April 1, 2015 – A ground source heat pump installed at rural Cedarville High School in Arkansas through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has reduced energy use by 53 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 52 percent, according to an Oak Ridge National Laboratory report. ORNL researchers Xiaobing Liu and Mini Malhotra also noted that the new system has dramatically improved air quality while providing cooling to areas that previously had none. Energy savings will result in a 15-year payback of the $1.6 million ARRA grant, Liu said, adding that further energy savings can be realized with improved control of the pumps that circulate water. Results are to be presented this summer at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (https://www.ashrae.org) annual conference in Atlanta.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
