Climate Control at T.H.S.

Talawanda’s new high school has many flashy things, such as the automatic lighting, and the new age architecture. The most flashy of them all is the new (and cheaper) temperature control.

Larry Davidson monitors the new temperature units at Talwanda.  “It really all starts with the geo-field,”  he said.

If you’re looking at the football field from the bleachers, it’s the field to the right. Davidson said the Geo-field has 330 wells that are each 300 feet deep.  These wells feed to the building via ducts. They’re pumped by 60 horse power pumps that feed 8 geothermal units that, in turn, feed approximately 40 AHU (Air Handling Units), which provide heating and cooling for the school.

Davidson said the Earth stays a constant 55 degrees.  Meaning, he said, that in the heat of the summer, the AHUs only have to heat up the incoming geo-air about 15 degrees.  This process saves money because electricity isn’t being used to cool down 100 degree air.

The air that’s pumped into the building run through eight 560 ton heating and cooling modules, weighing in at a whopping seventy tons a piece. Six of the modules are both heating and cooling.  “When it’s hot, more of the modules are cooling,” Davidson said.  “If it’s cold, more of the modules are heating.”

After the air is either cooled or heated, it goes to a red distribution pump that then dissipates air around the school.

Davidson described that the miraculous thing about the new system is the fact that he can log into a program on his office computer and see if the modules are working up to expectation. If they aren’t working right, he can see it on the screen and get someone to fix it.

The other cool thing about this new system is that Davidson can see every room in the building on his computer. He said he can see the exact temperature, and even see if the circular vents are open or closed.

Talawanda’s new and improved “cool” technology should be in good use for years to come.  So when things get hot, the school will stay cool.  And, when things get bitterly cold, it will stay nice and warm.