Geothermal Technology for Sustainable Climate Control in an Historic House

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper discusses integration of twenty-first-century direct-exchange geothermal technology with nineteenth-century heat supply infrastructure to provide climate control at The Breakers, Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A. In 1892, Cornelius Vanderbilt II built an 11,600 m2 Italian Renaissance style summer residence equipped with the most modern domestic technology available. This house retains original architectural finishes, furnishings, and a decorative arts collection, to give visitors insight into America’s Gilded Age. The mansion’s original design relied upon the ocean setting for its natural ventilation during summer occupancy; a convection heat system maintained the building through winter. A century later, risks to the collection due to extreme fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity along with rising energy costs prompted a climate modification feasibility study. The expense and complexity of conventional systems were deemed prohibitive, intrusive, and unsustainable. A high-efficiency geothermal heat pump system was chosen because it could generate conditioned, filtered air, re-use historic convection heat shafts, and significantly offset heating costs. Since going online in 2018, the system has stabilized the interior environment and considerably reduced fuel consumption. Discussion will include challenges encountered through design, installation and start-up, and assessment of environmental data.