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Geothermal Heating and Cooling
March 8, 2008
I have been doing extensive reading on Geothermal energy. In a nutshell, you can extract energy from your own backyard, using one piece of equipment. The most important piece of equipment used to extract this clean, safe, reliable energy is called an earth loop. The earth loop can be either a closed or open loop. The closed loop is made from durable plastic pipe and is buried in the earth or submerged in a lake or pond and transfers heat from a solution through the system. Open loops utilize ground water from wells as heat sources.
What type of terrain exists by the commercial building or residence determines which loop is used. Other factors include the cost of trenching or drilling, the availability of quality ground water and land. Installing a Geothermal system to heat and cool your home is not an inexpensive undertaking, by no means. But I would think the energy savings of between 30-60% would offset the initial expense of implemeting Geothermal energy.
It is also interesting that the same system used to heat your home in winter is used to cool your home in summer, so you would no longer have an unsightly air conditioning unit sitting outside your home.
I’m very excited about the prospect of this system becoming quite popular given our high energy costs. Products like the WaterFurnace, are innovations in alternative energy production. I would like nothing better than to implement a system like this in my home, eliminating the need to use natural gas. Who wouldn’t want a cleaner, safer, more energy-efficient solution in their own home?
Topics: Products for a Better World |
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