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Large-Scale Thermal

 

Explore Large-Scale Thermal Systems for Your Building, Campus, or Community

What is large-scale thermal?

Just a few feet beneath the earth’s surface the underground temperature is a steady at around 54°F throughout the year. Large-scale thermal systems, which use ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), use this steady temperature to heat buildings in the winter and cool them in the summer. When it’s cold outside, GSHPs move the heat from the earth into the buildings they serve, and when it’s hot outside, they move heat from those same buildings into the earth. In addition to geothermal energy, GSHPs can use other sources of thermal energy with consistent temperatures, such as nearby bodies of water or wastewater facilities.

There are already examples of where large-scale thermal systems including this one in Brooklyn, NY Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page., that capture and reuse heat from the ground and other sources, have been installed in large buildings and campuses throughout New York State.

Where do large-scale thermal systems work best?

Large-scale thermal systems are often a good solution for a large building or groups of buildings with a variety of heating and cooling loads, such as those found on college campuses, hospital/healthcare settings, multifamily and mixed-used developments, and others. Many sites are already located near low-carbon thermal resources like the ground, wastewater, and waste heat. Project sites with space to install heat exchangers underground (parking lot, greenspace, sewer), in water bodies, and in buildings can capture and reuse the thermal energy that would otherwise be lost through exhaust systems, cooling towers, and wastewater leaving a building.

Learn about funding to help with planning and design.

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