Nov 21 2009
Blue Valley Energy has undertaken various geothermal projects including the Lake City High School project. The school is located at Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. The Geoexchange cooling and heating system installed in the year 1994 has a heating and cooling capacity of 503 tons. The total school area is 185,000 square feet, having a student population of 1,100. The huge aquifer at school provides a water temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit to the geothermal system.
Lake City High School
The school works from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm all through the week. Hence, effective cooling and heating was essential for the school. Though the geothermal system had minor startup problems with the ventilation system and computer control, the system performs effectively, now. The geothermal system installed at Lake City High School needs low maintenance only as the units are checked and cleaned twice a year.
The geothermal system installed at Lake City High School utilizes well water or open loop systems. Open loop systems proved efficient than the water system that used treated water circulated in plastic pipes under the ground. Before the geothermal system was installed, the Lake City High School formed a 50-person committee to analyze the pros and cons of the project. The committee included 25 persons from community and 25 from different sectors, such as school administrators, architects, utility representatives, teachers and engineers. All the aspects of the geothermal project were weighed.