| Air conditioning is possible in a green home. Read all | | | | of the best renewable resources is called geo-thermal. |
| about it in this installment of our “Focus on Green | | | | Geo-thermal is literally heating or cooling from the |
| Homes” series. | | | | depth of the earth. It is the reason that most caves |
| Air conditioning in green homes is cause for much | | | | are the same temperature (around 55F) all year round. |
| debate among green enthusiasts. Certainly, the best | | | | We can use this constant temperature of the earth to |
| way to save energy on air conditioning is to not have it | | | | cool air for air conditioning. |
| or use it. But this is just not practical for everyone. | | | | To accomplish geo-thermal cooling, water (or other |
| Without a doubt, air conditioning of the past was | | | | liquid) is pushed through a tube in the ground buried at |
| anything but green. It used very damaging chemicals | | | | an appropriate depth. The water is cooled to the |
| and consumed large amounts energy for what it | | | | ground temperature. Air is then passed over the tube |
| produces. Even more efficient units in use today still | | | | and the warm room air is transferred to the water in |
| use lot of energy causing enormous electricity bills in | | | | the tube, removing the hot air from the home. The |
| the summer months. Can a system be designed for a | | | | heated water is then pushed back though the tube |
| green home that uses much less electricity and no | | | | under the ground and the heat is transferred into the |
| damaging chemicals? Yes, indeed. | | | | ground effectively cooling the water back to 55 |
| Size Matters – The first consideration when | | | | degrees and the process starts all over again. |
| designing an air conditioning system for your green | | | | Clean and Efficient – Using geo-thermal air |
| home is the size of the system. Air conditioning | | | | conditioning is clean and quiet. For systems that do not |
| systems should be sized correctly for the space to be | | | | use forced air to distribute the cool air, there is far less |
| cooled, considering the number, location, and type of | | | | dust and noise. |
| trees, the number of window, the arrangement of the | | | | This system uses much less energy to create cool air |
| house, and size of the living space. Care should be | | | | for the home than conventional air conditioning and is |
| taken to right-size the system – it should not be too | | | | much better for the environment. This system can also |
| big or too small. Then we need to look at all the | | | | be used to heat the home. The cost of the system |
| renewable resources we can use to accomplish this. | | | | and the depth to which the tubes must be buried |
| Cooling from the Earth – For the system to be truly | | | | depends on the part of the world in which you live. |
| green, renewable resources must be considered. One | | | | |