Cogeneration, or Combined Heat and Power, increases your system’s efficiency.  A cogeneration system uses a fuel, such as natural gas or propane, to produce electricity and heat simultaneously.  The electricity can be used to power your lights and appliances, while the heat is captured to heat water or air.  Unused electricity will turn the meter backwards and be sent to your electric company for a credit.

Call our Energy Efficiency Experts™ at 401-421-WIND or e-mail us at green@gemplumbing.com.

How it works?
Just like your automobile, a CHP system has an engine.  That engine, instead of turning a transmission, spins a generator to produce electricity.  The byproduct of any combustion cycle is heat and in Combined Heat and Power systems you capture that heat and transfer it to water for use in your heating system or for potable hot water.   By capturing heat that the engine produces while it generates electricity you increase the efficiency of the system to over 90%.  Any unused electricity produced will spin the meter backwards and be sent back to the electric company for a credit.   Should your heating demand increase beyond what your CHP system is producing, your backup boiler or furnace will heat the water or air to the desired temperature.  As a general guideline it takes 3 units of fuel to produce 1 unit of electricity when you purchase it from the grid.  By producing your own electricity onsite you can reduce the amount of fuel it takes to produce electricity by over half.   This has a tremendous positive effect on the environment because you are using less fuel to produce power and are capturing the heat that a normal power plant sends into the atmosphere.

Our Products
The Energy Efficiency Experts™ at Gem are willing to work with any product that you want.  However, from our research we recommend and install the following products.

• freewatt
• ecopower
• Aegen thermo power

Why go CHP?
By producing your own electricity, you can take advantage of the byproduct of heat.  Your heat and power systems will increase in efficiency, while you save money and help create a positive impact on the environment.  Unused energy will be sent back to the electrical company in the form of a credit.  System efficiencies are typically 90% for electrical production and about 95% for heat production.

Tax Benefits
If you decide to invest in a combined heat and power system, you may pay less than what you expect.  Federal and state governments, as well as your local utility companies, may offer a combination of tax incentives and rebates to cut the cost by nearly 50% or more.  Whether you are a homeowner or a business owner, you are eligible for these huge benefits.

Application

Resources
Check out the following websites for more information a combined heat and power system:
U.S. Department of Energy – CHP