McDonald’s Restaurant Taps Into Geothermal
A McDonald's franchise currently under construction in Pensacola is incorporating a geothermal heating and cooling pump to harness Earth's steady temperature. Read More
A McDonald’s under construction in Pensacola is tapping into the earth for heating and cooling.
The restaurant will utilize geothermal energy gathered by a heat pump system throughout 55 holes, each 350 feet deep. The underground loops use water or other liquids to transfer heat from the earth to buildings when it’s cold, and to move heat from buildings to the earth in hot weather.
Geothermal systems can cut up to half of energy costs and have a projected life of more than 50 years.
While the Pensacola McDonald’s will be the first Florida restaurant in the chain to use geothermal power, the claim of first McDonald’s ever to use geothermal goes to a Westland, Mich., location, which in late 1997 was built with geothermal heat pumps. The restaurant’s geothermal system was made up of 32 holes drilled 200 feet into the ground. The restaurant also was built with efficient lighting, sensors to dim the lights when daylight’s available, energy-efficient motors in the cooking fans and heavy insulation.
Geothermal energy is also being used by the recently-opened Greensboro, N.C., Proximity Hotel for its restaurant’s refrigeration equipment, one of the hotel’s many initiatives to attain Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.
