Finished employee housing at Curry Village in Yosemite National Park won a 2008 award for its green efficiency.
How Does a GSHP System Compare?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that GSHP systems are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space-conditioning systems available. The EPA also found that these heat pump systems offer the lowest carbon dioxide emissions and lowest overall environmental cost of all the residential space-conditioning technologies readily available today. The few emissions that are released occur at power plants, where they can be more carefully monitored and controlled.
The Yosemite National Park Curry Village Design Team has won a 2008 Environmental Achievement Award in recognition of the sustainable design features of the new employee housing complex for Curry Village (which implements Yosemite Valley Plan replacement of facilities destroyed in the 1997 flood). The design of the new complex, made up of 28 buildings that house 217 people, incorporates exemplary site selection, mechanical systems, lighting, and water efficiency features. The National Park Service presents Environmental Achievement Awards each year to parks and concession companies that have excelled in incorporating high environmental standards into their operations. The award criteria emphasize sustainable design as well as systems and programs promoting energy efficiency, water conservation, materials recycling, and other earth-friendly, cost-saving features.