Renewable Energy in Massachusetts
Everyone knows home heating costs have become a big concern. Our culture will begin to change, maybe today for some, perhaps tomorrow for others. While I have never studied sociology, it’s noteworthy seeing the stories in the news about people struggling to pay the fuel bills for their large rather new homes, while still driving expensive vehicles and keeping a high standard of living. Some people are bucking status quo and investing in the not-so-new fad called renewable energy.
Renewable Energy is a phrase used to identify means of gathering energy from non-fossil fueled methods, such as solar (for domestic water/space heating and photovoltaic for electricity generation), geo-thermal (ground source and water source), and other forms of power that’s more suitable towards community or municipalities like wind power and hydro-power. Other technologies are on the horizon but their practicality is many years away, like hydrogen fuel cell technology.
It will be decades before we see the end of fossil fuel heating appliances. Homes in New England traditionally are heated with oil, natural gas, propane gas (liquid petroleum), and even electric. We’re happy to offer in our service line-up Viessmann’s solar systems and Water Furnace’s geo-thermal heating and cooling systems.
With the cost traditional energy escalating, renewable energy is again a popular subject. Many of us remember the solar boom of the late 70s and early 80s. The era didn’t have a story book ending; when the tax credits ended many solar contractors cut back on their qualified technicians, or worse went out of business. This left thousands of solar systems left without proper maintenance. The anti-freeze solution became acidic and the panels experienced “stagnation”, which is when the panels would collect too much heat and damage the panels. Find out more
Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Conventional heating and cooling systems use air to transfer heat into and out of buildings. Geothermal systems use the nearly constant temperature of the ground as a heat source in the winter and as a heat sink in the summer. Properly designed and installed, these systems can heat and cool efficiently. Find out More.