Category: News

When it comes to heating and cooling a building, you want the best system for you, your company, your community and the planet. The best system is the one that utilizes the resources Mother Nature already provided.

Geothermal heating and cooling systems take advantage of the energy we already have in the ground. These systems maximize the energy, conserve our resources, and lower the costs.

Using this preexisting and natural occurring renewable energy source reduces our use and dependence on fossil fuels. When properly leveraged, geothermal energy provides a far more stable and cost-effective source of energy.

Why squander funds for environmentally hazardous fossil fuels when you are standing on a naturally existing and sustainable energy source? Invest wisely and move this energy from the ground to your building.

Sit back, relax and let Mother Nature provide your heating and cooling the way she intended – with geothermal.

Some people think the initial installation costs for geothermal are too high. This is no longer accurate. For example, installing a geothermal hybrid solution often costs less than a traditional HVAC system. Today’s hybrid geothermal systems incorporate the best technologies and practices of the geothermal and HVAC industries, greatly reduce CO2 emissions, and reduce energy costs by 25-60% over the lifetime of the building. Any additional costs resulting from selecting geothermal are offset within the first couple of years of ownership through reduced operation and maintenance costs.

Additionally, many governments around the world, including the United States, have implemented tax incentives and credits that make geothermal energy even more attractive.

Underperforming geothermal systems are not just frustrating, they waste money and resources and are the number one cause of nuisance equipment lockouts.

You need software that alerts you when your system has issues that must be addressed.

Monitoring software continuously tracks energy consumption and heating, ventilation and air conditioning performance. Issues can be detected in real time. Data is translated into online dashboards that operators can use to get 360-degree visibility of what is happening with their HVAC equipment, enabling on and off-site troubleshooting with alarms and notification capabilities for sudden spikes to catch anomalous under performance. Additionally, this software allows you to look at your system, see how you use it and shows you where you may have room for additional functionality.

Rescue software expands monitoring software by using algorithims to predict when issues are going to arise and proactively adjusts the system’s  functionality. It keeps your equipment operating at peak capacity, optimizes energy consumption, and reduces maintenance costs.

Monitoring and Rescue software solutions return an underperforming system to optimal performance.

Geothermal 

A Steady Flow of Energy 

Geothermal heat pump systems utilize the earth’s constant underground temperature to efficiently cool and heat buildings. Specifically, geothermal systems use a network of underground piping that circulates heat exchange fluid to reject or extract thermal energy to and from the earth.

During the summer months, this heat exchange fluid is pumped through the piping and rejects heat collected from the building, via a heat pump(s), into the ground and cools the building. During the winter months, the process is reversed, and heat exchange fluid pumped through the piping absorbs thermal energy from the ground to heat the building. The ability to cool and heat a structure comes from the single underground source.

Balancing Hot and Cold Temperatures 

A perfectly balanced building load requires as much heating in the winter as cooling in the summer. This means that an equal amount of heat goes in the ground in the summer as comes out in the winter.

However, perfectly balanced energy loads are rare. In reality, most commercial buildings require more cooling than heating due to high occupancy schedules, large electronic and lighting loads, and solar heat gain. Conversely, residential buildings often require more heating than cooling, depending on location and weather. The fact is that most building loads are not balanced and there is a disparate amount of heat being extracted or rejected into the ground.

When heat is rejected to the ground, the earth stores this heat and acts as a thermal battery waiting to be used. The key to geothermal technology is to use this thermal battery efficiently by ensuring that it is not over or under charged. A properly designed geothermal system takes into account unbalanced loads and will always keep your battery charged.

Fortunately, with advanced technology, systems can be designed and controlled to intelligently balance loads, and existing geothermal systems experiencing temperature issues can be rescued.

It’s time to convert potential geothermal system liabilities into assets.

Do you have borefields operating outside of design parameters?
Comprehensive monitoring software can keep those borefields from failing with real-time information and alerts.

Do you have problems with your heat pumps unexpectedly locking out due to high or low entering water temperatures?
Advanced diagnostics can prevent these costly and annoying shutdowns.

Does your geothermal system experience extreme temperature drift?
Cutting-edge artificial intelligence can eliminate the chance of the system underperforming or completely shutting down.

Does your geothermal system work at peak efficiency?
Self-adapting software can help optimize control of the outside heat exchanger and hybrid components.

When it comes to your geothermal system, don’t just find the problem, solve the problem.