Great River Medical Center’s greenfield replacement hospital, located on a 100-acre site, is heated and cooled by the second largest lake-coupled geothermal system in the U.S. The sustainable design system reduces energy consumption by 37 percent, making it one of the most energy efficient hospitals in the country. The facility is rated Energy Star 100.

The system is capable of producing more than 1,500-tons of cooling, enough energy to serve the equivalent of 500 single-family homes. More than 5,000 gallons of water per minute move through a 100-mile long piping system throughout the hospital and other buildings on the campus. During its journey, the water passes through more than 800 heat pumps that help regulate temperatures in offices, and patient and treatment rooms. Each patient room, and many offices and treatment rooms, have their own individual temperature controls that maintain the room’s temperature to within four degrees of the setting.

Additional system features include using the lake for storm water retention and lawn irrigation. The lake also serves as a serene environment for patients. Because of the hospital’s close proximity to the Mississippi River, water played a significant environmental role on the campus. Besides the 15-acre lake, two other significant water elements that add to the overall aesthetics of the campus are the fountain and waterfall. Fiber optic lighting is located in the waterfall and in the planters around the waterfall to enhance the effect of the cascading water at night.

IMEG provided full-time on-site observation during the 18-month construction period, and systems commissioning. IMEG assisted the hospital in receiving an unprecedented $2,000,000 rebate from the local utility company. The project serves as a case study for the National Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium in Washington, D.C.