In
keeping with its commitment to being sustainable through
energy conservation and the utilization of renewal energy
sources, Frog’s Leap added geothermal heating and
cooling to its overall “green” energy program.
With the development of the new Hospitality Center &
Administrative Office, Frog’s Leap was given the opportunity
to complement its existing solar energy field with geothermal
energy to provide the balance of energy required to fully
satisfy the needs of the entire winery and its operations.
Clean, renewable, and sustainable, geothermal energy is
derived from the earth’s thermal mass. Utilizing an
underground loop system, geothermal heating and cooling
maintains a constant temperature of 56 to 58 degrees to
elicit a very efficient exchange of energy between the building
and the earth’s core.
In the winter, water circulating within the sealed underground
loop system absorbs heat from the earth and carries it to
the geothermal unit where it is compressed to a higher temperature
to provide heat to the building. In the summer, the system
reverses and expels heat from the building to the cooler
environment of the earth via the loop system ultimately
creating a comfortable climate in the interior of the building.
Sealed underground loop system
Our Geothermal Energy Stats:
Geothermal Bore Field
• 20 wells: 250 feet deep
• continuous loop
Output
• cooling/heating capacity/well = 1 ton, 1 ton = 12,000
BTUs
• average home utilizes 2-3 tons of usage
Equivalency
• 8-10 houses
Landscape Impact
• completely installed under parking lot
Financial impact
• none other than cost to operate system
• payoff in approximately 6 years
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