Western Australia’s largest not-for-profit aged care and retirement living provider are trialing geothermal heat pumps at three of its 24 centres.
Bethanie Villages are trialling the geothermal heat pumps at its Bethanie Peel Beachside and Dallyellup centers. Bethanie Villages’ housing General Manager, Mike Brown said that the geothermal pump system will be used to assist the heating of hot water for the showers and swimming pools.
The geothermal heat pumps have several benefits including reduced flow of airbone germs and electricity cost savings.
The geothermal heat pump system works by having 17 degree water pumped from a water aquifer into a plate heat exchanger, which acts a heat soak for the air handling units within the building, with the heat extracted from the building and transferred into the water via the plate exchanger. The water is then re-injected back into the aquifer temporarily to return being slightly warmer.
Bethanie Villages will eventually have geothermal heat pump systems installed at their other locations across the state once the trial is completed.
