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<br /> <br />11 <br />4. District Energy System <br />A district energy system includes three primary components: building connections, thermal energy sources, <br />and a tepid water distribution system. An underground, closed-loop distribution network circulates clean <br />water throughout the community at a constant temperature. Water-source heat pumps, installed in each <br />building, extract heat from the water loop for heating and reject heat into the loop for cooling. The system’s <br />flexibility, reliability, and efficiency are enhanced by the ability to utilize multiple energy source solutions to <br />maintain the water loop’s temperature, enabling the selection of the most cost-effective and efficient <br />options. <br /> <br />Figure 3. RCC district energy concept <br />4.1 Building Connections <br />In a district energy system, each building connects individually to the tepid water loop that runs through the <br />community. Each connection typically includes service piping, service isolation valves, fittings, control valves, <br />strainers, energy meters, and potentially heat exchangers. While heat exchangers are not necessarily <br />required for single-family and townhome connections, they are recommended for multifamily and <br />commercial buildings. These buildings may have internal water loops, and heat exchangers would isolate <br />the district loop from the building’s internal loop. <br />The Rice Creek Commons development includes over 640 buildings (including single-family houses). <br />Connecting all these buildings to the district energy system would cost approximately $4.1 million. If the <br />system were scaled down to serve only the Town Center, which includes 99 buildings, the estimated <br />connection costs would be approximately $1 million.