Thursday, September 10, 2009
Crash Course in geothermal heat pumps!
Crash Course in geothermal heat pumps...
"Studies show that approximately 70 percent of the energy used in a geothermal ground contact heat exchange heating and cooling system is renewable energy from the ground. The remainder is clean, electrical energy which is employed to concentrate heat and transport it from one location to another. In winter, the ground soaks up solar energy and provides a barrier to cold air. In summer, the ground heats up more slowly than the outside air.
Ground contact geothermal systems do the work that ordinarily requires two appliances, a furnace and an air conditioner. They can be located indoors because there's no need to exchange heat with the outdoor air. They're so quiet homeowners don't even realize they're on. They are also compact. Typically, they are up to six times less expensive to operate since they are far more efficient then any fossil fuel based system."
Tampa Geothermal Air Conditioning
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Geothermal AC on Fox News
Watch above or check out this at Foxnews!
TAMPA - As those high summer temps continue, so do the high electric bills. So how would you like to cut your air conditioning bills in half? One Bay Area company says it can help you do it by tapping into the earth. It's called a geo-thermal AC system, and it could bring savings of thousands of dollars a year.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Geothermal Air-Conditioning in Classrooms
The patented construction method is a highly efficient and high-performance ventilation system to harness geothermal energy, a clean natural energy which is stable throughout the year. Unlike other conventional geothermal ventilation methods, in this method an aluminum pipe is buried at a depth of up to five meters underground. The method is characterized by a double-pipe structure in which a thin pipe is fitted inside an outer pipe. In summer, cool air (14 to 16 degrees Celsius) is taken in while in winter, warm air (16 to 18 degrees) is taken into the pipe. The air in the pipe is then circulated inside the building, making it possible to substantially reduce the cost of air-conditioning. According to GEO Power System Inc., the system also has health benefits, as the health of occupants will not be injured by excessive air-conditioning, and the innate human body functions that regulate temperature will be improved.
The first stage of installation work is expected to be completed in March 2003. The geothermal ventilation system has already been introduced to a private university, a large kindergarten and a community center in Fukuoka Prefecture, but this is the first time that the system is introduced in public schools.
In summer of the year 2002 the Japanese government came up with a new policy to install air-conditioners in 300,000 classrooms at public schools, out of fear that higher urban temperatures due to the heat island effect (abnormal warming of the urban atmosphere due to the high concentration of heat-absorbing buildings and roads, and lack of greenery) would lower children's academic achievements. The Energy Conservation Center of Japan estimates that the air-conditioning of 300,000 classrooms, would result in over 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, the utilization of geothermal energy is seen as a promising means to promote the use of renewable energy that will not cause global warming.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tropical Breeze Home Life
Published by Tropical Breeze Publications, Inc., Safety Harbor, Florida
September 1993
Buried Pipe Offers A Better Way To “Cool It”
By Jim Pochurek
Jay Egg is a bright young man on his way up the entrepreneurial ladder who has a tiger by the tail in the form of an 1,800-foot-lond polyethylene pipe he wants to bury in your back yard. His company, Egg Systems Inc., is an embryonic firm located in Oldsmar. He feels that his company is on the cutting edge of an industry whose time has come. That is, the conversion of the natural cooling and heating reservoir of Mother Earth into an affordable, environmentally friendly system to cool and heat your home.
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First, let’s go back to the good old days. When folks lived in case, they were protected from heat and cold by the mass of earth that surrounded them. Civilization forgot about the natural resource for thousands of years. When folks got cold they donned their long johns, built a fire or generated some body heat. When they got hot, they shed layers of clothes and jumped into the water. Then, in the 1940s, and engineer again observed that just below the surface the earth’s temperature remains relatively constant throughout the seasons. It absorbs about half the sun’s energy that strikes it. The thin air around us is far less thermally absorbent. Thus, the earth could provide a higher temperature source in the winter and a cooler source in the summer months. The trick was to tap into this natural ground source of energy.
An electrically powered system was devised to tap into the earth’s energy. It worked. It was called a heat pump, and the rest is history. Basically, this is how such a system works. It has three components: a ground heat pump unit, the liquid heat exchanger medium (a closed loop pipe system), and the air delivery system (ductwork). The closed-loop is a continuous loop of polyethylene pipe or tubing buried in the ground. It’s filled with water or and anti-freeze solution and connected to an indoor heat pump, forming an underground loop.
Laid in trenches up to six feet deep, the tubing may be doubled up or laid like a slinky with no loss of efficiency. If properly installed, the polyethylene tubing will last over fifty years. About 500-600 feet of tubing will produce one ton of heat pump capacity. A well-insulated 2,000 square foot home would require 1,500 to 1,800 feet of tubing. The cool/warm air is distributed through the home via ductwork. As the ground source heat pump is located indoors, it’s life span is greatly increased.
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In general, the geothermal system costs about twice as much as a conventional heating/air conditioning system. It may reduce heating costs by 60%, reduce air conditioning costs by 25% in the summer, and provide hot water for normal household use.
Ground source heat pumps have less moving parts and creates less noise than outdoor units. Jay Egg grew up in Barstow, CA prior to joining the Navy and becoming a nuclear power qualified electrician. He was an instructor at the nuclear power school at the Orlando Naval Training Facility before leaving the service in 1987. He worked for several local companies in the heating and air conditioning career field, received his FloridaStateCertification, and got involved with thermal energy storage.
Seeing a strong need for commercial and residential geothermal energy use, he incorporated in 1991. Although his facility of 2,400 square feet in Oldsmar provides storage and sheet metal works for ducting, he already has the need to double his working area. He and his partner expect to triple their number of installations this year over the last twelve months and expect the business to grow considerably in the future. Egg said, “I love the geothermal technology. It’s the Cadillac of all air conditioning systems. I am proud of our company’s involvement.” He went on to state, “I would never recommend to reconvert a working system until it breaks. Then consider a retrofit job.” Because of the costs involved, geothermal systems are more ideally suited during the new construction process. He anticipates working with developers in the future, looking forward to installing a geothermal system for an entire subdivision. The underground tubing would be “snubbed out” for each building lot, at considerable savings over piecemeal, individual installation for those homeowners who want it. Egg said his geothermal system will be on display at the Architectural Design Center in Largo during the Image ’93 Program September 17-19. For more information, call Egg Comfort., (727) 848-0134 or go to http://www.eggcomfort.com
Rainy day activities for kids into nature
Here are some ideas for activities that might help keep them interested in creative learning, as well as keep them occupied until the weather breaks!
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1. Draw a nature park. Fill the park with whatever animals and plants come to mind, and then color them in.
2. Draw a spider web. Add the spider, and color it in. What does this spider eat? How big is it? where is it found in the world?
3. Make a tent with a sheet and chairs. Better load up for that expedition to wherever they are going!
4. Pick an animal they have never seen before out of a book and tell the child nothing about it. Have them draw and and make a fun report about it. What is it called? Where does it live? What does it eat? What are its predators? When the child is finished, compare and contrast with the actual facts regarding the animal.
5. Turn bath time into marine animal time! Load up that tub with just about anything safe and non-toxic, and leave it to the child's imagination to create a whole new underwater world.
Rainy days can be fun with a little imagination and some direction-feel free to use these ideas or create your own based upon them. Good luck!
Clearwater Geothermal Installation
5 easy green tips for kids
1. Turn off the lights when leaving a room, or better yet-reduce the need for electricity by opening those curtains and letting the light come in!. Light bulbs require electricity, and often electricity is produced from power plants that use fossil fuels. This is an easy way to save energy, and everyone can help.
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2. Recycle. It is easier now more than ever to recycle, and nearly everything can be reused paper to glass. Utilize existing bins, or create your own and have a little fun learning to sort through the different types of products we use on a daily basis.
3. Only use as much water as you need. Turn off faucets when not directly in use, and keep an eye (or ear!) out for dripping or leaky fixtures. Water is another resource, and conserving it is another way to "go green!"
4. Use shopping bags when going to the grocery store. Have fun decorating cloth bags, and then remember to take them with you on your next outing. Reducing the need for plastic bags is a great way to conserve.
5. Make a compost. Composting is a great way to reduce waste in landfills and a wonderful way to naturally fertilize your garden!
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