First Geothermal Energy System in Checotah School District

CHECOTAH, Okla. — Checotah Public Schools is in the process of constructing a $15.4 million high school that will be powered by geothermal energy, a renewable resource. Construction will be completed by fall 2012.

The 120,000-square-foot school was slated for completion in 2011 but construction delays and bad weather pushed the timeline back.

Wet weather caused several of the construction delays at the site, including the inability to use cranes to hoist beams into place.

High school students in Checotah will move to the newly renovated campus the old school, built in 1940, will house the Checotah Middle School students. Currently, 470 students attend the high school and will make the transfer in fall 2012.

Muskogee, Okla.-based architectural firm Jeffery Andrews AIA designed the new high school, which features 33 classrooms, an agricultural facility, cafeteria, library, career-tech building, and an event center featuring a gymnasium and band room.

Checotah Public Schools superintendent Mark Calavan is the acting project manager for the construction and hired Brewer Construction of Chouteau, Okla., as the contractor for large jobs, including the concrete portion and steel erection of the school.

“The laws are changing in Oklahoma and soon schools won’t be able to act as their own construction management firm. It’s a shame because it’s saving us a lot of money that can be used for additions at the school,” said Calavan.

Calavan was able to save some money by acting as the project manager, but the installation of the school’s geothermal systems was a costly decision. Tulsa, Okla.-based companies Omni Mechanical and Geo Enterprises will install the geothermal system in Checotah. No other school in the district has this type of energy source.

“We’re probably spending $1 million more, or 40 percent, than what we would have,” said Calavan.

The cost of installing a geothermal system is much more than a traditional form of energy because of the ground loop installation. However, the benefits will outweigh the costs. Geothermal systems use the Earth’s constant temperature to naturally condition the air. The geothermal well fields — 122 wells total — are installed 550 feet below the surface, where the temperatures are cooler, and then the circulated water goes to the building through pumps. From there smaller systems are often used to monitor and alter the temperatures as desired throughout the building. Checotah is installing one geothermal system that will serve the entire campus.

The average life span of a geothermal pump is approximately 22 years and the longevity of the system will benefit the school by saving money and repairs from old conventional systems.

With the project still in the works, Calavan can’t give an exact figure on the savings for the school but other schools using this system have seen significant savings at the end of the year.

Scott Pollard, project manager with Omni Mechanical, estimated that typically geothermal systems save 30 to 60 percent on heating costs and 20 to 50 percent on cooling costs.

Daniel Boone High School in Gray, Tenn., installed a geothermal system for its school at an additional cost of $197,000 and the school ended up saving $62,000 in energy costs during the first year of operation.