GrimmHC.com

We specialize in new and replacement of dated or inefficent heating and cooling systems, including rooftops,
boilers, chillers, air handlers, and energy management controls. Contact us for a free estimate, and let us
handle your next construction project, no matter how big or small, anywhere in central Illinois. We back every
new installation with the most thorough product support package in the industry. Our in house sheet metal
fabrication shop enables us to manage our own ductwork, flashing, etc. fabrication with greater quality,
timliness, and at lower cost. Compare what you get with Grimm, then give us a call.

Pictured below are two recent, major commericial building air conditioning units, the first in East Peoria,
Illinois, the second in a small strip mall in Morton, Illinois. Each installation includeed our unique collection of
Service Packages (all included at no additional charge!) to ensure total satisfaction for years to come (click on
Service Packages).

With today's rising utility costs, you may want to consider geothermal heating and cooling, page down to see
the details.

Geothermal heating and air conditioning, contrary to popular belief, has been around for more than 35 years. It was only until
energy costs started soaring that it came to the forefront of the media and people looking at lowering their utility bills.

What is a "geothermal" system? It takes advantage of the Earth's ability to store vast amounts of heat in the soil ("geo"
means earth and "thermal" refers to heat). This heat energy is maintained at a constant temperature (50°F to 70°F depending
on latitude) in the soil and near-surface rocks. In Illinois, the soil maintains a 50°F temperature beginning approximately four
feet down, well past the winter frost line.

Geothermal heating systems, also called ground-source heat pumps, "capture" this steady supply of heat energy and "move"
it from the Earth and through a home or building. Basically, once installed, a home or building owner will use much less
energy, save money each month, and reduce the amount of pollution produced by fossil fuel systems.

How does this work? A heat pump is a mechanical device that transfers heat from one source to another. Ground-source
units pull heat from the earth and transfer it to homes or buildings. Heat pumps (despite their name) can provide both heating
and cooling. The cooling process is simply the reverse of the heating process: heat is taken out of a building and returned to
the Earth.

Typical ground-source heat pumps transfer heat using a network of tubes, called "closed loops." Basically, the loops are filled
with either water, refrigerant or an anti-freeze solution. They run through the ground in the vicinity of a building and the liquid
absorbs the Earth's heat energy. Then, this warmed liquid is pumped back through the system into the building. This process
provides heat to the building space. Once the fluid passes through the building and transfers its energy, it flows through the
loop system back to the Earth and the process repeats itself.

In the summertime, these systems "reverse" into cooling mode. Technically, the system does not "run backwards." Instead, a
series of valves enables the system to switch the "hot" side and the "cold" side. The heat from the building is transferred to
the liquid in the loop and this liquid is pumped back into the ground. When the ground source heat pump is in cooling mode, it
usually has an excess of warmed liquid in the system. This liquid can heat water for the building and basically eliminate the
use of the hot water heater during the summer months

The following series of images record one of our large commercial cooling systems recently installed onto an
office building in East Peoria, Illinois. It's a 100 ton constant volume air handler with energy management
capabilities.

The unit was custom manufactured and took roughly 16 weeks to build. It was designed to sit on the existing
unit’s footprint and dimensions due to roof limits. The installation itself took approximately 6 hours and was
done on a Saturday so the building would be unoccupied. The unit’s exterior color was chosen to mimic the old
unit so few would even know it had been changed!

The building owner can expect between 25 and 35% annual savings on utilities with just this unit
alone.