HYDRONICS
At Campbell’s Crossing — Platinum is the new Army Green
these days, the words silver, gold and platinum have forcefully worked their way into Army vocabulary and color scheme. It’s all about saving green — funds
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that are now sensibly invested in projects and technology that use energy frugally. Government buyers are guided by ever more stringent mandates to invest responsibly. A large military housing project at
Ft. Campbell, Ky., is a good example of tax dollar stewardship. After two years in design and
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construction, two zero energy homes are occupied by Army families. LEED Platinum is being pursued for the homes in the military housing development and now serve as part of a test project for future military building projects. “The zero energy homes are being
compared to two adjacent baseline homes, all equipped with identical monitoring systems,” explained Patrick Tahaney, Campbell Crossing development manager. “Over the next four seasons we’ll gathering data from these homes, information we’ll use when we enter phase two of the project.” Partnered with the U.S. Department
of Defense, Actus Lend Lease — a community development organization, specializing in large, complex housing projects — is using these two homes as a prototype for future military housing neighborhoods. “Together we hope to build a model
o, the U.S. military hasn’t abandoned its oh-so-familiar Army Jeep green. Though,
for zero energy to be used broadly by the construction industry, and for Department of Defense housing projects,” continued Tahaney. Rather than being completely self sustaining, the homes are net-zero. Through the use of photovoltaic solar arrays, each house produces as much energy as it consumes over an annual period.
Ground source efficiency Geothermal and low-impact have
become synonymous, and the two homes at Fort Campbell Woodlands are no exception. Each house is equipped with a ClimateMaster Tranquility 27 water-to-air geothermal heat pump. Due to the area’s unstable limestone bedrock, no small amount of research and consideration went into designing the geoexchange field. “With southern Kentucky and
northern Tennessee’s propensity for sink holes and cave-ins, we generally don’t do many vertical loop installations,” said Daryl Pater, owner of Mainstream Heating and Cooling, in Clarksville, Tenn. “We drilled seven test wells ranging from 200 to 300 feet at Campbell’s Crossing. We wanted to assess both stability of the earth, and conductivity values.” The tests were done by Jackson & Sons Geothermal. Miller Drilling Company in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., drilled the final wells before installation. The tests began two years before
ground was broken for the green homes. The seven test wells successfully muted all concerns about ground stability and temperature. The last two wells were piped and filled
Daryl Pater, owner of Mainstream Heating and Cooling, talks efficiency regarding the Tranquility 27 with Sergeant Sean Aguilar.
with bentonite grout to run conductivity tests. The results, combined with an estimated heat load, showed that 375 foot, six- inch bore holes would serve each home optimally. One of the grouted test wells was
close enough to the construction site of the homes that it was used as part of the exchange field. “We drilled an additional 100-ft. well near the 300 footer,” explained Pater. “System fluid runs from the home, through the deep well, then through the shallow well, and back to the heat pump. We just drilled the shorter well so we weren’t wasting the test well.” For the second home, one 375-foot well was drilled. Mainstream Heating and Cooling
specializes in green HVAC. From pond loops to direct exchange systems, the company tackles a variety of different projects involving geothermal equipment. “We do a good volume of geothermal work, but in this area, the demand just isn’t high enough to make it our sole activity,” said Pater. “For all our water-sourced projects, we prefer ClimateMaster. We think they make the best product.”
The new Army green A 12 panel, 7.4 kW photovoltaic
Sergeant First Class Sean Aguilar, U.S. Army, stands in front of his home with his family. From l to r: Son Coby, daughter Chelsea and wife Chastity.
solar array rests on the South-facing roof of each home. During the day, the panels produce enough energy to power the geothermal unit and appliances. With coordination from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) all solar power generated goes directly
phc july 2011
www.phcnews.com
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