GREENSBORO, N.C. — A spike in the price of oil has recently focused the nation’s attention on alternative energy sources and new ways to conserve energy, but a college prep school in Greensboro, N.C., is way ahead of the curve.
When the American Hebrew Academy opened its doors in 2001, its founders had installed the largest closed-loop geothermal system in the world, with approximately one mile of plastic pipe connecting 756 wells located under the Academy’s soccer and baseball fields.
“Our geothermal plant is both campus infrastructure and classroom,” says Glenn Drew, the Academy’s Executive Director. “It is a highly cost effective, efficient, and environmentally sound vehicle for heating and cooling our campus buildings. But it is also an illustration of several scientific principles at work that our students can see and experience every day. No other high school has a physical plant they can also call a classroom laboratory.”
Geothermal energy involves using the earth as a heat exchanger. Ten feet under the earth’s surface, the temperature is a constant 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHP) consist of three basic components: a network of pipes buried in the ground near buildings, heat exchange, and ductwork in buildings. In winter, water in the underground pipes absorbs heat from the ground, travels to a heat exchanger, and is then used to warm air. In summer, hot air from inside the building passes through the heat exchanger and is absorbed into the ground.
“The American Hebrew Academy’s decision to install the system was part of a campus master plan based on organic architecture and environmental conservation,” Drew says. “The initial cost of such a system was much higher than conventional heating and cooling systems. And this was at a time when oil was still only about $25 a barrel and gas was about $1.50 a gallon.”
The system was in keeping with the Academy’s Jewish philosophy of Tikkun Olam or repairing the world. The founders decided to make the long-term commitment that the system requires because it was economically correct and educationally just. That decision has proven to be prescient.
The Academy saves 30 percent on energy costs now and expects to save up to 60 percent in the future as the school expands. With the steep increase in the cost of energy sources, the Academy’s savings will only increase over time.
The system also cuts way down on pollution and reduces the Academy’s carbon footprint over other traditional heating and cooling systems.
“Every 100,000 homes with geothermal heat pump systems reduce foreign oil consumption by 2.15 million barrels annually and reduce electricity consumption by 799 million kilowatt hours annually,” according to Karl Gawell, Executive Director of the Geothermal Energy Association.
A GHP uses 25 percent to 50 percent less electricity than conventional heating or cooling systems. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, geothermal energy produces little or no greenhouse gasses and reduces consumption of fossil fuels.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that ground-source heat pumps can reduce energy consumption up to 44 percent compared to air-source heat pumps and up to 72 percent compared to electric resistance heating with standard air conditioning units.
Compared to air source heat pumps, GHPs are quieter, last longer, need less maintenance and are independent of the temperature of outside air. Harnessing geothermal energy does not require large visible equipment such as wind turbines since the majority of the system is underground. GHPs have been used since the late 1940s and are a proven, developed technology.
Because the GHP at the American Hebrew Academy is a closed system, it does not use natural ground water resources.
“Once filled in 2001, all of the water in the system is simply recycled. This was just one more factor that indicated why the system was environmentally sound, philosophically sound and fiscally sound,” says Drew.
The American Hebrew Academy is the Western Hemisphere’s only, Jewish, pluralistic, college prep, boarding school. Serving 163 students from 23 states and 10 countries, the state-of-the-art environment fosters academic achievement and strengthens Jewish identity in a residential setting for motivated and high achieving students in grades nine through twelve.
The dual curriculum, along with the aquatics center and sports complex, provides a holistic educational experience—nurturing mind, body, and soul. An internationally acclaimed faculty challenges students to excel in a rigorous program that includes Advanced Placement and Jewish studies courses. At the Academy, values and leadership skills are enriched by the culture, customs, and history of the Jewish people. Students graduate thoroughly prepared for college and ready to make a meaningful impact on the world. For more information about the Academy, please visit www.americanhebrewacademy.org.