Investor Relations > Rogers Alley gets green energy
Anna Branly
(919) 667-9770 ext. 105
abranly@greenfiredevelopment.com
April 21st, 2008
Greenfire Development announced today the installation of a geothermal heat pump system at its downtown Rogers Alley development. Geothermal heat pumps are a cost effective, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly way of heating and cooling buildings. This will be the first private commercial geothermal standing column well system in North Carolina.
Rogers Alley is a mixed-use development consisting of several buildings that was recently expanded to include the newly acquired Exchange Building across from City Hall. The development is pre-leasing, with tenants such as Dos Perros Restaurant, Kimley-Horn, and SJF Ventures already on board. The LEED project has been attractive to tenants interested in an environmentally friendly place in which to live and work.
Greenfire, known for its green building efforts in downtown Durham, is always seeking ways to maximize the efficiencies of the energy systems for its properties. The geothermal heat pump system will benefit the downtown community by conserving natural resources, lowering emissions and reducing pollution.
The geothermal system consists of a series of three wells drilled into ground between the four buildings. Pipes are inserted into the wells and ground water circulates through the pipes and the buildings. Because the ground maintains a constant temperature of about 55 degrees, the fluid is able to cool the buildings in the summer and heat them in the winter. The centralized system will serve three, possibly four, of the surrounding buildings. The result is a system that reduces water use and saves energy.
“We are drilling down 1,500 feet for each well, the equivalent height of 100-story building,” said Joe Lemanski, Greenfire construction manager. “This is a significant investment in green building technology in downtown Durham.”
Drilling will begin as early as Tuesday, April 22. Greenfire has been working to notify neighbors about the installation of the geothermal wells, which is expected to create noise during the drilling.