Energy Saving Technologies
Rock Valley College was awarded LEED Gold Certification for the JCSM, which included the following technologies for energy savings.
Closed Loop Geothermal System
- Earth absorbs 50% of all solar energy
- Heat is stored in the earth
- Remains a constant temp below the frost line
- Uses constant temperature to exchange energy between your building and the earth.
- Winter: circulating water absorbs heat from the earth and carries it to the geothermal unit.
- It is compressed via heat pump to a higher temperature and sent as warm air to the indoor system.
- Summer: the system reverses itself and expels heat from your building into the cooler earth via the loop.
The closed-loop Geothermal system includes (8) water-cooled heat pump units, primarily loop water pumps, a 164 vertical well geothermal bore field, and associated piping providing 420 ton cooling capacity. This system will work to create jobs, reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and leverage grant funding in a learning environment that can promote these initiatives to future generations.
Chill Beam Cooling System
Chill beams are not building structural elements. They are hydronic HVAC components that circulate chilled or heated water and are designed to induce room air flow to cool or heat the space. A passive chilled beam is simply a casing with a cooling coil inside. Chilled water at 59-63 degrees F circulates through the coil. The warm air in the room rises and passes through the cooling coil. The resulting cooler air – less buoyant than surrounding warm air – flows down into the space. This constant, gentle circulation is caused by natural convection.
