Daily News Staff Writer
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Solar power gets a lot of attention for its role as a clean energy source.But conservation is an equally important part of the environmental puzzle.
Geothermal power still lags behind solar and wind as an alternative energy source, but simpler types of geothermal systems have been making their way into back yards in Palm Beach and South Florida for at least 15 years.
In the process, these heat-exchange systems have helped condominiums, communities and private clubs keep pools warm in winter and cool in summer.
The large pool at Beach Point condominium, 2660 S. Ocean Blvd., is an example.
In the summer of 2008, building manager Pauline Trautman had Englewood-based Symbiont Service Corp. install a geothermal system for the pool and spa at the three-building, 105-unit complex. The system extracts the heat from well water and transfers it to the pool via a closed-pipe system that does not put well water itself into the pool.
The system can heat or cool a body of water efficiently because well water in Florida stays at a fairly constant, moderate temperature, around 75 degrees.
The new system replaced a gas-heated system.
"My gas bills were costing me $48,000 a year," Trautman said.
The heat-exchange system cost Beach Point $77,000. With the condominium's gas bill now less than $5,000 a year, the system will pay for itself this year.
Read more: http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/2010/01/24/GeothermalPools.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=7
Want to help with Global-Warming? Please visit http://www.whiteearth.org
Please become a fan of the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/WhiteEarthorg/119367692642 and http://www.facebook.com/pages/WhiteEarth/165767310764
Become a friend on Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/christopherbeau
Follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/christopherbeau
Become a follower of this blog
When you buy art on http://www.artsymphony.com 100% of your investment goes to sponsor WhiteEarth
No comments:
Post a Comment