March 25, 2026

Past its Limits

Newfield Elementary School, a 75,900-square-foot single-story educational facility originally constructed in 1954, faced growing challenges meeting modern expectations for student comfort, indoor air quality, and building performance. The school lacked a centralized cooling system and instead relied on a patchwork of aging window air-conditioning units that provided inconsistent classroom comfort. Large, shared spaces, such as the gymnasium, had no cooling capability at all.

As indoor air quality standards became more important for healthy learning environments, it became clear that the building’s HVAC infrastructure was no longer adequate. Stamford Public Schools needed a long-term solution that could deliver reliable cooling, improved ventilation, and higher efficiency while also supporting the City’s broader sustainability and decarbonization goals.

The Catalyst

In 2022, Connecticut established its HVAC Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Grant Program for Public Schools, a reimbursement/funding program intended to help districts modernize aging building systems, improve ventilation, and create healthier indoor environments for students and staff.

For Stamford Public Schools, the program created an opportunity to begin addressing long-standing HVAC challenges at Newfield Elementary School, where existing systems were no longer meeting comfort and ventilation needs across the building. With the state funding program in place, the City of Stamford positioned a “Newfield Fresh Air” project as a capital priority, aligning early planning and local approvals around participation in the IAQ grant program.

This early funding pathway allowed the project to move forward, but it also defined an important starting condition: the grant application and initial capital planning were developed before a detailed engineering evaluation had identified the most effective long-term HVAC solution for the school. Rather than locking in a specific system approach, the funding approvals created the framework and urgency to more fully study available options.

As a result, the IAQ grant served as a catalyst that enabled Stamford to commit resources and advance the project, while still leaving open the critical technical question of how best to upgrade Newfield Elementary’s HVAC systems. Answering that question required a structured feasibility assessment to compare potential system alternatives based on performance, efficiency, cost, and long-term value.

Weighing the Options

With the HVAC IAQ grant funding pathway underway, Stamford Public Schools engaged Collado Engineering to complete a detailed feasibility assessment for Newfield Elementary School. The goal of this phase was to identify the most effective long-term HVAC solution—one that could address immediate comfort and ventilation needs while also supporting the City’s broader sustainability and decarbonization goals.

Phase 1 of the work consisted of a comparative study of multiple system alternatives, including both conventional and high-efficiency electrified options:

  • Alternative 1: Geothermal Cooling-Only System using ground source heat pumps
  • Alternative 2: Geothermal Heating & Cooling System using ground source heat pumps
  • Alternative 3: Conventional Rooftop Unit (RTU) System with Variable Air Volume (VAV Distribution)

The geothermal options were evaluated because ground source heat pump systems represent one of the most energy-efficient HVAC technologies available. They also align strongly with long-term emissions reduction strategies by reducing or eliminating onsite fossil fuel use.

The study found that while geothermal systems require significantly higher upfront investment—primarily due to borefield drilling and underground piping infrastructure—they deliver major operational advantages. Both geothermal alternatives showed:

  • Substantial annual energy savings
  • Improved indoor comfort and air quality
  • Long-term utility cost reductions
  • Measurable greenhouse gas emissions benefits
Initial Capital Investment

In fact, the combined heating and cooling geothermal system produced the strongest lifetime value, with the potential for millions of dollars in savings over a 25-year life cycle and the greatest reduction in carbon emissions when compared to a conventional rooftop approach.

The Clear Choice

The feasibility study results made one conclusion clear: geothermal provided the strongest long-term solution for Newfield Elementary School from both an energy and sustainability perspective.

While the geothermal alternatives required greater initial investment, they significantly outperformed the conventional rooftop system in key lifecycle metrics. The combined heating and cooling geothermal system offered:

  • The highest overall efficiency
  • The greatest annual utility savings
  • The largest reduction in carbon emissions
  • Full electrification by eliminating onsite gas heating

Over a 25-year system life, geothermal had the potential to deliver millions of dollars in operational savings while supporting Stamford’s long-term decarbonization goals.

In short, geothermal was not only a viable option—it was the best-performing alternative when evaluated through the lens of lifetime cost and environmental impact.

The Lesson

Although geothermal emerged as the strongest long-term solution, the project funding had been structured before the full feasibility and cost assessment was completed. The funding level and reimbursement framework from the HVAC IAQ grant were largely based on more conventional system assumptions leaving geothermal alternatives beyond what the grant and budget could reasonably support.

This highlights an important lesson for school districts while pursuing high-performance HVAC upgrades: Geothermal can be one of the best options available—but only when feasibility and funding strategy are aligned from the start.

The Newfield project demonstrates that ground source heat pump systems can deliver major long-term value through lower energy consumption, significant carbon emissions reductions, improved comfort and indoor air quality, and a strong lifecycle cost performance. However, it also showed that when grant applications or funding plans are developed before detailed analysis, the project may lack the budget capacity to pursue the most effective solution.

Engaging a team of professionals early, before pursuing project funding through grants, is essential to ensure that the preferred solution is not only technically superior but also financially achievable. By studying the options first, school districts can better position themselves to secure the right level of investment and fully capture the long-term benefits of these more advanced building systems.

By: Alex Franciamore & Miguel Quintanilla, PE