School bus, building and classroom

Lady Bird Johnson Middle School - Irving, Texas

Lady Bird Johnson Middle School – Irving, Texas

Schools of all kinds are one of the best locations in which to install geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) for some obvious reasons:

  • They operate at public expense, indefinitely, and energy savings can be re-directed
  • They usually have large open expanses (green fields and parking lots) for GHP ground loops
  • They serve as examples for pupils and parents to see and understand how to make a greener world
  • They can be powerful case study examples for similar institutions and commercial buildings

Schools tend to have multiple vacation breaks that require far less interior comfort for extended periods, like major holiday breaks and the summer closure period.  Heating, cooling, and fresh air needs are far less during such times.

Below:  The new Feather River College Library is 100% heated and cooled by geothermal heat pumps on a common loop of piped artesian well water.  The entire campus in Quincy, CA is presently 80% served by geothermal heat pump technology.

The school that incorporates energy saving measures AND updates its heating and cooling with GHPs is demonstrating the true nature of sustainability—a facility that will be around for a long time, and one that takes full advantage of the renewables available. Savings ripple through school budgets and also through the taxpayers who will spend less to maintain the school system over time.