An Integrated Monitoring Framework for Geothermal Heating Systems

Energy efficiency takes an important role in heating system design. Geothermal systems are considered as one of the best choices due to its great advantages for energy saving, low cost and CO2 emission reduction (ICAX, 2007). When selecting strategies for energy efficiency design, it is also essential to consider local climate. Buildings consume a large amount of energy in cold climate, especially in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, where heating is the major contributor to energy consumption. To face the challenge of higher consumption of heating energy, buildings in cold climate should rely on integrated heating systems. This paper focuses on the integrated monitoring system for a heating system that was proposed for a building, called “Stony Mountain Plaza” in Fort McMurray. In this building, an integrated heating system is designed to serve heat to occupants within limited space area and budget. This heating system includes geothermal system, solar system, drain water heat recovery (DWHR) system and conventional electric or natural gas energy. In addition, a make-up air system is also installed to improve indoor air quality. At first, a study of geothermal system is carried out. Then a comparison between typical practice of geothermal system and proposed strategy is analyzed. Then sensors are intended to monitor the integrated heating system of the building. By monitoring each heating system, the objectives are to prove the idea of proposed integrated system, estimate thermal energy generated by each heating system and evaluate the efficiency of each system. To reach these objectives, new monitoring design and practical thermal energy estimation method are developed.