Southwire’s Cofer Technology Center, a hub for Research & Development (R&D) initiatives, installed an innovative heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)  system using geothermal heat pump technology.  

Since becoming fully operational in November of 2023, the system has enabled significant energy and cost savings for the Cofer Technology Center, resulting in an approximately 40  % decrease in electricity consumption for the whole building. 

“Southwire’s R&D initiatives are at the forefront of innovation,” said Axel Schlumberger, Senior Vice President of Research & Development. “As we invest in the development of products that support renewable energy, electric vehicles and more, we equally strive to showcase sustainable innovation throughout our facility.” 

For most areas in the United States, soil temperatures are usually warmer than the air in winter and cooler than the air in summer. Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of these underground temperatures to efficiently heat buildings in the winter and cool buildings in the summer.

With the new system installed, the Cofer Technology Center uses 40% less heating/cooling capacity than it used before. In addition, the former system relied on energy-intensive resistance heaters. Many of these resistance heaters have since been removed, further reducing the building’s monthly power bill. 

The closed-loop piping system connects 67 wells in a central location where water is piped throughout the building to each air handler, then back into the well field where the heat is transferred 400 feet into the ground below. 

Southwire recently announced an expansion of the Cofer Technology Center, which showcases the company’s commitment to product innovation and sustainability. The expansion was designed with LEED certification in mind as well as a focus on engineering with sustainable components.   

To learn more about Southwire’s sustainability initiatives, visit https://www.southwire.com/sustainability.