Southborough subcommittee review of Neary HVAC LCCA leans toward ground-source heat pump with incentives

Summary

At a Jan. 2 meeting, Arrowstreet and engineering consultants presented a life‑cycle cost analysis for three HVAC options for the Neary project. Subcommittee members said the analysis points to a ground‑source heat pump (geothermal) as the best long‑term option if state and federal incentives are secured; no formal selection vote was recorded.

Members of the Town of Southborough Neary Building Committee Sustainability Subcommittee reviewed a life‑cycle cost analysis for the Neary School HVAC systems on Jan. 2 and indicated informal consensus that a ground‑source heat pump (geothermal) best meets long‑term energy and maintenance goals when available incentives are applied.

Arrowstreet and the project’s mechanical engineering consultants presented the report and summarized three systems analyzed: (1) a variable‑refrigerant‑flow system (VRF); (2) a ground‑source heat pump system; and (3) an air‑to‑water heat pump (air‑source) chiller/heating plant (as described in the report). The analysis compared qualitative factors (indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, service life and ease of maintenance) and quantitative measures (annual energy cost, annual maintenance cost, lifetime replacements, capital investment and a 50‑year payback assessment).

The presenters noted the project’s energy use intensity (EUI) target of about 25 as the threshold for a “net‑zero” building and cited Mass Save program requirements tied to that target. With the Mass Save state incentive and an additional federal tax incentive that applies only to…

Southborough subcommittee review of Neary HVAC LCCA leans toward ground-source heat pump with incentives

Summary

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