All you need to go off-grid

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Energy

Let the Earth Keep You Comfy

What better way to go off-grid and be cozy then to let the Earth’s own geothermal work for you.

Geothermal, GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps are all use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature. By doing that this system has a much higher efficiency (300%-600%) on cold winter nights then air-sourced heat pumps (175%-250%) on cool days

Since many areas if the US experience seasonal temperature extremes, from scorching heat in summer to sub-zero in winter, a few feet below the ground the temperature remains relatively constant. This temperature ranges from 45°F to 75°F (7°C to 21°C) depending on the latitude. Think of a cave, it’s warmer then outside in the winter, while cooler in summer. These GHP systems take advantage of that when they exchange heat with the earth through their ground heat exchanger

Geothermal and water-source heat pumps are able to cool, heat, and supply the home with hot water (if equipped). Models available of geothermal systems can include a two-speed compressors and variable fans to increase comfort and energy efficiency. Another plus is that compared to air-source heat pumps they last longer, need less maintenance, are quieter, and outside air temperature has no effect

The dual-source heat pump uses both geothermal and air-source heat pumps. By combining both systems best aspects you get a higher efficiency then the air one alone, though not as efficient as the true geothermal unit. The lower cost of the dual-source system and ability to work almost as well is a strong plus for this system.

The cost of a geothermal system is several times that of the air-forced system with the same capacity. This additional cost is recouped in your energy savings over the first 5-10 years. Since the internal components have a life is estimate of 25 years, with the ground loop at 50+ years, you will be reaping those energy savings for a long time to come. There are four distinct types of geothermal systems, three of those are closed-looped and 0ne is open looped.

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The horizontal closed-loop type of installation is generally most cost-effective for residential uses, especially in new construction where land is available. It requires trenches to be at least four feet deep. The most common layouts are either to use two pipes, one buried at six feet, and the other at four feet, or two pipes placed side-by-side at five feet in the ground in a two-foot wide trench. The Slinky™ method of looping pipe gives more pipe in a shorter trench, which cuts on the cost of installation and makes horizontal installation possible in areas where conventional horizontal applications would not fit.

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For schools and large commercial buildings vertical systems ar e often used because the land area required for horizontal loops would be a problem. Vertical loops are also used where …

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February 29, 2008 No Comments
Energy

Treehugger in a bad light

Treehugger web site features eco-light that cannot work. When will they learn not to believe every press release that crosses their desk?…

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February 23, 2008 1 Comment

Green Can Make You Some Green

On the “The Early Show” a segments was noticed about green jobs and how they are growing both in need and in pay. Even in today’s economy this segment of the job force is growing and paying well. So learning all you can about taking your home off-grid and making it more green can actually lead you into a new career.

After installing your own solar panels you can look into becoming a solar panel technician. You can do that by attending a vocational program or entering a community college and getting an associate degree. Which has the median pay of $40,000 right out of school. Not to shabby and you are hlping our environment and energy crunch at the same time.

Or you have made your home a healthy one by selecting eco friendly products, ergonomic furnishings, and green products for cleaning. Have a knack for design or love to help others get green and you should look into becoming a healthy home decorator or advisor. Use all that research you did to make your home healthy and self-sufficient for you and your family and help others do it too. The sky can be the limit or it’s a great way to make some extra money on the side.

Have you started making your own soap, honey, clothes, lotions, ect. because you couldn’t find it made healthy enough for you? Started a business that uses green or alternative energy sources to make your business more environmentally friendly? Any of these ideas and more are now being looked at by the big corporations to help them get in on the green and eco-friendly markets. “Burt’s Bees”, the lip balm maker, was bought out by Clorox for $913 million, “The Body Shop”, that green store that was in most of malls, was acquired by L’Oreal for $1.4 billion, so who knows if something you started or are thinking of starting might not be next.

So next time your staying up late, researching what product is best for your home, installing something to make your home more efficient or an alternative power source you just might be finding a new career for yourself.…

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February 18, 2008 No Comments

Intro to solar power

You can get started with a basic system that will power your phone charger, computer and car stereo most of the year for around �550 (add 25% for dollar price). As you add more or bigger panels, and more batteries, the price rises accordingly. A typical small domestic set-up for solar panels might be 4 � 85W panels costing �1,544.80, plus the extras – batteries, inverter, cabling, surge protector.…

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January 29, 2008 No Comments

AVA Makes it’s Television Debut

By: Kelly Mead

We were pleasantly surprised that while watching “Invention Nation” tonight we we able to see the $1 solar panel production. The guys headed out to Colorado to see the new type of solar panels that should be mass produced by next year. AVA Solar is still planning on entering it’s large scale mass production by 2009.

Seeing the production of these panels showed how these panels will use less materials and energy to produce. Which will be passed on to us as consumers. These panels are produced by layering the components and then scoring to make the individual cells, instead of making a large cell then cutting and wiring together. This means less places for lose connections and lose connections means less energy efficiency. Also as these panels will be produced completely in an automated process less energy and materials will be lost or wasted in the production. Less waste is always better for our environment.

We just had to get the information out so that you can watch the production and find out more on AVA Solar panels. It will be re-aired in the morning of January 29th if anyone is lucky enough to catch it. The episode to catch is #10 “Self-Sustaining” you can check “Invention Nation” schedule here. We of course found more to write about in this episode such as EarthHaven and Enertia, but wish to do more research on those.…

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January 28, 2008 1 Comment