Independence Day - July 4, 2011

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What is the significance of the black ribbon featured on the US Flag?

Maine governor endorses Geothermal heating + cooling

The Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security (OEIS) has submitted its findings and recommendations to the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. “Residential Geothermal Heating & Cooling Systems in Maine."

Switch to geothermal energy improves heating and cooling, and saves money

Christopher Gearon/ The Washington Post
Jan. 31, 2011

Just before Thanksgiving 2009, my family began heating and cooling our 4,400 square foot home with geothermal energy. As I wrote in a story that appeared in Health + Science last March, we got rid of our 24 year old oil burning furnace and traditional air conditioning, and replaced them with a system based on drawing moderate temperatures from beneath the Earth's surface.

Geothermal bill: $23,950 (savings using looped coils vs. deep-drilled loops)

Ikea digs deep to go green

Great big stores cost a fortune to heat and leave a huge carbon footprint, so both economic and environmental self-interest argues for innovation. Walmart has put windmills in a few of its parking lots; Target has plants on some of its roofs to harvest rainwater and cool the stores in summer. Now Ikea, the world's favorite Swedish home furnisher, is trying to give America a gentle shove into using renewable resources. It is working with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory to use underground heat to manage temperatures inside its new 415,000-sq.-ft. (38,550 sq m) retail store near Denver, scheduled to open next year.


Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the fact that while the earth's surface temperatures can sizzle in summer and plunge in winter, underground things stay nice and moderate — generally 45°F to 75°F (2°C to 24°C). In Colorado, Ikea will drill 130 holes to a depth of 500 ft. (150 m) beneath the building's parking garage and install pipes that send liquid down to capture that perfect temperature and run it back up to a heat pump. The pump can then cool in-store air or heat it, depending on the season. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, systems using geothermal heat pumps, sometimes called GeoExchange or ground-source pumps, can reduce energy consumption and emissions by up to 72% compared with electric resistance heating and standard air-conditioning.

Shoppers looking to try this technology at home will find that the front-end costs for geothermal systems are high — about $7,500 for a typical residence — but once built, they are relatively cheap to run. Systems can be installed in a few days beneath the lawn or driveway or under a new or existing house. Several states offer tax incentives for installation, and the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association estimates that some customers recoup their investment in as little as three years.

Although demand for geothermal heat pumps in recent years has been increasing 10% to 13% annually in the U.S., Ikea's clean-chic ethos could give this worthy (but not particularly sexy) technology a bump into the mainstream.

Read more:

Knoll Boston Canoes the Ipswich River - Sep. 20, 2010

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Mansion House on Martha's Vineyard installs geothermal

A geothermal heat pump system, run by the stored solar energy found in the abundant groundwater below the Mansion House, along with a sophisticated energy control system, now make the hotel one of the greenest hotels in Massachusetts, according to a press statement released this week by Susan Goldstein, the owner with her husband, Sherm, of the Vineyard Haven business.

Mansion House's cooling system now uses geothermal heat pumps to remove heat from the hotel and store it deep underground for use in heating the hotel during the winter. The new energy control system carefully controls where this green heating and cooling is used to maximize energy efficiency and maintain guest comfort.

All of these advances result in a marked decrease in energy usage and pollution by the hotel, Ms. Goldstein reports. They also limit fossil fuel use, energy waste and carbon dioxide production.

Until recently roughly 16,000 gallons of groundwater a day ran under the Mansion House untapped, a nuisance to be pumped away instead of used as a valuable source of "stored solar energy". The recently completed geothermal heat pump system uses this energy source for cooling the guest rooms and common spaces. The heat removed from the hotel by the heat pumps is sent to the groundwater running under the hotel. This heat energy and water is ultimately redistributed back into the water table where it is stored.

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What can we learn from the Shakers?

Canterbury Shaker Village, Canterbury, NH

Hands to work, hearts to God.

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Common sense - we like it!

These guys might sound like a couple of hicks, but between them they've got more sense than our political elites. The Ark was built by amateurs. The Titanic was built by professionals. Let's hope they can "git er done!"

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, March 11th

We'll be at the building conference in Boston on Mar. 11th!

BuildingEnergy is the only conference where architects, designers, planners, builders, policy makers, manufacturers, and installers work to determine what's possible. This year's theme: Reduce, Retrofit and Renew.

Climatemaster heat pumps now eligible for Energy Star program

We are pleased to announce that as of December 1st, 2009 Water-to-Water type geothermal heat pumps can be eligible for the Energy Star program.

As of December 2nd, 2009 - ClimateMaster TMW and THW residential units were confirmed as eligible!

ClimateMaster's press release...

Energy Star 3.0 now in effect
December 3, 2009

The new Energy Star GHP rules are now in effect! Water-to-water units now qualify. Domestic water heating is no longer mandatory, and the definitions of GHP systems have been clarified and expanded in scope, which will really help answer many questions for tax purposes.
This was a MAJOR effort that was done at a record-setting pace for EPA (starting in April and taking effect December 1). ClimateMaster was the key driver that made this happen by using our lobbyists to set up several meetings in Washington D.C. with top EPA management to generate a priority for this issue. ClimateMaster President, Dan Ellis, authored the initial version of the new specification and then lead the charge to create an industry consensus draft through AHRI, and by directly working with the EPA staff that developed the specification on a weekly basis over several months to answer their questions, to make refinements, and to respond to the public comments that EPA received.

The scope of Energy Star 3.0 includes equipment designed for residential applications and excludes commercial and all 3-phase equipment. The new program calls for a three tier efficiency criteria phased in over time. Phase one went into effect on December 1, 2009. Tier two goes into effective on January 1, 2011 with tier 3 taking effect on January 1, 2012. Both new tiers specify efficiency requirements for water-to-air and water-to-water. As many are aware, until now water-to-water units were not eligible for Federal tax rebates due to their lack of Energy Star rating. Energy Star 3.0 will resolve this issue and allow water-to-water units purchased on or after December 1, 2009 to qualify for the Federal tax credits. The final efficiency ratings for Energy Star 3.0 are shown below.

Tier 1 Requirements (December 1, 2009)
Product Type - EER/COP
Water-to-Air
Closed Loop Water-to-Air 14.1/ 3.3
Open Loop Water-to-Air 16.2/ 3.6
Water-to-Water
Closed Loop Water-to-Water 15.1/ 3.0
Open Loop Water-to-Water 19.1 / 3.4
DGX
DGX 15.0/ 3.5

Tier 2 Requirements (January 1, 2011)
Product Type EER / COP
Water-to-Air
Closed Loop Water-to-Air 16.1/ 3.5
Open Loop Water-to-Air 18.2 / 3.8
Water-to-Water
Closed Loop Water-to-Water 15.1/ 3.0
Open Loop Water-to-Water 19.1 / 3.4
DGX
DGX 16.0 / 3.6

Tier 3 Requirements (January 1, 2012)
Product Type EER / COP
Water-to-Air
Closed Loop Water-to-Air 17.1 / 3.6
Open Loop Water-to-Air 21.1 / 4.1
Water-to-Water
Closed Loop Water-to-Water 16.1 / 3.1
Open Loop Water-to-Water 20.1 / 3.5
DGX
DGX 16.0 / 3.6

MIT's J.Tester calls Geothermal undervalued US Energy source

Geothermal energy remains the poor cousin in our current stable of renewable resources, in spite of offering enormous benefits. That’s Jefferson Tester’s inescapable conclusion, after participating in a Department of Energy investigation into the technical and economic viability of tapping into this potentially vast energy pool. He describes the findings of the DOE report to a live and online MIT Museum audience.

The 18-member research team accepted as givens the fact that U.S. will demand ever more power, having just passed the one million megawatt milestone. But there are threats to the supply system, with increasing prices for natural gas and difficulties expanding coal production, not to mention issues around electric transmission lines and energy storage. Renewables like solar and wind won’t make much of a dent in the next 20 years, researchers believe, and nuclear power continues to meet public resistance.

Grace + Remember

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Interest in Geothermal Soars!

This March 25,2009 MSNBC video explains how a geothermal home heating/air-conditioning system works and visits an installation project near the New York Finger Lakes. A 30% federal tax credit should help convince many homeowners to make an investment in geothermal.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Why put geothermal in your new home?

Paul Nagin explains to Natural Home Magazine why he put geothermal heating and cooling into his new home.

Why buy a green home?

A 2007 survey by NAHB revealed that "reduced energy costs" was the number one reason respondents would choose to buy a green home.