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  Bush Himself Has a Geothermal System

  When President Bush built his ranch in Crawford, TX, this oilman chose an electric geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling his new home.

  As an owner of one of these systems, I can confirm the significant energy savings in heating and cooling seasons here in New England. Heating savings are 40% to 50% while cooling savings are closer to 80%! With such staggering energy savings, why in the world isn't this type of system MANDATED in new construction? Could it be because heating/cooling systems are installed by companies that sell OIL?

  While traveling through Sweden this summer, I discovered that the percentage of homes heating with oil has dropped, over the past 20 years, from about 80% to about 15% today because fuel oil has gotten so expensive. (Gasoline hit almost $7.00 per gallon while I was there.) Homeowners are retrofitting their homes with Bore Hole Exchange (BHE) systems that are essentially geothermal systems designed for use in the northern climates where ground temperature is typically in the 40's. Designed only for heating, these systems, also known as "Mountain Heat", have found many commercial applications in this land of frugal and environmentally sensitive residents. (In many cities, it is against the law to wash your car due to the detergent runoff into local lakes and streams.)    

  The newest generations of the geothermal systems are almost 20% more efficient than the system I installed 10 years ago. Imagine how much more efficient they could be with additional dollars funding more research.    On Jerks. posted 3 years ago 4 Responses