The Smart Guide to Geothermal: How to Harvest Earth's Free Energy for Heating and Cooling

by Donal B. Lloyd

Overview

Discover why geothermal heat pumps are the most energy-efficient technology for heating and cooling, and how all homes—new or retrofit, in hot or cold climates—can use this reliable, silent, non-polluting way of extracting free energy from the earth.

Contents Include:

- Geothermal system options, including open-loop, closed-loop and DX configurations, using horizontal and vertical earth loops;
- The importance of finding a qualified contractor;
- Costs, tax credits and payback issues, plus calculating increased home values;
- Who is using geothermal energy, including the author's firsthand experiences, home profiles in the US and Canada, as well as an overview of commercial/institutional projects;
- How solar electricity can be used to power the system, plus other future trends;
- Unraveling the science and technology of geothermal heat pumps (GHPs);
- Understanding GHP performance standards, ratings and warranties in the US and Canada;
- Comprehensive appendix with helpful resources; (manufacturers, associations, etc.) and a career section for those interested in entering the field.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940014864268
Publisher:	PixyJack Press, Inc.
Publication date:	08/08/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Don Lloyd is an electrical engineer now retired from Honeywell after 35 years in marketing, engineering and project management. He has extensive experience in taking complex subjects (such as laser gyroscopes or mosaic infrared detectors) and explaining how they work in terms understood by the general public. He is at his best when giving lectures describing how geothermal heat pumps work and why they are the ideal heating and cooling solution for homeowners. Prior to entering the geothermal world, he operated his own software consulting business as a Microsoft Certified Software Professional. He also served as an officer in the US Army. Don lives in the Hudson River Valley region of New York State with his wife, artist Martha Lloyd, in their new home where the oil trucks pass by but never stop. “Installing a geothermal heat pump was one of the best decisions I ever made!”

Editorial Reviews

This book has helped give me the knowledge and confidence to move forward. It took geothermal from something too good to be true to something too good to ignore.

New York homeowner - Louis S.

In this small volume you will quickly learn why ground source heat pumps are the most efficient, cheapest and environmentally smartest approach to take, and how to make it work for you. Don Lloyd provides that rare combination that makes learning easy--firsthand experience and practical knowledge. This is the kind of guide that will help you avoid pitfalls while also giving you enough understanding so that expectations can be realistic. Buy this book - you'll be smarter for doing it.

Dr William Glassley

A great guide for anyone considering energy efficiency solutions and even more importantly, those who have not yet considered or acknowledged geothermal as a viable answer to heating and cooling. A must-read for builders and architects who have shied away from geothermal for lack of information and understanding. This book puts geothermal and especially 'DX' in its proper perspective in a clear concise manner. Soon geothermal will no longer be 'the best kept secret' in renewable energy.

Total Green - Diana Gaeta

Lloyd, a retired engineer, explains how Earth's thermal energy can replace a furnace and central air conditioner...While Lloyd is enthusiastic about this technology, he anticipates and answers many practical questions an interested home owner would have. Recommended for public libraries and green-minded home owners.

Library Journal - David Conn

The energy of heat can be used in safe and efficient ways that allows comfort at reduced environmental impact. "The Smart Guide to Geothermal" discusses geothermal heating and cooling, something that can be effectively applied to any home, no matter how old, using energy from the earth to heat or cool homes. Explaining the technology and how to use it in one's home, this book is a strongly recommended read for anyone who wants to use or understand geothermal technology for their home.

Midwest Book Review - Small Press Bookwatch