Sustainability for Higher Education

Company Overview

EarthLinked Technologies, Inc. (ETI) has 30 years experience developing proprietary energy-saving technology and has completed thousands of installations of its geothermal heat pump systems for space heating and cooling with optional water heating.

Those systems all utilize a highly reliable heat pump manufactured in the company’s LEED-certified factory in Lakeland, Florida, and are currently saving energy and emissions in 47 states and 16 countries.

Building on its expertise, ETI developed a commercial water heating (CWH) system which is installed in healthcare facilities, condominiums and public housing and was recently installed for Google in one of its campus cafeterias.

ETI has a close affiliation with Parker-Hannifin, a global supplier of components for the heat pump industry. Parker recognized ETI as the technology leader in geothermal heat pumps and sought out the company. They have become a value-added supplier and manufacture ETI’s proprietary vapor flow controls and other key components for our compressor units.

Commercial Water Heating

Few organizations are aware of their actual cost of heating water. In the U.S., lodging facilities spend on average 42% of their energy budget to heat water, while restaurants spend 32% and healthcare, 18%. Every day, the Earth acts as a giant solar collector and storage battery by capturing almost half of the solar energy that reaches its surface in the form of heat.

EarthLinked® Commercial Water Heating employs its propritary geothermal heat pump to collect this renewable energy directly from the first 100 feet of the earth’s surface, and delivers it to preheat large quantities of water. The system simply transfers heat from one location to another, rather than consuming energy to create heat.

The lifecycle economics of EarthLinked CWH consistently outperform those of any other system in the market, including fossil-fuel and electric water heating. Unlike water heating with dedicated solar collectors, it is cost-effective in any location, and independent of weather conditions and sunshine. The EarthLinked heat pump is even transferring heat from the earth in Alaska.

Superior Geothermal Heat Pump Technology

Geothermal heat pumps have been around for many years, but technological advances and increasing awareness are now accelerating the adoption of this elegant technology, growing at over 20% annually.

ETI is the only geothermal heat pump company to offer a dedicated commercial water heating system with energy savings verified by the U.S. EPA. With proprietary refrigerant flow controls unrivaled in the industry, EarthLinked CWH functions without the need for an intermediate water circulating system to exchange heat, and thus is simpler, smaller and more efficient than other geothermal heat pumps.

The system makes the water heating application economically superior through reduced installation cost and high performance. It requires less drilling and heat exchange equipment than water-based geothermal heat pumps and the direct exchange capability delivers greater performance.

“The projected savings over the existing system are exceptional. After examining the data from other similar installations, we decided it was an excellent investment in energy reduction. It is exciting to find a technology that is a good choice for the environment as well as our bottom line.”

―Executive Director of the Newton, New Jersey Housing Authority

Applicability to University and College Campuses

There is visible momentum for clean energy solutions in educational institutions. Stakeholders and green rankings are influencing schools to pursue aggressive energy and emission reduction programs. The American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which pledges schools to achieve climate neutrality, has been signed by 650 institutions. They are acting on their pledge, and LEED projects in this sector are being added daily.

EarthLinked CWH is particularly well suited to colleges and universities that seek to become more environmentally-friendly while having to manage a tight budget. Of the array of water-heating systems available to educational institutions, EarthLinked CWH is the most cost-effective. It is less expensive to operate than electric, fuel oil, propane, solar thermal systems (with electric or fossil energy back-up) and even natural gas (using 5-year average prices of natural gas). Its energy cost is stable because most of the heat that it delivers is free renewable energy stored in the shallow earth.

The U.S. EPA has verified 75% electrical savings with EarthLinked CWH compared to electric resistance water heating. This means that for large users of hot water in campus facilities such as student residences, food service, laundry and healthcare facilities, this system can save up to 30% of total energy consumption.

Although the upfront cost is greater than traditional methods because of the installation of the earth loop, that cost is rapidly recovered through monthly cost savings. As a result, EarthLinked CWH systems pay for themselves within 3 to 5 years on average, and sometimes faster, due to lower installation costs or the higher cost of the fuel being displaced. A single 6-ton system pre-heats 2,500-3,000 gallons per day to 110°F, enough for an 80-unit student residence.

Also verified by the U.S. EPA, a single 6-ton capacity EarthLinked CWH unit saves up to 42,600 lbs of CO2 and 90 lbs of NOx emissions per year (the equivalent of displacing 3,630 gallons of gasoline or 74 barrels of oil yearly). The system also contributes to LEED green-building certification and can earn carbon credits for the system owner.

Finally, EarthLinked’s track record of reliability, customer support and technological leadership backs all installed systems to ensure an optimal user experience.