COUNTY OF LAC ST. ANNE
07.09.2009
County of Lac St. Anne
The new construction project is a 1,500 square foot Cape Cod style home and 2,500 square foot shop. It is on a quarter section of land located in the County of Lac St. Anne, Alberta.
There were no services to the homeowner’s site, and the cost to bring in power from the main line was very similar to a solar and wind hybrid power system.
One Robur Gas-Fired Absorption Geothermal Heat Pump GAHP-W LB was installed by Geothermal Utilities, an Alberta corporation providing ground source heating, air-conditioning and hot water systems for rural, urban and commercial applications since 2003 (www.geoutilities.ca).
In this way, Geothermal Utilities provided a viable energy efficient option for the heating, air conditioning and hot water needs. The Robur heat pump GAHP-W LB is the only device so far to break the 97% efficiency barrier of natural gas-fired equipment.
It has a nominal 140% heating efficiency and differs from electric heat pump technology by using a natural gas or propane driven ammonia absorption cycle, instead of a compressor. It requires very little electricity and works much like a propane fridge in an RV.
The horizontal ground loop installation commenced in September of 2008.
A 6 ton horizontal geothermal earth loop consisting of 3,600 feet of 3/4” High Density Polyethylene pipe was required to fulfill the 48,238 BTU heating load for the house and 26,537 BTUs for the workshop.
A Robur gas-fired geothermal heat pump was installed to provide forced air heating for the house and in-floor radiant heating for the shop and basement floor of the home. The earth loops will also be used in the spring and summer months to provide passive cooling to the home.
Other products used in the construction of this home were radiant barriers, spray foam insulation, and insulated concrete forms.
| Building type | Residential |
| Energy distribution system | Forced Air Heating – House Radiant Floor Heating – Shop and Basement Floor |
| Unit number and type | 1 GAHP-W-LB Gas Absorption Water -Water Heat Pumps |
| Heating capacity | 119,400 Btu/h |
| Cooling capacity | 46,100 Btu/h |