Walter Talley has utilized numerous methods of “green” and environmentally friendly building.
Green elements include :
- Geothermal HVAC: heating, cooling, and hot water
- Desuperheater: Utilizes geothermal system to further reduce energy usage and cost
- Natural, environmentally friendly cork flooring
- Low-e, energy efficient windows and doors
- 6” walls with extra insulation
- Energy efficient appliances
- Energy efficient fluorescent lighting
- Dual Flush toilets
- Recycled building materials
- James Hardie™ fiber cement siding: durable, sustainable and environmentally friendly
- Trex™ recycled decking material
- Garden plots for each unit
What is Geothermal Energy?
Geothermal energy is defined as heat from the Earth. It is a clean, renewable resource that provides energy in the United States and around the world. It is considered a renewable resource because the heat emanating from the interior of the Earth is essentially limitless.
Almost everywhere, the shallow ground or upper 10 feet of the Earth’s surface maintains a nearly constant temperature
between 50° and 60°F (10° and 16°C). Geothermal heat pumps can tap into this resource to heat and cool buildings. A geothermal heat pump system consists of a heat pump, an air delivery system, and a heat exchanger–a system of pipes buried in the shallow ground near the building. In the winter, the heat pump removes heat from the heat exchanger and pumps it into the indoor air delivery system. In the summer, the process is reversed, and the heat pump moves heat from the indoor air into the heat exchanger.
By heating domestic water whenever the air conditioning system is in operation, a desuperheater unit supplements the hot water heater or boiler, significantly reducing the cost of heating hot water. The interior of the Earth is expected to remain extremely hot for billions of years to come, ensuring an inexhaustible flow of heat using geothermal energy.
How efficient is a geothermal system?
A geothermal system is more than three times as efficient as the most efficient conventional system. Because geothermal systems do not burn combustible fuel to make heat, they provide three to four units of energy for every one unit used to power the system.
What does geothermal mean to the environment?
Because geothermal systems work with nature, not against it, they minimize the threats of acid rain, air pollution and the greenhouse effect. An environmentally friendly fluid is used in the closed, continuous loop.
Do geothermal systems require much maintenance?
No. In fact, geothermal systems are practically maintenance free. When installed properly, the buried loop will last for generations. And the other half of the operation (the unit’s fan, compressor and pump) is housed indoors, protected from the harsh weather conditions. Usually, periodic checks and filter changes are the only required maintenance.
- The geothermal system for each Homes that Work town home carries a 100 year warranty for the components of the well, and a 10 year warranty for parts and labor.
