Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Innovative technologies & materials

[Merlin Porter-Border (merlpb]

Non-Volatile Organic Compound paints are available on the open market.  Glidden 
made it
a company goal to introduce non-VOC flat paint by the year 2000 and beat that 
goal by
about 4 years.  Since, all major paint companies have added non-VOC paints and 
now semi
gloss is available.

Eno Commons has installed Ground Source HVAC (sometimes called Geothermal Heat 
Pump),
and we at Liberty Village are doing the same.  The initial cost, for us, is 
about $6-7K
more than a Heat Pump, but the increase in monthly mortgage payment is less 
than the
savings in monthly energy cost.  Cost recovery takes between 3-7 years.  Our 
largest
unit is 2.5 tons, no noisy outside egg beater, 1/2 the maintenance of a heat 
pump.  Some
Utility companies offer rebates.  There is a large National organization, the 
GHPC NIRC
- Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium National Information Resource Center Ground 
Source
Heating & Cooling web site, and a direct link for case studies at 
"www.geoexchange.org,"
and you can get numerous references if you search on "Geothermal Heat Pump."

Heat Pumps are a technology perpetuated by momentum and lack of vision by 
manufacturers,
installers and public officials.  They are not a good investment if compared 
with
geothermal (or gas, in the North).  Personally, I think that heat pumps 
shouldn't have
been installed in climates where the systems have to go to electric backup.  
Geothermal
units unclude electric backup, but it need not be used if a progammable 
thermostat is
used to limit recovery speed when the homeowner lets the temperature drop too 
low
(return from vacation).  A geothermal system has been in use here for almost 20 
years.
A large "dream house" with geothermally heated floor, which used Canadian 
equipment,
because the gear was not available, then, in the US.

Merlin Porter-Borden
Development Manager, Ret.
House Construction Field Manager, Active Duty
Liberty Village, Maryland