AN-92-11-2 -- Reduced Energy Use Achieved by Direct and Indirect Use of Groundwater PDF

Ridgeview Elementary School was designed in 1980 at a high point in our national awareness of energy use. The school was designed with energy conservation as a key goal. To achieve that goal, the school uses several special techniques that have provided a design that operates on about 20,000 Btu per square foot per year purchased energy consumption. This is one of the lowest energy consumption performances of any project of its type. The school was an ASHRAE energy award winner in 1986. Reviews the techniques used, compared energy consumption to that of the other schools in the same school district, and reviews the history of operation after 10 years. The project was exceptionally low in first cost as well as in heating costs. Some operational considerations suggest areas where improvement could be obtained by slight design modifications. The design shows potential application to other projects where similar access to groundwater as a heat source and a direct application of cooling media are available.

KEYWORDS: energy consumption, energy conservation, ground water, schools, designing, operations, history, costs, economics, gas consumption, electricity consumption, thermal insulation, glazing, windows, solar energy, passive, lighting, cooling, reciprocating engine heat pumps, performance, heat pumps, energy sources, case studies