Customer Name: Orchard Knoll, LLC
Project Description: Monitoring geothermal HVAC systems performance
Monitoring Location: Bridgewater, MA
System Components: - HOBO® U30/GSM system
- HOBOlink® data plan
- Range of Smart Sensors (See diagram below)
Geothermal HVAC Systems Monitoring
Massachusetts-based developers Orchard Knoll, LLC are tracking the performance of new eco-friendly home heating and cooling systems installed in Wayside Farm homes, a 66-unit development in East Bridgewater, MA.
 |
||
|
||
 |
Engineer Mike McGonigle explained that each colonial-style home features a geothermal heat exchange system, supplied by Coneco Geothermal Systems, that takes advantage of temperatures deep in the Earth to help keep the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Water is pumped through a loop down a 300- to 400-foot well and back up to a geothermal heat exchanger in the basement.
Since the average temperature of the ground at that depth is stable yearround, once the water in the loop reaches the basement, heat is either transferred to the home’s air in winter, or removed from it during warmer months.
Many factors can affect geothermal heat exchange system performance, ranging from water flow and pressure to outdoor temperature and the motor runtime of the heat exchanger.
“To ensure optimal performance, we recognized early on that we needed a system for capturing data, and I researched the different systems available,” said McGonigle.
The developers ultimately chose an Onset HOBO U30/GSM Remote Monitoring System. The system consists of a GSM cellular-based data logging unit mounted on the wall in the model home’s basement, and sensors that plug into the unit. The sensors monitor indoor and outdoor temperature and relative humidity, as well as power usage of the geothermal heat exchange unit, well pump, and the whole home. The HOBO U30 collects data all day, every day, and the information is accessible via the web at Onset’s HOBOlink® website.
“You can upload data and have it formatted and presented to a website anywhere,” said McGonigle. “I can wake up at four in the morning and know exactly what the heating unit's doing. It's very valuable information for engineers to be able to look at teh behavior of a system at it's operating."
Live system data from Onset’s HOBOlink web site. |
McGonigle has been able to learn valuable information about the duty cycles of the geothermal heat pump, and has been able to adjust the system. The geothermal HVAC monitoring system will continue to be valuable in the future as the developers plan to add solar thermal units to the homes’ roofs to further help with eco-friendly home heating and the hot water supply
Copyright ® 2009 Onset Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Onset is a registered trademark of Onset Computer Corporation.
