Sustainable Living Tips by Lee Leffler

Golden Dome Fairfield Market employee stands proudly in front of the geothermal rig.

By Lee Leffler

On the campus of Maharishi University of Managment, the new storage building by the Golden Dome Market is now being heated and cooled with geothermal technology as part of a pilot project to install geothermal systems in additional campus buildings.

Geothermal technology involves drilling holes in the ground, inserting loops of pipes, then circulating water through the pipes. Since the ground in this region is a constant 55 degrees Fahrenheit, heat can be either extracted or rejected as it is circulated through the pipes, providing winter heating and summer cooling.

Geothermal pipes outside the Golden Dome Market in Fairfield, Iowa

The University is leasing a special rig to drill holes horizontally, 15 feet underground. The drill can run under lawns, parking lots, and other terrain, without disturbing the landscape. When the drill has gone far enough (usually several hundred feet), it is sent to the surface. A loop of polyethylene pipe is attached to the drill head, and the drill slowly retreats back through the hole, bringing the pipe with it. Soon, the pipe is underground, ready to be filled with water and connected to a ground source heat pump that uses only a small amount of electricity (about a quarter of the amount used by a small space heater).

When the Golden Dome Market’ storage building was first completed, the University had planned to install conventional air conditioning and a gas furnace. When they found out that connecting gas pipes to the gas main would cost $4,000, they looked to Campus Sustainability Coordinator Mark Stimson for a sustainable and less-expensive idea. Mr. Stimson calculated that they could install a geothermal system for approximately the same cost as conventional systems, and the long-term costs would be about half.

Four pipes were needed for the Golden Dome Market storage building. Some pipes have been installed for the Sustainable Living wing of the Library. The next target is Henn Mansion, which will require 17 pipe loops and will be ready in sometime in July.

While the pilot project is being funded by the University, future installations will depend on grants, loans, and donations.