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Oak Park, IL — A Walgreens store in this Chicago suburb has installed a geothermal energy system, becoming the first retail location in any U.S. drugstore chain to tap that source of renewable energy.
Indie Energy, based in Evanston, Ill., designed and installed the system for the new Walgreens on Madison Street in Oak Park that captures heat from the earth with a network of four closed-loop boreholes sunk to a depth of 650 feet.
The heat exchange system for the building is controlled by Indie Energy EnergyLoop technology, which provides a constant temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit in the store by using a water-based heat transfer liquid that exchanges heating and cooling energy with the earth.
In the store, according to Indie and Walgreens, the geothermal heat pump and refrigeration systems pull heating energy from the fluid as needed, or reject heat via the fluid to enable cooling.
“This is the most innovative and sustainable Walgreens yet and we are proud to showcase our commitment to the environment here in Oak Park,” said Walgreens Vice President of Facilities Development Tom Connolly in a statement yesterday.
Walgreens pursued geothermal for the new store after the Village of Oak Park adopted a measure last year that requires retailers building commercial property in the community to explore using geothermal energy at their sites.
The geothermal system at the Oak Park store is expected to cut energy use at the 12,825 square-foot site by 46 percent.
Other environmentally friendly design elements and systems at the new store include:
- LED lighting in coolers and ceiling accents.
- A dimming system for the sales floor that turns down artificial lighting when natural lighting is available.
- Polished concrete floors that are made from recycled content, which eliminates use of vinyl flooring and saves on maintenance.
- Lavatory sinks that are made entirely from recycled content.
Image CC licensed by Flickr user Seth Tisue. Inset courtesy of Indie Energy.
In McGraw Hill's newly
In McGraw Hill's newly released book, "Geothermal HVAC" I found out that Walgreen's got a 48% tax incentive to install this. That's not all; there is no other technology that saves more money or will last longer than a geothermal heating and cooling system. I have learned so much about the technology that I feel like an expert...and it was a fun read. Filled with great stories and real life experiences, I finished it in two days and gave it to my mechanical engineering professor...he loved it and it looks like they're going to be using it at the university... I just typed "Geothermal Book" into Google, and everybody caries it. Enjoy!
This post is a really
This post is a really encouraging example of a company that is actually taking steps to invest in truly green technology and development instead of merely attempting to “greenwash” their brand.
However, it is unclear from this article to what extent geothermal energy was required by Oak Park and to what extent it was merely “encouraged” in the measure that was adopted. Although numerous studies have shown that upfront costs for sustainable development are only marginally more expensive (and long term development costs are often cheaper), I’m afraid that few firms are willing to do anything more than “greenwash” their buildings unless towns like Oak Park create such measures requiring firms to consider alternative methods of energy and development. If Oak Park did not require the geothermal alternative method, then it is wonderful that Walgreens took the additional steps to make sure that they were building in a more ecologically sound manner.
Geothermal systems are great
Geothermal systems are great technology and it’s exciting to see a retailer install one, though I’ve been curious why these systems haven’t caught on more in commercial development. There are even buildings in Manhattan that use these systems to heat and cool 100,000 sf+ buildings, where they’ve drilled as deep as 2,000 feet into bedrock. If it can be done there, it can be done anywhere. The real estate community just needs to stop focusing solely on the LEED checklist and look around at other technology that can actually save money and make buildings more responsible. I’ve read many conflicting reports on the cost, and it seems that it’s still a very inexact science that is prone to inefficiencies. But hopefully this story is a sign that it’s gaining acceptance and will get progressively cheaper.
The building will not require
The building will not require additional heating by natural gas, oil or propane when properly designed. Geothermal heating, cooling and water heating is accomplished by using a mechanical heat pump machine. Instead of using the outdoor air like normal air cooled units they use the ground which is at a fairly constant temperature. The machine compresses the heat energy from the earth and raises the temperature to a level where it can heat the building. In the summer / cooling mode it takes the heat energy out of the building and moves it the ground. The ground can store that energy to use it during the next heating season. Buildings employing this technology usually use 30% to 60% less energy, reduce peak energy consumption and reduce green house gas emissions. It works well in both commercial or residential buildings.
ralph--there will most likely
ralph--there will most likely be a traditional gas or oil system to supplement the geo system. The logic goes that heating air from 35-40 degrees is much more expensive than raising air temp from 55 degrees. Geo systems keep the temp at this optimal level so either heating or cooling begins from this middle ground and a building owner is not trying to move the temp from one extreme to the other.
Last wekkend, 55 degrees would have felt downright tropical where I live!
Hello all! Geothermal
Hello all! Geothermal heating and cooling systems do NOT require any gas, oil or propane additional heating methods to provide comfortable heating or cooling for buildings. They employ a mechanical heat pump technology that uses the fairly constant temperature of the earth for heat transfer rather than using outdoor air like a normal air cooled condensor does. Energy savings can be 30 to 60%, reduce peak energy demands plus reduce Green House Gas Emissions. They work well in commercial and residential buildings.
"The heat exchange system for
"The heat exchange system for the building is controlled by Indie Energy EnergyLoop technology, which provides a constant temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit in the store by using a water-based heat transfer liquid that exchanges heating and cooling energy with the earth."
Isn't 55 F kind of chilly for a store? Maybe stores are usually maintained at a lower temperature than homes, but 55 F sounds too low to me. Does anyone here have perspective on that?
They will most likely need to
They will most likely need to supplement their heat with a traditional gas or oil burning system. It takes considerably less energy to heat air from 55 degrees than from 40 degrees. I think, personally, that this is the true beauty of geothermal or ground heat pump systems: they take the edge off of the temp to make oil or gas that much more efficient. Trouble is, these geo systems are sooo dang expensive. You've really got to be looking long-long-term for payback unless you live in extreme hot or cold where your energy bills are really high.
GO green and save the
GO green and save the earth
http://techdraginfo.blogspot.com/