Smart Homes Use Geothermal Heat Pump Systems
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The concept of the “smart home” is all the rage in architectural circles but the smartest homeowners are already deploying power systems to save money and eliminate 90% of their utility bills. Solar panel systems are the most widely known method, but geothermal is an option all homeowners should consider as well.
We know from an electrician in Minnesota (who happens to be my Uncle) that geothermal heat pump exchange systems are highly efficient and save those who install them fistfulls of dollars. They use the constancy of the sub frost level ground temperature to heat & cool the home and generate free hot water in warm seasons.
We found the best explanation of how solar heat exchange pumps work in the home at SolarAME.com today.
We are copying this outstanding alternative energy system article here:
How Home Geothermal Power Plant Systems Work
You can have a heating and air conditioning system in your home that can:
- Save energy and slash electric bills
- Cut greenhouse gas emissionsR
- Rid your yard of unsightly outdoor equipment
- Drastically reduce the cost of your hot water
- Reduce maintenance costs
Costs will be lowered even as it improves the year-round comfort of your home.
This not science fiction, home geothermal heat pump systems are already installed and saving homeowners thousands of dollars a year. In fact, such units, called geoexchange systems, offer such a lengthy list of benefits that at first glance they do seem too good to be true. Their benefits, though, flow directly from the clever application of sound technology—what you can think of as good science. Once you understand how geothermal systems work, you will understand how they can bring such an attractive list of benefits to your home.
What They Do… (Click Here to Read the Rest of This Article)
Filed under: Green Energy Forum
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I live in central Minnesota and have installed a Geothermal system, the house is in town and I have a 95′ by 150′ lot. Because of lack of land I had 4 175′ vertical wells drilled in my front yard which are about 8′ to 10′ apart by a well contractor for a total cost of $6,400, the system is required to be approved by the USDA and installed by approved well contractors to prevent ground water contamination. My system is a closed loop system which uses a food grade antifreeze solution, It will never lime up or pollute the water supply. Up here the earth is 60 degrees all the time. The water loses about 5 degrees to heat my house and when it was minus 15 degrees the cost for me was probably $30 a month . It uses less energy than 10′ of electric baseboard to heat my 2000 Square Foot House. I found my unit to take 2300 Watts the compressor unit cost around $8000 but $800 was for a hot water heating loop built into it. The unit is made in the USA in Appleton Minn. Go to Econar.com for a tour of how it works. In the summer it cools the house with no problem because the system is designed for the cold Winters here, which takes more energy to heat than cool. The system is approx. 350% efficient compared to 250% from heat pump systems. I have figured it will take about 7 years to pay back the loan on my system.
I would recommend people to think about their energy systems while energy is still “cheap”.
Brian H. Willmar Minnesota
I recommend this easy and Inexpensive solution to saving water, time, and energy; install a Hot Water Lobster instant hot water valve under the sink farthest form your water heater and you will have instant hot water throughout your entire home. It saves a lot of water that’s normally wasted down the drain while waiting for hot water. The savings in water and energy easily recoups the initial $179.95 purchase price! More impressive is the convenience of instant hot water!
The Hot Water Lobster uses no electricity and is pump free, so it creates no noise. It is made in the U.S.A., has a 10-year warranty, and can be easily installed in under 10 minutes.
Check it out at:
hotwaterlobster.com
EDITORS NOTE: If anyone has any first hand knowledge of this device your input would be appreciated. This is a new one and we are not sure if it’s for real or not.
The “Hot Water Lobster” should be viewed with extreme caution.
Whether one saves energy or not would be very site and user dependent. The physics behind it actually indicate very little potential for savings.
When you read the post, it has many more “salesman” type claims than facts to back any of them.
This system uses natural convection currents to re-heat the water cooled by lack of insulation on the pipes to this distant location. The claim is savings via constant incremental heating vs. burst heating of cold water.
There are circumstances where this may be economical.
There are no tests or situations where the fanciful claim of payback is described for review.
If this is true, show use numbers we can verify.
The one thing that WILL pay off. The one thing that WILL work is not fancy and not near as expensive:
Insulate the hot water lines running to all hot water outlets. Cheap. Effective. Long lasting.
There is more science that can describe why the “Hot Water Lobster” is a sales gimmick than there is to show it saves money to make that $180 pay off.