EnLink Wins $3.8 million Award to Build Part of Largest U.S. Geothermal Heat Pump System at Ball State University

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Nov 01, 2011, 06:00 ET

RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, Calif., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- EnLink Geoenergy Services, a leading builder of geothermal heat pump (GHP) HVAC systems, announced today that it has won a $3.8 million contract for a portion of the award-winning Ball State University GHP system, the largest district heating and cooling system in the country.

Ball State has won state and national awards for its use of GHP to heat and cool more than 40 buildings in this $65 million to $70 million project. The funding is from state construction bonds and a $5 million grant from the Department of Energy.

"We are very pleased to be part of this historic project that will showcase the value of using geothermal heat pump systems to heat and cool a large part of the campus," said Mark Mizrahi, president and CEO of Enlink. "This project is putting people to work, saving energy and setting a new standard for district heating a cooling. This will be a great model for public and private sector building designers and managers who want to have the most efficient HVAC systems possible."

Officials estimate the project will save $2 million annually in energy costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions by half. Four on-campus coal-fired power plants will be shut down.

GHP use the constant temperature of the earth hundreds of feet below the surface as a heat sink to absorb heat in cooling mode and as a heat source in heating mode. A GHP system can be as much as 600 percent efficient, according to the US Department of Energy.

EnLink designs and constructs earth heat exchange systems, the key underground component of a GHP system. GHP replaces most equipment used in a conventional heating and air conditioning system and can reduce energy use by 70 percent.

The Ball State system includes nearly 4,000 bore holes drilled to about 500 feet, connected by miles of hot and cold water pipes connected to two central plants with high-efficiency heat pumps. From there, hot and cold water will be distributed to buildings around the campus.

EnLink will drill 675 of the boreholes beginning in November and should complete work by August 2012.

Ball State has been honored with the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment Award and was named Technology Innovator of the Year by the Hoosier Environmental Council.

EnLink, has won contracts across the country in 2011, including these important high-profile projects;