GEOTHERMAL GOES TO COLLEGE

Geothermal system cuts costs for SU
November 29, 2010 (Delmarva Now!)

"Salisbury University is using the Earth's natural thermal energy to heat and cool its residence halls. In the process, students are engaged in a true "living-learning" experience -- and the campus is saving money.

"As part of a $6 million renovation for the 46-year-old Manokin Residence Hall, SU recently installed its first geothermal heating and cooling system. Among those who reside in the facility are first-year students in a Living-Learning Community dedicated to sustainability. Dubbed the "Green Floor," they also take classes there."

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"Among the first campuses in the University System of Maryland to install geothermal, SU designed the system with Easton-based Gipe Associates. Project manager Adam Kegan recently taught students about the way it functions.

"The process is relatively simple: 90 wells were drilled 300 feet below the surface of the Holloway Hall parking lot. They were connected by heat exchangers to a geothermal pump system inside Manokin. In the summer, heat is sent into the ground to cool the facility, and in the winter, it's drawn from the ground for warmth…"

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"When SU's Pocomoke Hall was renovated last fall -- the first of the four traditional buildings to be updated -- planners kept its relatively new HVAC system. Since both facilities are mirror images at 21,735 square feet, that decision set up the perfect experiment…

"In just the first month, SU saved $2,046.02, a 60 percent reduction in energy costs in Manokin, as compared to Pocomoke, due mainly to reduced electricity costs. The electricity is only used to collect and deliver heat, not to produce it. Also eliminated is the expense of natural gas to heat hot water…"