Cogeneration System For Residential Construction: Heat And Power Produced By Natural Gas Or Propane

摘要

The "freewatt" home-heating system combines a Honda generator with a high-tech control module and high-efficiency furnace or boiler to produce heat and power for homes. The natural-gas or propane-fired generator produces 1.2 kWh of electric power, and almost all heat produced by the engine is captured, including that from the cooling system, exhaust and oil sump. The system was developed by Climate Energy LLC, a joint venture of ECR International Inc., Utica, N.Y., and Yankee Scientific Inc., Mefield, Mass., with assistance from Honda. It can supply two-thirds of the heat and one-half of the power required by the home, the balance of electricity coming from the grid and heat from the furnace or boiler. "Unlike a traditional home-heating system, freewatt can produce nearly 5,000 kW of electricity each year, which reduces your carbon footprint by up to 6,000 lb," says ECR President Michael Paparone. The company has installed 200 units in the Northeast as part of a pilot program and will be taking the system across the U.S. and part of Canada this year.