Alternative Energy Sources
Much like there are 2 ways to have more money (earn more or spend less) there are 2 ways to gain in the energy stakes:
- Generate your own energy
- Use less electricity.
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With global warming seeming to be the topic of the moment, more and more people are getting air-con fitted to their homes as a matter of course. But how many people have heard of HEAT PUMPS?
At a depth of around 8', the ground stays at a pretty constant temperature of around 8 to 12 degrees, so if you draw air into your house through a buried pipe, you get air at this constant temperature. Generally this serves to cool the air coming into the house in summer and warms the air in winter. With an air supply already heated or cooled to suit, your air conditioning and heating system needs to work that less hard, hence saving electricity.
These 'Ground Source Heat Pumps' do get more complex than this obviously, with some requiring single or double loop systems containing water and refrigerants, but that is probably a little too in depth for the purposes of this discussion. The piping for these heat pumps can also be laid underwater at the bottom of a pond for example, again to make use of the relatively constant temperature.
An efficient heat pump system may reduce fuel consumption by as much as 35% to 70%, so really has to be considered, especially in the development of a new property.
Derek
