permaculture

["Rita van der Vorst" <gutleben@utanet.at>]

When thinking about heating with geothermal energy or ground heat, I have a
feeling that it is not the right way to go, but can't think of sufficient
reasons to back up this feeling. One reason is the electricity consumption
and dependence on electricity, but...

What do you know about ground heat and its sustainable conversion into space
heating? Any experts out there?

Thanks
Rita in Austria


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dylan Ford" <dford@suffolk.lib.ny.us>
To: "Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group"
<SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 3:03 AM
Subject: [permaculture] Energy Savings (off-topic)


> Folks, In reference to the ongoing energy discussions, I heard a fellow on
> the radio today who is a member of the Ground Heat Power Consortium. He
was
> talking about building homes, businesses, and housing complexes with
> inexpensive supplemental geothermal systems. He also discussed how
existing
> buildings may be retrofitted, some easier and cheaper than others.
>
> Below a depth of about 10 feet the earth remains at a constant temp of
about
> 55 degrees years round. A shaft is drilled, a U-shaped pipe a hundred or
> more feet long is installed, and water is circulated through it and the
> building. Thus no matter how cold the winter, you start heating the
building
> from a 55 degree base temp, and the same applies to cooling it in the
> summer. He says that the savings in heating and cooling a building is
about
> 35%. He also suggested that if the building codes were changed nationally
to
> promote this supplemental energy catching, America could meet the terms of
> the Kyoto Protocols with no other changes.
>
> I caught two of the information websites he mentioned, but have not had a
> chance to more than glance at them:
> www.geoexchange.org
> www.igshpa.okstate.edu
>
> dylan
>
>
> Dylan Ford is the author of the proposal at www.ideaforpresident.com , a
> website devoted to an idea that could provide an avenue to address
pollution
> issues, food safety, social justice, prison reform and healthcare.
>
>
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