JRCF Makes Use of Geothermal Energy for Cooling and Heating

The new Midwest JRCF (Joint Regional Correctional Facility) will be saving money as well as the environment by making use of the ground underneath its facility. This 464-bed facility opens in October 2010 and makes use of geothermal heat pump power for lowering the emissions of greenhouse gases while cutting on energy costs by an amount of $100,000 annually.

This geothermal system utilizes 480 geothermal wells, each having a depth of 280 feet. These wells contain high density water filled tubes made of polyethylene that goes on to take the ground heat and pump it inside the building during winter while cooling down in the summer by carrying the heat of the summer into the ground. In Leavenworth, this happens to be the first usage of geothermal technology while the potential savings would seem significant as well.

The overall system expenses incurred on the heat pumps would amount to $2 million approximately which works out to much more than the conventional systems in terms of cost. However, over a time period of 20 years, the energy savings would cover the initial costs.