Ground Source Heating & Cooling Solutions: A Case Study in a Dense Urban Area Using Energy Foundations-PPT Presentation

PPT Presentation

Pdf Summary

The presentation argues that ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) can help reduce building emissions and electricity demand as climate impacts, cooling needs, and extreme-weather costs rise. Energy foundations—geothermal loops incorporated into building piles—offer an urban-friendly alternative to conventional boreholes, requiring no additional land, excavation, or changes to foundation design when coordinated early.<br /><br />Energy piles can also act as a thermal battery: heat stored in the ground during summer supports winter heating, while winter cooling of the ground improves summer performance. GSHP systems can be combined with air-source heat pumps and other technologies to meet a building’s full heating and cooling needs.<br /><br />The case study is 555 Greenwich, a 250,000-square-foot commercial building in New York City. Its system uses loops in 63 foundation piles, each about 120 feet deep. Energy piles supply approximately 40% of the building’s heating and cooling, with air-source heat pumps covering the remainder. The installation reportedly caused no schedule impact, required no foundation modifications, and involved minimal additional cost compared with other geothermal options.<br /><br />Monitoring data presented for 2024 indicates strong performance: on a cold day, the GSHP’s reported COP was 5.7 versus 2.9 for the air-source heat pump. On a hot day, GSHP cooling COPs were 4.5–6.5, compared with 2.9–3.7 for the air-source system, and the geothermal system used 35–40% less electricity for cooling.<br /><br />The presentation recommends considering energy foundations wherever deep foundations are planned, highlighting major projects such as JFK’s new terminal as potential opportunities. It also cites broader estimates that widespread GSHP adoption could reduce grid demand, emissions, transmission needs, and decarbonization costs.

Keywords

ground-source heat pumps

energy foundations

geothermal loops

energy piles

building emissions

electricity demand

thermal battery

commercial building

COP performance

JFK terminal