Fireside Headlines

Imagine getting everything you want in a new home and paying less each month. Sound too good to be true? Well it’s not.

It all starts by making wise choices in improving the energy efficiency of your home. The money you save on utilities will more than pay for the improvements.

Bob Burnside, of Fireside Homes, made these choices when he decided to build his Showcase home. The use of SIP panels, foam insulation and high performance windows reduced the demand for heating and cooling dramatically.

With rising cost of natural gas, propane and fuel oil, home heating has become a great concern. For this reason, Bob chose a WaterFurnace Premier E system installed by Michigan Energy Services for heating, cooling and hot water.

Geothermal heating and cooling uses the natural heat energy stored in the earth. In Michigan, the temperature remains a constant 52 degrees, just below the frost line, at approximately 4 feet below grade. Plastics pipes are buried in the ground and filled with a water and antifreeze solution. This solution is then circulated through the pipes and the heat from the earth is absorbed. Inside the home, a furnace receives this heat in a heat exchanger. This takes the heat out of the solution and compresses it to a higher temperature that is distributed into the home for heating. The process in then reversed in the summer to provide air conditioning.

In Bob’s case, heating, cooling and hot water will average $58 a month. Compare that to a propane furnace at $320 a month or natural gas at $197 a month. The water furnace system is a smart choice.

To learn more, visit www.energypath.com. Submitted by Rob Derksen, Michigan Energy Services