Columbia, CA — Columbia College hosted an exploratory 300 foot $13,000 geothermal bore into the ground Tuesday afternoon to determine if such a system is feasible for the 24,000 square foot Natural Resources Building.
Columbia College Professor Dr. Jeff Tolhurst explains that a constant ground temperature of 50-60 degrees can be utilized to help cool the building in the summertime and warm the building in the midst of a winter coldspell.
Institutions utilizing geothermal systems have cut energy costs by as much as 25-40%. The price tag on such a system for Columbia College has been estimated at $380,000.
Cost of the building is estimated at $18.9 million with the funding coming from the passage of the Yosemite Community College District´s $326 million Measure E.
Scheduled completion date for the building is June, 2009.
Written by Bill Johnson
