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[part 1 of 4] Summerfield School

newlygreens: Show Notes for Episode 1
Cool Schools
Air Date: Nov 2008/

Show Summary

In this episode we take a look at how the ideals of personal responsibility, and stewardship are being introduced to our children in K-12 education. Specifically we are going to tour a couple schools that are making it a point to introduce green thinking in creative ways.

Part 1 of 4 – Summerfield School

The Township of Neptune, NJ recently completed construction on a LEED Gold public school. LEED – standing for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. We learn more about LEED from US Green Building Council, NJ Chapter Chair, Andy Topinka.

For today’s Green By Design (sound familiar?) feature we’re going to the Summerfield public elementary school in Neptune, NJ. We’ll be speaking to the Principal, Dr. Arlene Rogo, head of Facilities, Don Frangiapane, and Joe Donelly from the architecture firm EI Associates about the unique qualities that make this a really cool school.

Geothermal Heat Sink

Summerfield school uses something called Geothermal Heat Exchangers to heat and cool the building. This method circulates fluid through trenches below ground instead of using conventional refrigerants and compressors. This is because about 6’ down the ground remains at a constant temperature year round. If you’ve ever been in a basement you’ve probably experienced that they have a different climate than the rest of the house. In our area the ground is about 55º but it can range from the 40s to the 70s depending on you latitude.

It’s simply a matter of transferring that heat or coolness of the ground to the air and ducting it into the rooms in the building. By controlling the circulation we can either draw heat out from the ground in the winter or sink heat in during the summer.
The climate system is assisted by a unique ducting configuration where the air circulates through holes in a floating floor. This keeps the conditioned air at the level of the students and reduces draftiness.
This segment featured animations from the USDOE

Additional Geothermal Links:

Geothermal Resources Council
CalEnergy
Geothermal Technologies Program: Geothermal Heat Pumps – Heating Mode

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