We all want to do our best to live more sustainably but preferably without costing our comfort. Thankfully, as technology develops, there are more and more ways in which we can take a greener approach to heating our homes without compromising on warmth.

Even if you are happy with your current type of heating system, it’s a good idea to make sure it’s still up to scratch. Old boilers or furnaces are even worse for the environment, since as they get older they become less efficient, meaning they use up more energy. If you’re ready to update your boiler and reduce your carbon footprint (as well as your energy bills!).

If you’re not sure yet about which kind of boiler or heating system you’d like for your home, we’ve got you covered! Below are some of the most eco-friendly options currently available for you to consider:

Heat pumps

Through the transfer of heat to or from an external source, heat pumps offer low-carbon heating and cooling for your home. There are numerous types of heat pumps from which you can choose for your home. They all function in a similar way, but their use of different heat sources affects each one’s performance and cost.

Air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps are the most popular types. Heat pumps of all varieties are extremely effective, with levels between 300 and 400 percent.

Air source heat pumps are the cheapest of the two and also require the least amount of space. They work best in milder climates, since in colder weather they have to work harder to maintain the same temperature which will in turn increase the running costs.

On the other hand, ground source heat pumps can still work efficiently despite cold weather. This is because they are installed underground where the temperature is relatively constant all year round. Unfortunately, this does come at a cost though, since ground source heat pumps are one of the most expensive options and require a lot of space.

Micro-CHP Systems

So what exactly is a micro-CHP system? Micro-CHP (combined heat and power) technology is able to produce both electricity and heat at the same time. This heating system has really taken off in Japan, where around 230,000 are currently in operation. And as the technology develops, this popularity is likely to increase around other parts of the world.

Micro-CHP systems are not considered to be a renewable energy system, as they are typically powered by fossil fuels. However, they are still viewed as a low carbon alternative to many other types of heating systems, therefore, reducing your carbon footprint.

In addition to this, green energy suppliers that provide 100% renewable energy are becoming more common, so an alternative to powering a micro-CHP system with fossil fuels may already be available to you.

Biomass Boilers

Another alternative to traditional unsustainable heating systems is a biomass boiler. Biomass is biological material obtained from living organisms such as plants. Biomass can be used in a variety of ways to produce heat: directly via combustion, or indirectly after being converted into another type of fuel such as methane, ethanol, or biodiesel.

If you already have a gas or oil boiler, switching to a biomass boiler will be simple because it operates similarly but with less carbon production.

If you decide to use a biomass boiler, it’s vital to keep in mind that you will need room in your home to store the fuel and that the cost of the fuel may differ depending on where you’re located.

Electric Combi Boiler

Another easy switch to make is an electric combi boiler. New boiler costs can vary depending on many factors, but electric combi boilers tend to be one of the cheaper options as they don’t require any extra tanks or cylinders. This also means electric combi boilers fit well with homes that want to make the most of their space and don’t have a high hot water demand.

Electric boilers also have efficiency ratings of 99-100%, which is higher than your average gas boiler or furnace. With that being said, it’s important to make sure that your electricity is coming from a green supplier so you know that it is actually coming from a renewable source. Alternatively, you could also consider installing solar pv panels to your own home!

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Cogenra was founded by Dr. Gilad Almogy, with a BSC in Physics and Mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and the inventor of over 30 registered US patents. Before founding Cogenra, which Vinod Khosla also had a hand in creating, Almogy was a senior VP of the Display and Thin Film Solar Products at Applied Materials (AMAT).

His innovative solar cogeneration (making heat and electricity from solar power) succeeds in bringing solar power costs down to the level of fossil fuels – but without those catastrophic health and climatic side effects!

Because it simultaneously eliminates both traditional electricity from a utility, and the gas used to heat water, it eliminates greenhouse gas emissions at nearly three times the rate of traditional PV and at twice the rate of solar hot water alone.

By producing both electricity and hot water, Cogenra’s unique hybrid solar system extracts five times the net energy, and at 80% efficiency; actually outdoes ZenithSolar, another solar cogeneration company born in Israel, and now making inroads overseas (72% Efficient ZenithSolar Gets Demo Down Under)

This week his company Cogenra will announce a contract to supply the Southern Arizona retirement community La Posada with a solar cogeneration system, making it sustainable to host a retirement community in the arid desert. Formerly La Posada had high energy costs resulting from its position in the desert – and future energy uncertainty.

Arizona depends on nuclear power, but nuclear cannot take the heat that represents the climate future of Arizona. Dry spells and climate change have shut down nuclear plants around the world: rivers are running at record heat in the US, and nuclear is constrained to stop operating when the rivers they discharge to reach temperatures over 86 degrees. So nuclear power is unsustainable in a hotter future.

Because solar eliminates the ongoing expenses for increasingly unpredictable and unknown energy costs in Arizona, any solar displacement of electricity bills is ideal for its retirees, who need to live a long life on a fixed income. Buying solar upfront takes energy out of the cost equation, bringing real security to seniors.

Cogenra also offers a contract-for-energy-produced option, where a company would just pay for power by the hour. That is through Cogenra’s Heat & Power Purchase Agreement (HPPA) which provides predictable long-term energy costs without upfront expense, debt or ongoing maintenance exposure. The company is confident enough that their technology delivers at the cost advertised that they are willing to back it themselves by selling the power it produces at a fixed rate.

How it works:

A long narrow array of solar photovoltaic cells face downwards towards the reflected and highly focused sunshine bounced up by the mirrors. Above the solar array is the tube that carries the liquid being heated by the same intense focused sunlight. It removes the heat for use in solar hot water.

As with PVT’s Echo, the hybrid solar co-generation technology also solves a problem with solar PV: that it is somewhat less efficient when it is too hot. Solar electricity can be more efficient in Minnesota on a snowy day than in Arizona during a heat wave, because solar panels produce more power when they are not overheated.

The liquid is constantly removing the heat built up behind the solar panels, siphoning off heat so that the panels produce at their optimum. Nevertheless, the heat production versus the solar electricity production is about four to one: making these ideal for businesses like large industrial food processors, hotels, laundromats and restaurants: that need to make four times more hot water or heat than electricity.

::Cogenra

Read more on solar energy from Israel:

One Solar Cell. 2KW Power. 5KW Heat. ‘Nuff Said?
Forbes Names Israel’s Shari Arison As One of the World’s Greenest
Gonen Fink’s Pythagorean Theorem: a Skylight that Makes Electricity

The post Cogenra Solar Brings Heat&Power to Arizona’s La Posada appeared first on Green Prophet.