Hospice center receives donation for green construction
As greater details about the benefits of green energy solutions come to light, more and more people are converting to sustainable solutions. Commercial and residential property owners are looking to incorporate solutions that will decrease the operating costs associated with structures. This is especially true for larger structures that are expected to house or service large amounts of people.
In Maine, Donald Sussman, a wealthy financier who is married to U.S. Senator Chellie Pringree of North Haven, has donated $1 million. The Free Press reported that the donation will go towards the $6.6 million price tag of the Pen Bay Healthcare hospice house that is being built next to the Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport.
The center is expected to provide hospice and long-term care to the elderly in the region. According to the news source, the structure will be outfitted with a home-like setting to provide patients with a calm, comfortable place to live out the last few weeks of their life, when unable to stay at home. Because of the massive expense associated with running such a structure, administrators and architects have decided to include a number of sustainable solutions that should reduce the operating costs associated with the building.
Hospice centers have a consider energy load, which means that any chance to reduce expenditures needs to be taken to keep the organization in the black. The inclusion of a geothermal heating and cooling system will provide a drastic reduction in costs.
The solar energy stored beneath and beside the building is accessible with a geothermal closed loop system. Refrigerant is pumped through the copper earth loops and picks up the heat during the cooler months and transports it to the structure. During the summer months, the temperature of the earth is lower than the temperature above the ground, which means that the refrigerant circulated through the ground loop and back to the house brings relief.
Tags: Space Conditioning