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The recent Capital Project completed at Waterville Junior-Senior High School has provided the school with a hybrid geothermal system as part of their heating and cooling system. This fully contained system consists of a geothermal field comprised of 77 bores nearly 500 feet deep, hidden under a practice field which allows heat exchange with the ground. The ground temperature in this region, at the depths the bores were drilled, remains fairly consistent and is in optimal range for efficiency of the water-to-air heat pumps throughout the building. Based on the number of bores drilled, the geothermal portion of the hybrid system is sized to handle a substantial portion of the building’s heating and cooling needs with reliance on the boilers and cooling tower for the peak heating and cooling periods. This limits the run time and the required maintenance on the boilers and the cooling tower while maintaining overall system efficiency. In addition, the reduced boiler use lowers the District’s dependence on fossil fuel and their carbon footprint. While most mechanical systems have roughly a 20-year life, the geothermal field has an anticipated 50-year life and requires little annual maintenance.
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