Arlington, VA

Taylor Elementary School

With over 550 students, Zachary Taylor Elementary School is one of the first schools in Virginia to utilize GHP technology. When the school was renovated and expanded in 1994, the centralized steam heating system and rooftop cooling units were replaced with a 282-ton GHP system.

The capital cost of the GHP System was $1,090,000, compared with $980,000 for a conventional water-source heat pump system with a gas boiler and cooling tower. Compared to the conventional system, however, the annual energy cost is $20,800 less, giving the GHP system a simple pay-back period of 5.3 years. The annual energy savings correspond to 27 cents per square foot per year.