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It’s true: historically, geothermal energy had a bad reputation. For years people thought it was more expensive than conventional HVAC, it took up too much space, and it was impossible to properly design. That is no longer the complete picture.

The reality is that when it comes to geothermal and hybrid geothermal systems the initial installation tends to be more expensive than a conventional HVAC system. However, this added expense is justified by the energy savings within 2-10 years. After this initial payback period, the energy savings are like a monthly reduction in your expense column and the system ends up being a smarter investment than a traditional HVAC system.

As an example, a hospital in Maryland, could save 58% in energy costs annually using a hybrid geothermal system instead of a conventional system. A school in Texas could save 59% in energy costs annually using a hybrid geothermal system instead of a conventional system.

If space is a concern, a hybrid geothermal system might make more sense. Hybrid systems require smaller borefields and use auxiliary equipment to offset the peak loads. Generally, hybrid systems require much less space than the historical full size geothermal borefields, have higher energy savings and still greatly reduce CO2 emissions – all of which help benefit your bottom line.

As far as geothermal systems being difficult to properly design, critics were correct. Fortunately, times have changed, and technology has simplified the process for accurate designs. Predictive controls software has also given these borefield systems the ability to evolve with ever changing loads and environments.

Geothermal has a new reputation. In today’s world, the expense of a geothermal system is paid back in reduced energy costs in less than 10 years, it emits far less CO2 than a traditional system, it reduces energy costs by up to 60% for the life of the building, it is easier than ever to design, and smart technology allows systems to evolve with the ever changing needs of the modern world.

Geothermal systems have evolved from the past to be the systems of the future.

Would you operate a car if it did not have the benefit of a dashboard with performance information? If you’re operating a GHX system without monitoring it’s the same thing: like driving a car without a dashboard. You can do it, but why take the risk?

When it comes to geothermal heating and cooling systems, visualization technology that shows you current operating conditions, summary performance metrics, cost and carbon savings is your dashboard.

Monitoring software gives local and remote real-time trends, heat pump status, entering and exiting water temperatures, energy extracted from heating or rejected from cooling to the ground, fluid temperatures, flow rates, run times and current operating conditions.

Not only does a monitoring system give you peace of mind that your system is operating correctly, it’s the preventative maintenance light on your car dashboard that tells you to get gas or change your oil.

If you would not operate your car without a dashboard, why run your geothermal heating and cooling system without monitoring software?

Monitoring is peace of mind, the first step in preventive maintenance, and the road map for GHX efficiency. Can you see why it’s so essential for your system?

One of the big decisions when constructing a new building is how to heat and cool it. If you want a solution that is environmentally friendly and can lower your energy costs, you should consider installing a hybrid geothermal system. This type of system reduces upfront capital costs, emits fewer greenhouse gases and lowers energy costs.
Using the Greensleeves’ Solutions Tool, we modeled a hypothetical 74,000 ft² school in Memphis, TN. In this model, the school could incur an initial capital cost of $1.16M, and have annual energy expenditures of $91k, using a conventional HVAC system.
That same school could incur an initial capital cost of $1.78M, and have annual energy expenditures of $62k, using a traditional geothermal system. This system has additional capital costs but reduces the energy costs by approximately 32% annually.
If this same school used a hybrid geothermal system, the model shows that the initial capital cost could be $1.48M and the annual energy expenditures would be $53k.
In this scenario, a hybrid geothermal system uses approximately 42% less energy than a conventional system, and the installation cost is $300k less than a traditional geothermal system. Running the lifecycle cost analysis in this Solutions Tool, a hybrid geothermal system has a $2.6M savings when compared to a conventional system, creating a 7.7-year payback.
Every new construction project should consider a hybrid geothermal system as cost effective alternative to conventional HVAC systems. Save your money, while saving our planet.
We invite you to visit the Greensleeves’ Solutions Tool to explore the possibilities.