Barton Hills CC installed a new geothermal heating and cooling system which has helped to reduce energy costs and the properties carbon footprint.
Sometimes, it is easy to be green. The installation of environmentally friendly technology certainly has improved energy- and cost-efficiency at Barton Hills County Club in Ann Arbor, Mich. Since a new geothermal heating and cooling system became fully operational in July 2010, the 125-acre property has reduced its energy costs, and its carbon footprint, by 40 percent.
“Ann Arbor is a green-conscious city, and it was important to members in the club to find potential energy savings,” notes General Manager Corey Gerhart.
Based on research and conversations with members, the staff decided to explore the benefits of geothermal energy, a renewable energy source generated and stored in the earth. “Water is cooled or heated in the ground, and it uses the earth’s natural temperatures to give it extra efficiency,” Gerhart explains. To heat or to cool the 40,000-sq. ft. clubhouse, he adds, only 20 degrees of variance in that temperature is needed, versus a 50-degree increase that was previously needed to heat the building in the winter.
THE GOAL: Reduce energy consumption and overall operational costs at Barton Hills Country Club, as a first step toward eventually taking the property “off the grid.” THE PLAN: Convert to geothermal energy and LED lighting, taking advantage of vendor incentives and utility rebates to minimize upfront investment and maximize ROI. THE PAYOFF Barton Hills has reduced energy costs and its carbon footprint by 40 percent. The property expects a return on its initial investment in seven years, and has started to look at wind power, solar power and fuel-cell technology as other ways to reduce its energy needs. |
Audits by several geothermal companies projected ways Barton Hills could save heating and cooling costs, and also improve the club’s lighting system, but savings projections varied. In 2009, Barton Hills contracted with Thermo Source LLC to develop a conservation program with geothermal energy and indoor LED lighting.
The installation plan was designed around a 10-year finance program that guarantees energy savings of $7,675 each month for the property. The guarantee covers monthly payments of $6,985 and creates additional positive monthly cash flow of $690. Barton Hills also received a one-time rebate of $46,000 from the local power company once the installation was completed and inspected. That dropped the budget for installing the system from $600,000 to about $550,000.
The system has a life expectancy of 25 years, and Gerhart expects a return on the investment in seven years.
Disruptions to the property were minimal during installation. The lighting redesign took place primarily while members were on the golf course or at the pool. Equipment to install the pipes was set up in an employee parking lot, and the pipes themselves were placed at depths of 15 to 35 feet under the greens and bunkers on the practice facility.
“We worked with the contractors and made sure the pipe was at an adequate depth, so it wouldn’t interfere with future golf course projects,” says Timothy Dark, Director of Golf Course Maintenance.
The property has tracked its savings by comparing current and previous power bills. “The only time we use natural gas now is in the kitchen to cook, and our gas bill has shown the most substantial savings,” notes Gerhart. “We’ve gone from spending $12,000 a month to $450 a month.”
The system could one day also be used to heat the club’s pool, by piping water to it. “The technology has been around for a long time, but is just now coming to the forefront, with energy costs rising,” Gerhart says. “We’re also looking at wind and solar power and fuel-cell technology; eventually, we want to take ourselves off the energy grid.”
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