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Lavallee/Brensinger Architects
A gorgeous white building with several setbacks and two decks running along its front, Peabody House doesn’t look very different from the majority of Proctor Academy’s dormitories on it’s quiet, New Hampshire campus. It appears to be a quaint, white house that exudes an air of New England beauty and simplicity, blending into the woods and mountains that surround it. On closer inspection, however, Peabody House is something very special, a revolution in recycling and smart energy conservation. Using geothermal heating and cooling as well as innovative lighting and temperature control systems, Peabody House dormitory is a step towards the future of energy conservation and alternative heating systems.
When Proctor Academy began planning this new, energy-conscious dormitory in 2007, they turned to Trumbull-Nelson. “We had very positive experiences with them on two relatively recent projects: the renovation of Holland Auditorium into the Ruby and Bill Wise Community Center and the construction of a state-of-the-art music and recording studio,” said long-time Proctor Academy faculty member Chuck Will, “and that influenced our decision.”
Peabody House
A 16-student dormitory with two attached faculty apartments, Peabody House is energy conscious and environmentally friendly, and as a result, it fits right in with the campus dynamic that promotes environmentally responsible construction and living. Its 12,500 square feet are heated and cooled by geothermal energy. Featuring a cupola system that allows for natural ventilation on the upper floors of the building, the design features extensive daylighting, eliminating the need for most electric light during the day.
Situated at the edge of the woods and removed from the main heating system of campus because of bedrock ledge that lies just beneath its foundations, it was necessary to find an alternative source of heating and cooling for the dormitory. The school firmly believes that investing in alternative, renewable energy and technology is a way to reduce one’s own footprint in the world, as well as a way to save money.
“The process of capturing geothermal energy at Proctor Academy required drilling a series of wells that are 500 feet deep through which water will be pumped. During the winter this water will be pre-warmed by the earth’s internal temperature of roughly 50 degrees, and a heat pump inside the dormitory will further warm it up to 120 degrees,” says Project Manager Todd Thompson. Likewise, in the summer, the temperature of the ground will provide a constant flow of cool, refreshing temperatures into the dormitory water to air heat pumps.
Project superintendent Paul Tremblay said while on a tour of the dorm, “The great thing about the geothermal system is that it’s about 47–48 degrees down in the earth and that can regulate the temperature of the dorm in the summer and help with heating in the winter.”
While this is Trumbull-Nelson’s first experience working with geothermal technology, Thompson says that they already have another project utilizing the same technology underway.
The Savings
The geothermal system, besides being environmentally conscious, is also expected to save so much money that its initial expense will “pay off in about eight to ten years,” said Tremblay. “And, this is growing more popular all the time. If you can afford to make the initial investment, it may pay off fairly quickly, and could save you a lot of money over the years.”
Commenting on the cost and the benefits of the initial investment, Will said, “The notion of tree-hugging is passé; we conserve and act because it pays.”
In fact, it pays enormous dividends. The EPA estimates that the use of geothermal heating can save up to 70 percent on heating and 50 percent on cooling, an enormous reduction that translates into sufficient monetary gains over time. Considering the rising cost of oil, those savings should only increase as geothermal energy is a renewable resource. So it makes sense for Proctor Academy to put an initial investment into geothermal energy and the use of recycled materials throughout Peabody House.
Peabody House is, for all intents and purposes, a dormitory built upon the idea that the world and the environment around it is changing. What was once cheap to use and build is now growing more expensive, and an adoption of alternative energy, and recycled materials saves money and reduces stress on the environment. For a school built upon environmental conservation, Peabody House dormitory fits right in, and Trumbull-Nelson continues to advance its dedication to environmentally conscious projects like Peabody House throughout the Upper Valley.
Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is heat that comes from the earth. Beneath the earth’s crust is hot magma, which heats the earth just below the surface to a constant temperature of close to 50 degrees year-round. Because the internal temperature of the earth is constant, it is warmer than the air in the winter and cooler than in the summer, thus encouraging use not only for heating but also for cooling. Geothermal energy is used to heat homes and businesses throughout Iceland and many other countries, and it is a growing choice for home and business owners in the United States. While the initial cost of installing geothermal systems is significant, the energy savings it provides are enormous.
With oil and gas prices rising and depletion of these resources seen in the relative future, geothermal energy for heating is gaining attention and popularity. Heating expenses over the next decade will only continue to rise, but the cost of heating a building with geothermal energy will remain mostly under the property owner’s control. It is a sound investment and a valuable natural resource.
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