Rader Engineering

Rader Engineering provided mechanical and geoexchange engineering services for this energy efficient ranch home in Wildcat Ranch. The
project implements many sustainable and energy efficient technologies including Solar PV and GeoExchange. The geoexchange system
consists of 4 stainless steel heat exchanger plates, set on 24” high elevated platform stands, set on the bottom of the onsite pond. The pond heat exchangers serve two ground source heat pumps (GSHP). Each GSHP is a 10-ton water-to-water unit that provides heating water to the radiant floors during the winter and chilled water to the fan coils during the summer. The heat pumps also serve limited exterior snowmelt, controlled on an automatic snowmelt sensor. Due to the long horizontal piping length from the home to the pond, premium efficiency pumps and motors were used to circulate the closed loop geoexchange system. A methanol/ water solution was utilized for its superior heat transfer capabilities and low viscosity. Other energy efficient systems worth noting are the desuperheaters incorporated into the GSHPs which capture waste heat at the compressors and utilize this heat for domestic hot water preheating. Also, there is an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) for efficient and balanced delivery of fresh outdoor air to the home.