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Tapping the Earth For Home Heating and Cooling
suraj.sun recommends a CNet post giving details of a still little-known energy technology: the ground source heat pump or geo-exchange system. This is distinct from so-called geothermal energy, which taps the heat in the earth to provide energy. Geo-exchange is suitable in scale for small industry — the article describes one commercial re-development of an old mill into apartment and commercial space that put in a geo-exchange at about half the cost of traditional fossil fuel-based alternatives. Even some individual homeowners are opting for this green method of heating and cooling, at a premium in price of about 50 percent (but costs are very much per-project, largely because drilling is involved). "Rather than use underground heat, geothermal heat pumps attached to buildings capitalize on the steady temperature of the ground or deep water wells. In effect, they treat the Earth like a giant energy savings bank, depositing or withdrawing heat depending on the time of year. "
... -15 C to about +30 C (get with the metric program people) ...
The Celsius scale is metric in name only. In fact, although you could say the metric system uses Celsius, it is not really essential to it. It has naught to do with powers of 10 and the related prefixes. Also, the 0=water_freezing and 100=water_boiling is quaint but not metric. Fahrenheit has the same thing going. Zero is very cold for humans and below zero the risk of death increases dramatically. 100 is very hot for humans and above 100 the risk of death increases dramatically. From that perspective, the Fahrenheit scale is better. Also, metric proponents tend to STFU on the issue of angular measurement (360-4evah!). Let's not bring up decimal (metric) time... oops. Last, if Frenchies were interested in standardization, they wouldn't speak French.
No, I am happy for the French - they should fight for their culture as we should fight for ours. I like the 1/4" bolt, size 11 shoes, setting random thermostats to 69 (giggle), and hope to drop a few pounds this year (OK, more than a few).
Didn't 'bank' on this...
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"