industry Study Workshops” in which they get up to date on the latest renewable energy advances.  Geothermal Heating and Cooling technologies were the focus on December 4^th as a cross-section DOE employees were shuttled by bus up to Gaithersburg, MD on a field trip to the Kentlands Community Center.

Several DOE divisions including the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Building Technologies Office (BTO), and the Geothermal Office arrived at about 10:00 in the morning for a refresher course on geothermal heating and cooling, followed by a case study on the geothermal heat pump systems that provide the heating and cooling for Kentlands Clubhouse. 

Geothermal Heat Pumps; Out of Sight and Out of Mind

The Kentlands Community Center is a 9000 ft.², two-story building with a high glass ratio. The building’s 15-year-old Trane air source cooling system with gas furnace heating had reached the end of its usable life. In an effort to do a responsible upgrade to the building’s heating and cooling systems, Kentlands’ staff considered the options available to them including similar replacement with air source heat pumps, improving building filtration, air flow and pressure ratios, and possibly upgrading to geothermal heat pumps. Though administrators wished to upgrade to geothermal HVAC system, there was concern about the amount of excavation needed to drill and connect 20 or more geothermal wells for a closed loop system. Upon further investigation, a standing column geothermal source was considered and determined to be favorable. To provide better zone control, it was decided to utilize a quantity of four (4) 6-ton geothermal heat pumps.

Perhaps the most surprising thing for the attendees was that there was not much to see.  The geothermal heat pumps (GHP’s) are tucked in attic spaces and there is nothing to see outside as the equipment area is now a picnic area complete with bushes and flowering plants. 

Dick Hottel Explains That a 
New Picnic Area Replaces the Old AC Condensers

During the tours down to the equipment room, attendees noted one overriding theme as several related there was no equipment noise to be heard anywhere.

Mike Heavener, owner of Geo-Solar, a distributor of GHP equipment and supplies worked with Dick Hottel, President of Harvey Hottel HVAC to design the system.  During Mike’s presentation, attendees were pleased to see that after one year of operation, the geothermal HVAC system had saved the owners more than 40% on energy compared with previous years.  That’s even more remarkable when they considered the frigid “Polar Vortex” of 2013-2014 in DC (and most of the US). Mike commented that though the GHP’s are equipped with emergency heat strips, the geothermal system never approached the need to engage auxiliary heating.

During the tour of the facility, the only thing to see of the geothermal system besides piping and pumps in the mechanical room were the two well caps in back, appropriately complemented with some flowering plants.

All That is Visible of the Geothermal System is a Well Cap

Dick and Mike shared information on different types of exchange designs available to provide for a competent geothermal system, and detailed why they chose a Standing Column Well (SCW) for the Kentlands Community Center. “Kentlands was on a budget, and we found that the geology was such that we could do this particular project more cost effectively with just two SCW’s, rather than several closed loop boreholes.  It saved on landscaping and drilling costs”, said Dick Hottel.

Geothermal Exchange Works for Any Project

The attendees learned about the three general classes of earth coupled exchangers , and which type works best in which geologies.  They were shown that no matter what the geology, there is geothermal design that will be perfect for that project’s needs.

 Antonio Bouza from the DOE’s Building Technologies Office makes his case in stating that buildings in the US should go with geothermal exchange in order to reduce energy consumption as a first choice when considering renewable energy technologies. 

Mary Spruill, Executive Director of NEED and organizer of the Energy Industry Study Program makes sure to keep her people up to date on geothermal technologies, and is instrumental in seeing that the students in our public schools have access to geothermal heating and cooling technology information. In this Newsletter distributed to public schools throughout the country in February/March 2012, NEED gets to know the geothermal industry in a 2 page report on page 6 and 7.

DOE's Tony Bouza;"...an excellent excellent example
of a geothermal system...a model for others to replicate..."

Tony Bouza, Technology Development Manager at U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) is participating in a couple of forums in April 2015 which will further efforts of the geothermal HVAC Industry.  He bought a copy of McGraw-Hill’s textbook, Geothermal HVAC, Green Heating and Cooling as a reference stating that , “…The book is excellent, easy to read and understand.” Tony further stated , “I was really impressed with the Kentlands Community Center Geothermal Upgrade project in which a standing column geothermal heat pump system is providing the community with a long term, low operating cost solution with enhanced comfort. The design and installation of this geothermal HVAC system is an excellent example of a standing column geothermal system, a model for others in the community to replicate for both residential and commercial applications. A great technology backed up by an excellent team of engineers, contractors and consultants working together to tap into Maryland’s abundant geothermal HVAC potential.”

Geothermal Designer Mike Heavner Shares System Details

Arlene Anderson, Technology Manager, U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office, mentioned that her office is assessing the potential for geothermal “deep direct use”.  Assessing the potential for what her office calls “Deep Direct Use” is similar to assessing the potential for ground source heating and cooling in that finding warmer geothermal gradients are key. Geothermal resources having lower temperatures than geothermal resources capable of producing baseload power can provide a clean source of renewable geothermal energy for DIRECTLY powering the nation’s institutions including schools, hospitals, community centers, hotels, amusement parks and other large facilities that otherwise end up using heating and cooling equipment that require fresh water to cool the equipment. This fresh water is lost to the atmosphere. Geothermal direct use and ground source technologies could also replace noisy HVAC equipment located outside of the structure. In some states, equipment outside of the building requires hurricane proofing. Geothermal technologies have the potential to reduce the risk in storm prone areas such as Florida.

Mary Spruill, Executive Director at National Energy Education Development project said, “NEED and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) have worked together for many years to help increase the level of knowledge of the general public and our own teams.  The Energy Industry Study Program (EISP) allows participants from EIA’s staff to learn more about a variety of energy topics.  The Geothermal sessions that you designed as well as the Kentlands tour was an excellent view into geothermal and allowed everyone a deeper understanding of the effectiveness, the ease of application, and the promise of growing more geothermal usage  in commercial and residential applications in the future.  We really appreciate your help with this program and look forward to our next session!”

All in all, it was one of those great days in which much good was done in sharing information.  Jay Egg got to wrap the field trip up with a brief review of the impressive benefits gained from the implementation of geothermal heating and cooling.

Jay Egg Shares the Benefits of Geothermal Heat Pumps

The benefits of geothermal touted include:

1. No outdoor equipment
2. Reduced site disruption (SCW uses fewer boreholes)
3. Hurricane proof (HVAC equipment wise)
4. HVAC system longevity
5. Elimination of their combustion furnace and electric resistance heating
6. Noticeably superior comfort and heating and cooling modes
7. Remarkable system efficiency (40% reduction in energy costs)

– Jay Egg is a geothermal consultant, writer, and the owner of EggGeothermal. He has co-authored two textbooks on geothermal HVAC systems published by McGraw-Hill Professional. He can be reached at jayegg.geo@gmail.com .