Pulling from the Earth’s Underground Resources
When we set out to build a green facility for the Insight Technology/FactorLoads headquarters, one of the key features we knew we wanted to incorporate was a ground-coupled heat pump. Designing and constructing this vital green element involved drilling 15 holes 300 feet into the earth. There, the temperature of the earth remains a consistent 56 degrees. Fluid-filled piping runs into the holes where it captures the heat there. In Utah’s cold winters, the fluid heated naturally by the earth to 56 degrees gets pumped into the building where the heat is removed, compressed and pumped through the building’s HVAC system. By starting off at 56 degrees, the heating bills are reduced drastically, Aliengena says. With this system the entire 12,000 square foot building is heated using only electricity, and at substantial savings. A back-up gas line was put in place as a precaution, but has not been hooked up as it has not been needed.
The ground-coupled heat pump system is twice as effective as a traditional HVAC unit and it’s got practical applications for the summer as well. On hot days, the system transfers heat from the building to the ground loops. In particularly hot weather, the temperature of the earth around the ground loop field can heat up making the system less efficient. Alleviating that problem meant thinking of alternatives. The system’s designers created a unique secondary loop field on the roof where it disperses heat throughout the night, allowing the ground to cool back down for the next day’s use. We also modified the unit to heat our hot water during the day.
Additionally, air space under the roof solar unit has fluid-filled piping running through it. The fluid heats up in the winter, providing radiant heat that is used in the lobby floor.
Our architect used passive solar to build upon the heating systems. All the windows have exterior sun shades on them that capitalize on the sun’s position in the sky at different times of the year. In the winter, when the sun is low, the shades cannot block it. That allows natural heat into the building. In the summer, when the sun’s position is high in the sky, the shades block the sunlight’s direct infiltration into the building.