Going green is the new thing, but Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is kicking it up a notch. The district is installing geothermal-source heat pump systems at various schools to save the district thousands of dollars per year on energy at each of the schools.
Currently, 80 wells are reportedly being drilled 350 feet deep at Adams Elementary School (6110 28th Ave. N.W.). The project will be done before school starts.
The district reportedly anticipates $30,000 of savings on energy reduction for Adams Elementary School each year. Soon, seven more schools will have the new technology.
The system is already installed at Nathan Hale High School and John Hay, Olympic View and West Woodland elementary schools, according to Tom Redman, with the district’s Capital and Facilities Communications.
The district also has plans to install it at Leschi and John Muir elementary schools.
Geothermal-source heating 101
What is geothermal source heating?
“The ground is able to maintain a higher rate of temperature consistency because it absorbs 47 percent of the sun’s energy — heat — as it hits the Earth’s surface,” explained engineer Eugene Luskin, a senior program manager at Microsoft. “Geothermal systems are able to tap into this free energy with an earth loop. This technology is then used to provide your home or office with central heating.”
But the heating system is not just for heating — it’s for cooling too, Luskin explained: “In the cooling mode, the heating process is reversed, [and the] air is conditioned throughout the facility.”
Already, this technology is becoming more common across the country and abroad.
Why were the seven schools chosen for the technology update?
“Primarily, [it was] based on the size of schools’ sites,” Redman said. ”A large area on the school site is necessary in order to drill the wells and install the proper piping.”
It takes either one to two summers to complete the projects.
“It’s necessary to do the work when school is not in session,” Redman said.
Grants from the Washington state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the federal government helped pay for the projects. Funding also includes a Seattle City Light rebate program and a half-million-dollar state grant.
Redman couldn’t say provide other statistics at press time, such as the list of all the schools anticipating geothermal projects in the near future and if and when all the Seattle schools would be converted.
Also, not all schools will have the new system installed. “We consider projects on a case-by-case basis and whether it makes economic sense to install them,” Redman explained.
Coming soon
Loyal Heights Elementary School in Ballard is on the list to be updated with the new geothermal technology, as well as a complete modernization project. Additionally, 54,000 square feet will be added to facility, increasing seating capacity.
Energy efficiency will include a geothermal system, along with displacement ventilation, LED lights with lighting controls ”and other passive systems to achieve a low-energy-use-index (EUI) goal,” according to SPS.
The budget for the project is $37.3 million. Construction will start in fall 2016 and be complete by spring 2018.
Additionally, Madison Middle School in West Seattle made the 2015-2016 list of schools to be renovated. The main point of the remodel is to increase class space; however, the school will now include a geothermal system, which will consist of 180 wells drilled 300 feet deep on 20-foot centers throughout the school’s new athletic field. Like with geothermal technology, the system will provide heat and cooling for the building.
To comment on this story, write to QAMagNews@nwlink.com.