FORT WAYNE, IN — WaterFurnace International has entered into an agreement to provide geothermal heating and cooling systems for three new projects in China. The projects are a factory and a 32-story apartment building in the city of Ningbo, and a factory application in Cixi County.

The factory in Ningbo will include a two-story building and workshop area for a total of 3,680 square meters. The factory in Cixi County will include three levels, a total of 6,000 square meters. The high-rise apartment building will include 186 280-square-meter apartments and 90 190-square-meter apartments.

All three systems are factory-fitted with energy management systems (EMS) to enable operators to monitor the geothermal units’ performance by computer and to control heating and cooling setpoints in different areas of the buildings.

“We are very excited about the opportunities this new market provides us,” said Steve Biggs, special projects team manager. “China has many government-funded programs for energy-efficient products that will help us be competitive there. WaterFurnace can provide the most efficient heating and cooling systems in the world to China.”

According to the company, the projects are the latest in WaterFurnace’s overseas sales of commercial geo-thermal heating and cooling systems manufactured in Fort Wayne. The company’s first geothermal system installed in China was in an office building in Beijing in 1983. In October 2000, WaterFurance provided geo-thermal equipment for a 3,082-square-foot office building in Korea. In 2001, the company provided a geothermal system for a six-story hotel and two agricultural greenhouses in Korea.

Publication date: 09/16/2002