The energy savings will be $130,000 per year — $75,000 less in electricity costs (a 25 percent reduction) and $65,000 less in natural gas costs (a 65 percent reduction).
“It provides us more money to be able to use for students,” new GCCC Superintendent Dan Schroer said. “We’ll be able to develop the best quality career technical programs for them, (and) to provide them with the best technology to prepare them for the emerging professions of the future.”
Schroer said the project was paid for by a permanent improvement fund and from saving for the past few years. He said the center also will get back about 25 percent of the costs from the Ohio School Facilities Commission.
Officials said the roof was old and had leaks that needed to be patched. “It will certainly help us as far as maintenance costs,” GCCC Treasurer Judy Geers said.
Geothermal heating and cooling uses the relatively constant temperature of the Earth to heat and cool buildings with 40 to 70 percent less energy use than conventional systems. The AC is not yet in place, but the 620 students chose to stay at the school during the hot weather.
GCCC’s geothermal system is a closed-loop configuration with about 350 wells in the northeast corner of the property at 2960 West Enon Road. Loops of pipe, which are filled with water or antifreeze, are buried at least six feet underground. The water or anti-freeze is circulated through a ground source heat pump, and then back throughout the loops. These are used to cool or heat the building.
“It’s a high-tech, green improvement,” Schroer said.
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