Idaho school reduces operational costs with geothermal technology
Commercial and residential property owners across the United States are increasingly looking to reduce operational costs as energy prices continue to rise. One school district in eastern Idaho, for example, plans to incorporate geothermal energy into a few of its buildings. The Post Register reports that Idaho Falls School District 91 is implementing geothermal systems at four sites, including Dora Erickson, Ethel Boyes, Edgemont and Longfellow elementary schools.
These latest installation plans are reportedly the result of the success the district has experienced at a previous test site. According to the news source, the district’s Eagle Rock Middle School has been using geothermal energy for almost two years. School officials say the operational costs associated with the building have significantly dropped in comparison to the utility bills paid when the school was using a more traditional system for heating and cooling.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the nation’s 17,450 K-12 school districts spend more than $6 billion on annual energy consumption – more than is spent on textbooks, technology and computers combined. Experts with the agency predict that as much as 30 percent of a school district’s total energy use is the result of inefficient systems.
In the Falls School District 91 in Idaho, not only are the schools being heated and cooled for less with the new geothermal system, but the quality of the utility system is also on par or even better than before. Innovative, high-efficiency geothermal heating technology can offer property owners the ability to drastically reduce operational costs. School officials said that the new geothermal system could help the district save 50 percent on heating and cooling costs at the four buildings.
Tags: Space Conditioning