Geothermal Atlanta, Bringing You Green Industry Renewable Energy News

Why All Bulbs May Soon Be LEDs

2011-03-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

From our friends at Fast Company, "bridging the fuzzy border between design and business."

A breakthrough in producing light emitting diodes could see LED production costs tumble as much as 75%. That's thanks to research by a startup called Bridgelux, which has resulted in a radical shift--Gallium-nitride LEDs can now be grown on silicon substrates for the first time in a "commercial grade."

The tech leverages the huge, ultra precise and far cheaper silicon wafers that
are used in silicon chip manufacture instead of the smaller, more
expensive sapphire ones. The breakthrough has been to successfully grow white LEDs on a silicon substrate to create devices that produce 135 lumens per watt of electrical power--well above what typical CFL bulbs can offer, and around 10 times better than old incandescent bulbs.

So how big a deal is this? Pretty darn big. After all, did you know that those tiny flickering LED lights that sprinkle the power buttons of pretty much every device you own often need sapphires as part of their production?

Sapphire is key to producing white LEDs. It's artificially grown, rather than being dug up from the rock, but it's pretty much the same as the precious gem material you're probably thinking of--meaning it's rather expensive. Slabs of crystalline sapphire about four inches in size act as a substrate during LED production: The complex layered recipe of semiconductor chemicals that actually make up the LED devices is "grown" in various process on the precise surface of the sapphire, and then cleaved from it at the end before being chopped up and packed into the more familiar dome-shaped LED unit.

But sapphire is part of the main problem facing wider adoption of LED lighting--it makes the cost of high-brightness white LED light bulbs prohibitive compared to compact fluorescent bulbs, and many times more expensive than incandescent bulbs: $40 is a pretty common price bracket for LED bulbs that put out the equivalent light of a 60-cent 60W incandescent unit. Yet many people desire the LED tech very much because the bulbs can have an incredibly long life span, measured in tens of thousands of hours, and they consume much less electricity than their older equivalents.

Now Bridgelux thinks that after the two to three years needed to ramp its new tech up to production scale, the cost of producing LEDs will drop by three-fourths. Ten times greater electrical efficiency, ten times the lifespan of old bulbs and a much more affordable cost? Yup--soon every light you encounter may be an LED one.

By Kit Eaton at Fast Company

Kelly Ripa Teams Up With Electrolux & Goes Green

2011-03-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

Electrolux and Kelly Ripa have teamed up to introduce an eco-friendly front-load washer and dryer in a truly vibrant shade – “Kelly Green.”

“I love green … the color green and the act of living green,” said Ripa. “What better place to make a simple, every day difference than in the laundry room? Kelly Green is a gorgeous shade, and just by using the new Electrolux high-efficiency washer and dryer you can save energy and use less water. How green is that?”
Just in time for Earth day, Electrolux kicks off its virtual flower garden campaign to drive awareness and raise funds for Global Green USA. Starting today, when you go to http://www.electroluxappliances.com/ and plant a virtual flower for a friend, Electrolux will donate $1 to Global Green USA to support their healthy green schools initiatives across America. Everyone who logs on to the site and plants a virtual flower will be automatically entered for a chance to win a new eco-friendly Kelly Green front-load washer and dryer!

In addition, Mom Central will be giving away one eco-friendly “Kelly Green” washer and dryer set to a member of our community! To enter, simply go to http://www.momcentral.com/blogs/win-a-kelly-green-electrolux-washer-a-dryer.html

(1) tell us which flower you planted on the Electrolux site and

(2) share your own “laundry tips” for saving time and energy. Mom Central will pick one lucky winner in a random drawing from all entries received!

Good Jobs, Green Schools

2011-03-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

For five days last month I braved the frigid temperatures (well, frigid to this Southern Californian) of our nation’s capital to speak at the national Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference on a panel about Green Schools. The conference, celebrating its fourth year and attended by over 3000 people last year, was presented by the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation, a non-profit that conducts research and educates the public and media about solutions to environmental challenges that create economic opportunities for the American people.

The conference included several notable speakers including EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. The panel I spoke on entitled, “Good Schools, Green Schools”, focused on various efforts to build and renovate schools using green building approaches as well as some of the policy drivers impacting the building and renovation of green schools nationwide. The audience included labor union members, environmentalists, school teachers and administrators. (no students unfortunately!)

My presentation featured Global Green’s work to “green” schools in Los Angeles and New Orleans, and I also shared news of the launch of our Green School Makeover Competition, the result of a partnership with Pureology. The Green School Makeover Competition is open to K-12 schools across the country and will award the winning school $65,000 for the opportunity to “green” its facilities. But more importantly, the Competition is designed to educate and raise awareness about the many benefits of green schools (among them higher student test scores, lower absentee levels) and expand the constituency for green schools.

The remainder of the week in DC was spent in meetings with national education organizations, all of whom we hope to engage as partners in our effort. Although most of these groups do not have environmental or greening as a primary focus, all of them have already begun to consider the benefits of green schools and in some cases have taken steps to incorporate green school issues into their agendas. Global Green is looking forward to working with these potential partners and making green schools the norm rather than the exception. To learn more about our Green Schools Initiative and Makeover Competition go to http://pureology.com/greenschools.aspx

By:Mary Luevano ( shared from- Global Green Blog USA )

Education of Geothermal 101

2010-06-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

Geothermal 101

EcoMech,LLC.
Geothermal HVAC and Mechanical
provides solutions to all your Heating and Air problems!

For more information: EcoMech

This is Geothermal 101: By: Tim Uzar – Geothermal Systems Designs

Geothermal heating and cooling technology has been around for decades, but not many people use it—compared to a conventional heat pump, it’s 2x more expensive to install. But if you’re building a new house, installing a geothermal system will only cost a few thousand dollars more than a conventional system and can pay off big through reduced energy and upkeep costs.

A geothermal Heat Pump is nothing more than a Heat Pump. A common misconception is it uses water from the earth to heat and cool your house, it does not! It works on the same principles as a regular air to air heat pump. Firstly I’m going to explain how a Heat Pump works. Compression of any gas to a liquid state (any one remember their chemistry & physics classes?) generates heat. In this case the gas we use is called refrigerant. This high pressure refrigerant is then quickly discharged to a vapor state through the use of a nozzle called an expansion valve, the same way hair spray comes out of an aerosol can. That vaporized refrigerant is now really cold. This cold refrigerant is piped through a coil where air blows past it from your air conditioner unit and the cold is what you feel in the summer time coming out of your vents. Once this refrigerant leaves the coil it begins its journey again through the compressor that puts the refrigerant back into a compressed liquid state. Imagine putting the hair spray back into the can and pressurizing it again so that the cycle can start all over again. But wait. The compressor and the refrigerant are now really hot from all this work so the Heat Pump uses a fan to cool everything off. This is what you see sitting outside your house making all kinds of racket out side your bedroom window. In the winter time this process still happens but in reverse.

Now I need to explain the draw backs to Air to Air heat pumps explained above. The heat pump is trying to discharge heat to the outdoors in the summer and it’s trying to absorb heat from the outdoors in the winter. This is pretty easy to do on a nice day such as 70 degrees. This is when your Air to Air heat pump is working at its peak SEER rating. Any body bought an 18 SEER unit lately? Ok so imagine you have to go do some yard work on this 70 degree day. Not too bad right? It’s because your body can absorb heat from the outside if needed pretty easily and discharge heat pretty easily if you start sweating if needed. Now imagine you have to do this yard work on a 98 degree day or a 14 degree night, pretty tough. This is when your unit is working at a very poor SEER rating probably in the single digit range. Remember SEER ratings are achieved in a laboratory.

Geothermal units are heat pumps, but they do not use outdoor air to cool or heat the equipment. Geothermal systems use water from pipes that are installed in the ground. Looking back to the yard work scenario, imagine you finish up the yard work on that 98 degree day and your buddy starts fanning you off. This probably feels better than nothing but imagine how much better you would feel if you jumped in a swimming pool, instant relief. The same concept happens in the winter if it is 14 degrees outside, jumping in to a 68 degree swimming pool might not feel so bad after all.

Here’s how it works:
Water is pumped through a series of closed loop pipes installed (either in a vertical or horizontal position) in the ground. Unlike air, soil doesn’t experience dramatic swings in temperature—it averages about 62 degrees year-round below 20 feet in the Atlanta metro area. So when the temperature outside is 14 degrees, it’s much more efficient for your compressor to extract heat from the 62 degree ground than from the 14 degree air and vice versa in the summer when the temperature is 98 degrees.

Additionally during the summer your geothermal system gradually heats up the ground outside probably 25 degrees by the end of summer. When winter arrives you are going to begin extracting that heat that you have been storing up all summer long and again use it to help your heat pump warm your house. This process gradually cools the earth outside your home by the end of winter and the cycle repeats it’s self over and over, year after year. Think of your back yard as a giant battery that stores energy in the form of heat.

There are many other benefits to geothermal systems as they can also be used to heat the water for your home for free. The typical cost for this upgrade to a home is around $500. And because the compressor is located indoors or in some cases an outdoor enclosure, it won’t be as susceptible to exposure damage such as grass clippings, mold, dust, rain, snow, bees nest, & other animals as conventional central air units, which need to be replaced every 11.7 years according to the ARI (air-conditioning & refrigeration institute) mostly impart to the exposure damage they obtain. Geothermal units are rated at 20 years according to the ARI. Technically they cost 2x more but they last 2x longer and can cut your power and gas usage by 50%. Additionally they are quieter and have a residual value to the home when you are looking to resale.

The technology works best in areas with pronounced seasonal high and low temperatures and good soil for heat transfer. In most cases you can actually save money by installing a geothermal system as well. An example of this is: Additional cost of a Geothermal system = $120 per month. Power and Gas bill savings of a geothermal system = $130 per month. You are actually saving $10 per month by using this system. Additionally you must look to the future when there are possibly rate increases in gas and power. Who knows how much you would save at that point. If you ask me I would rather give $120 per month extra to my mortgage company and receive the tax benefits rather than pay my utility provider more money each year for the same service that just seems to have more taxes and fees applied to it.

Lets also not forget using a geothermal system is equal to planting 24 trees per year to off set your carbon footprint. With the current $2000 State, & 30% Federal, geothermal is a system that benefits you now and your children’s children in the future.
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Contact Us About Your Individual or Business Needs!

Geothermal Tax Credits and Rebates

Invest in Geothermal Heating and Cooling Technology. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has lifted the cap on Tax Credits to Qualified Geothermal Heat Pumps, previously limited to $2000. Only Geothermal HVAC Technology, Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, & Solar Water Heaters qualify for these unprecedented Tax Credits.

Homeowners around the world have learned that a Geothermal Heat Pump System is the smarter way to reduce your carbon footprint and utility bills at the same time.

Geothermal Atlanta - Savings for Georgia home owners of their HVAC needs.

2010-06-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

EcoMech LLC – Now provides a much wider range of products and services than found by its competition, as EcoMech LLC has partnered with many quality trades to bring its customers – a complete eco-friendly energy solution to costly problems. What makes our offerings unique is not only the wide range of selections but also the high standard of quality that the products conform to while remaining competitively priced.

If consumers happen to find the same product or service selling for less elsewhere EcoMech Geothermal and Mechanical will not only match the price but also include an additional 10% of the difference. This guarantee covers our line of geothermal services, encompassing thousands of items from such leading brands as WaterFurnace, Trane, and Florida Heat Pump.

An additional benefit is the free estimate and professional consulting a customer receives. Plus, one of EcoMech’s professional engineers can create a manual J design based on the customer’s specifications for a small fee that is completely refunded in its entirety upon the completion of the job.

EcoMech

http://www.ecomech.net