Subject: Re: Let's reconsider solar heating and cooling!

From: Gary Cunningham <[email-masked]>
Date: 30 Jul 1995 21:21:46 GMT

[email-masked] (Will Stewart) wrote:
What about Geothermal.  It is already here, it uses the earth to cool and heat coolant (water).  We use it in Texas.

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From: [email-masked] (Michael O'Brien)
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 1995 15:41:59 -0800

In article <[email-masked]>, Gary Cunningham
<[email-masked]> wrote:

> What about Geothermal.  It is already here, it uses the earth to cool
and heat coolant (water).  We use it in Texas.

Geothermal (Water Furnace, Florida, and similar) works very well here in
Oregon, for space heating, cooling and water heating, but it is expensive.
Costs anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 for one house. Is it cheaper in
Texas?

-- 
Mike

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From: [email-masked] (Will Stewart)
Date: 31 Jul 1995 14:56:40 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Michael O'Brien) says:

>
>In our energy-efficient home program, Super Good Cents,

I'd like to find out more about this, please email me an overview.

>Some places,
>like Sacramento, have utility- and city-sponsored programs to upgrade
>street trees and landscape trees to large shade trees that are wonderful
>for cooling. A $200 tree can provide the cooling equivalent of over a ton
>of air conditioning, for free.

I am finding that planning to have PVs on the roof is preventing me from 
taking this route.  Though the design does provide eaves designed to block 
direct solar window gain in the summer, other solar loads still remain.
Of course, if the net electrical consumption is less with shade trees, then
a rethinking of my energy management plan is in order.  

>Personally, I like low-tech solutions that are practical and affordable.
>In my experience, people just won't give up their chandeliers and
>fireplaces for solar gizmos, but they will spend a few bucks for something
>that has an apparent benefit.

Actually, I am giving up the chandeliers (but keeping the fireplace hearth for
backup heat) for solar gizmos (passive heat, active hot water, PVs, high 
efficiency appliances).  My solar engineering coursework along with my perception
of future energy directions has motivated me to reconsider the usual architectural
and interior approaches.

Regards,

William R. Stewart, Jr	(Will)      "Don't worry, be happy"  - Bobby McFarren
[email-masked]   (703)760-0239

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From: [email-masked] (Will Stewart)
Date: 31 Jul 1995 14:43:14 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, "Charles E. Reese" <[email-masked]> says:

>Have you considered underground storage in static aquafers?  The idea is to
>have two wells, in the summer pump solar heated water into the deeper well
>and pump cold water out of the upper well.  In the winter you reverse the
>flow recovering your hot water for heating and storing cold water for the
>next summer.  If the water table is reasonably high then you almost don't
>need a pump in the winter.  I have seen where large quantities of summer heated
>water is stored in old mines in Sweden for use as winter heat.

Do you have any references, findings, or POCs for these projects?  I would very much
like to find out more, especially lessons learned, empirical data, suitable ground
conditions, etc.

Thanks,

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From: [email-masked] (George A. Gleason)
Date: 2 Aug 1995 07:09:02 GMT

Hope this isn't offtopic, but does anyone have information on whether
equipment and materials for blown-insulation are available for use by fairly
competant do-it-yourselfers?  A group of us are doing some eco retrofits on
a house in Berkeley which is part of an organisation with ecological and
community-related goals.  We have fairly good construction skills among us;
the work will begin in September.  Feel free to email, [email-masked]
Thanks...

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From: "Charles E. Reese" <[email-masked]>
Date: 1 Aug 1995 18:00:22 GMT

> [email-masked]   (703)760-0239

Sorry, I think I saw the thing about Sweden on a 'Beyond 2000' or some such program.  I had 
the idea about aquafer storage several years ago and I haven't seen anything published on
it.  I tried a Lycos and WWWW serach but didn't get any hits.
Who knows you might be the first one to do it!!

Charlie Reese

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From: [email-masked] (George A. Gleason)
Date: 3 Aug 1995 09:08:13 GMT

Interesting!  Now personally I prefer to support locally owned businesses
that pay their workers an honorable wage, rather than the large chains, but
I'm willing to bet that some of the local building-supply places in Berkeley
or Oakland have picked up the idea if nothing else to stay competitive.  If
they haven't, then I'll certainly write a friendly note to management
suggesting it would be a good idea and see what happens.

-george

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From: Gary Cunningham <[email-masked]>
Date: 2 Aug 1995 22:51:40 GMT

[email-masked] (George A. Gleason) wrote:
> Ref ...
> equipment and materials for blown-insulation 

Yea, 
Go to home depot,  they rent free equip if you by the insulation
>from  them.

GMC