Using geothermal heat to save energy

Did you know about 90% of the square footage throughout LPS is heated and cooled by geothermal energy? This method is more sustainable because an exchange mechanism uses the relatively constant temperature of the Earth to heat or cool the buildings!

LPS uses a vertical geothermal heating method, which means pipes are filled with water that reach wellfields buried 300 feet underground where the temperature is constant at about 55 °F.  The pipes have a ‘U’ bend on the bottom, so the water in the pipes can circulate from the wellfield back up to a heat pump that circulates air in the building. 

If the air needs to be heated, the pipes circulate down into the wellfield, absorb the warmer temperature from the Earth, and bring it back to the building. When the water makes its way back to the building, it is sent through a heat pump that transfers the water’s heat into air. If the air needs to be cooled, the process is similar. The heat pumps take in the hot air from the building for the water in the pipes to absorb. The pipes then transfer the water into the ground. This entire process can also be referred to as our geothermal ground source heat pump (GSHP) system.

This method is more sustainable because a heater or AC system does not have to cool or warm the potentially extreme temperature of the outside air completely on its own, rather the constant temperature of the Earth is used as a base temperature. 

A geothermal heat pump is also very efficient, so almost no energy is wasted throughout the process. This saves on the amount of energy needed to heat or cool a building and leaves LPS with a smaller carbon footprint. This system is great for saving money on utility bills over time. This savings calculator will help you understand the annual savings a household could experience by switching to geothermal heat.

Using geothermal ground source heat pump systems in our buildings is one of the many ways LPS does their part to ensure a sustainable future for many generations. You can thank the constant temperature of the Earth next time you escape the heat or frigid air in an LPS building!

Updated November 13, 2019