Geothermal heating and cooling coming soon to Miami University, Ohio

Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (source: Miami University)

Carlo Cariaga 5 Feb 2024

The Miami University on Oxford, Ohio will soon begin drilling for a geothermal heating and cooling system that will replace the existing natural gas-powered system at the North Chiller Plant. Work is expected to being by the summer of 2024 and full operations is by the spring of 2026 is being targeted.

More than 500 wells will be drilled to a depth of 850 feet (~259 meters) in the front lawn of Millett Hall. Heat from these boreholes will then be directed to the soon-to-be-renamed North Geothermal Plant which will supply clean heating and cooling to many North Campus buildings, including Millett Hall and the Student Athlete Development Center.

Miami University aims to heat 43 buildings, or 39% of the campus buildings, with geothermal energy by 2026. This is in line with the university’s 2040 carbon neutrality goal, a large enabler of which is the electrification of heating and cooling systems and utilization of geothermal heating and cooling.

The university expects costs to go down once the geothermal plant starts operations. With the cooling tower serving the chiller plant no longer necessary, utilization of chemicals and water for steam production will be drastically reduced.

Transitioning to geothermal will take the Miami University one step closer to the goals of carbon neutrality and being an exemplary institution in the pursuit of decarbonization.

In late 2023, drilling work started at the Oberlin College Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio for a similar geothermal heating and cooling system.

Source: The Miami Student