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Energy-wise home taps power of earth and sun
October 22, 1996
Web posted at: 4:50 p.m. EDTIn this story:
From Correspondent Ann Kellan
ATLANTA (CNN) -- Solar shingles covering the roof of a model home in Atlanta produce enough energy to power all the appliances inside. The home, built by the Southface Energy Institute, also has heat pumps that draw on the Earth's geothermal energy for heating and cooling.
The non-profit organization built the home to showcase state-of-the-art environmental technologies to the public. The roof contains 500 square feet of solar shingles that produce about 1.7 kilowatts of electricity, said Southface Executive Director Dennis Creech.
The shingles, he says, are made of the same solar-electric or photo-voltaic material found on pocket calculators that don't use batteries. The electricity generated can be used, stored in batteries or even sold to the power company if there's a surplus.
Geo-thermal power
The experimental home's geothermal heat pump draws on eight water wells that extend about 200 feet into the ground. "At 200 feet, the temperature stays fairly constant year-round -- 67 degrees (in the Atlanta) climate."
In other words, the underground temperature is warmer than the winter air and cooler than the air temperature in summer. During the summer, the heat pump removes warm air from the home and sends it into the ground. In the winter, air warmed underground is pulled into the home.
Hot water
The same system can be used to heat water for the home. Or, in warmer weather, a solar collector on the roof converts sunlight into heat that is pumped through the home's electric water heater, which kicks in if the alternative methods aren't sufficient.
Insulated walls and windows are also part of the energy-saving mix. The major window areas are concentrated on the south side to catch the sun's rays. There's also a tile floor that stores the warmth of the winter sun.
In the summer, a 2-foot overhang on the roof blocks the sun when it's directly overhead.
Energy-saving = money-saving
Creech says many energy-saving products cost no more than doing things the standard way, and even the ones that cost slightly more will pay for themselves many times over in reduced energy or water usage.
There's no tax break for the cost of making your house more energy efficient, but many power companies offer incentives.
Creech says they would rather help you pay for a more energy-saving house than spend their money trying to meet increasing energy demands.
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- Avoiding indoor air pollution at home - September 24, 1996
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