State of the Art Geo-Thermal, LEED-NC Silver

Paul J. Olson Elementary School

Madison, WI

Services Provided: Civil, Electrical, Fire Protection, Mechanical, Plumbing, Structural

It was determined that a 25.2 kW system would yield the maximum grant available from Focus On Energy and garner a LEED credit point by achieving 2.9% renewable energy.

The roof system of a standing seam provided a simple method of support for the 144-175 Watt Solar Panels mounted on the roof. The selection of the South side of the roof and orientation of the panels was verified by a site assessment report conducted by Focus On Energy. The system should yield 31,292 kWH per year.

The school is one of Wisconsin’s first LEED Certified Schools; meeting strict environmental standards / energy conservation. It has a Geothermal Heating and Cooling System, and Solar Photovoltaic 25 kilowatt solar panels on the roof that generate energy that is sold to Alliant Energy. The kindergarten classrooms have heated floors to keep children warm during naptime. The building possess banks of windows that allow natural sunlight indoors. The restrooms even have signs that ask the user whether or not their toilet flushing is solid or liquid waste.

The State Of The Art Geothermal System Heating / Cooling System included an in ground horizontal field of tubes to provide the necessary heat exchange, specialized central circulation system, backup boiler system, multiple air to ground loop heat pumps and heat recovery based outside air / exhaust systems.