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