Geothermal heating and cooling contractors phones are ringing off the hook. The new 30% federal tax credit makes investment in geothermal heating and cooling a very attractive option for homeowners that want to upgrade to a green energy efficient heating and cooling system. If you want to consider the installation of a new geothermal system, you should start talking to a contractor well in advance. Many contractors are already getting a back log of jobs.

If you are planning on replacing an existing system, don’t wait until it has failed to start looking for a contractor. The best approach is to find a contractor and schedule the replacement before the system fails. Waiting until the system fails means that you may be on a long waiting list waiting for your contractor to get to your job while your heating or cooling system is not functioning.

The bottom line is that most well established geothermal contractors are going to be working with a back log of jobs to do… plan your heating and cooling system replacement in advance and all should go smooth. To find a qualified contractor, visit the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) web site to find an accredited geothermal system installer (see link below).

http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/directory/directory.asp

With the continued growth of “off grid” electrical systems, appliances that have a high electrical starting current have become a bigger issue for designers of these systems. Off grid solar and generator systems typically have a much smaller peak current capacity than electrical systems that are connected to the power grid. The lower peak current capacity of off grid systems is problematic when it comes to staring high inrush current appliances such as air conditioning, refrigerators and other devices that use electric motors. All of these types of electrical loads typically require a much higher current to start than they require once they are running. The higher current requirement of these types of loads requires that off grid systems be sized large enough to handle the large inrush of current required to start loads with a high starting current.

But there is good news. Many manufacturers are not offering “Soft Start” technology that can lower starting current of high starting current appliances by as much as 70%. The soft start technology will allow appliances such as air conditioners to operate on off grid systems and generator systems that previously did not have the ability to provide the high inrush current that these types of loads require.

Main stream manufacturers of heating and cooling systems are now starting to offer soft start technology as a field installed option. If you are planning an off grid or generator system, you will want to make sure you seek out manufacturers that are offering soft start technology.

We get this question a lot when the subject of electronic ignition controls comes up. Even though we have talked to a lot of manufacturers and journeyman, there is no definitive answer. Some experienced technicians will change the flame sensor any time there is a flame current issue, while others usually just clean them. Others will change them as part of their preventative maintenance every two or three years.

Our recommendation:
If the furnace ignition control is seeing a flame current that is within the ignition control’s normal range, there is no reason to change the flame sensor unless the flame sensor has a burnt look or it is pitted. If the flame sensor has a normal look, you can just clean it.

This brings up another subject. How often should you clean the flame sensor? We think the flame sensor should be cleaned each fall as part of the fall preventative maintenance. Of course, it should also be cleaned any time the flame current is low from build up on the flame sensor.

Flame sensors are really not all that exotic. The fact is that they are passive devices that are very reliable. There is no shortage of tradesmen that want to make the subject more complicated than that and we are sure there will be plenty of people that would take exception to our recommendation. Truth is, if you feel more comfortable installing a new flame sensor, its not going to hurt anything (except your customer’s pocket book).

UPDATED: The tax credit for geothermal installation has changed from the post we did on November, 25th 2008.

The geothermal heating and cooling industry got a huge shot in the arm from the latest stimulus packages. An exciting new tax credit is now available for home and commercial building owners who install geothermal heating and cooling systems through the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424). H.R. 1424 offers a onetime tax credit of 30% of the total investment for homeowners who install residential ground loop or ground water geothermal heat pumps.. A credit of 10% of the total investment is also available (no maximum) for a commercial system installation.

To qualify, the systems must meet or exceed EnergyStar requirements and be installed after December 31, 2007. While units installed in 2008 are subject to a $2,000 cap on the credit, units installed from 2009 through 2016 can take advantage of the full credit. Owners can file for the credit by completing the Renewable Energy Credits subsection on their tax return forms for 2008. For taxpayers that are subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax, they can claim the credit on their taxes for the following year. No proof of purchase will be required; however, in case of an audit, owners are encouraged to keep a detailed invoice of their purchase on file. The contractor who sold and installed the product should list the purchase as a “Geothermal Heat Pump” on the invoice and that it “Exceeds requirements of Energy Star program currently in effect”.

The tax credit is available through December 31, 2016. Consult your local tax professional for advice on taking advantage of the tax credit, as this announcement is not intended as a recommendation or endorsement of any financial strategy.

For more information about the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit:
http://www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/incentive2.cfm?Incentive_Code=US37F&State=federal&currentpageid=1&ee=1&re=1

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Patent-pending technology uses a single 190-watt solar panel to generate power for the fan motor that moves air across the unit’s outdoor coil

Reduces energy usage even on days with limited sun exposure

Reduces residential energy consumption during periods of peak demand on the electrical grid

HR 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, contains tax credits that will provide a boost to the Geothermal portion of the HVAC industry.

HR 1424 extends the 30-percent federal investment tax credit for both residential and commercial solar, small wind, ground-coupled heat pumps installations from 4 – 8 years. This bill also completely eliminates the $2,000 monetary cap for residential solar electric installations. This bill also provides an ITC for water energy applications (tidal, wave, and ocean currents and thermal) and combined heat and power for two years. The federal production tax credit was extended for biomass power, geothermal and wind energy as well.

For Geothermal systems to qualify, the systems must meet or exceed EnergyStar requirements and be installed after December 31, 2007. Owners can file for the credit by completing the Renewable Energy Credits subsection on their tax return forms for 2008. For taxpayers that are subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax, they can claim the credit on their taxes for the following year. No proof of purchase will be required; however, in case of an audit, owners are encouraged to keep a detailed invoice of their purchase on file. The contractor who sold and installed the product should list the purchase as a “Geothermal Heat Pump” on the invoice and that it “Exceeds requirements of Energy Star program currently in effect”.

One of the most common reasons a furnace fails to work is because the flame rectification circuit is not able to detect flame. In other words, the circuitry on the furnace that monitors the flame shuts the furnace down because it is not able to detect flame when it thinks flame should be present.

The process of burning fossil fuels used modern heating units creates a dark blue mantle in the middle of the flame. This area is highly ionized making it possible for the flame to actually conduct current. The furnace’s flame sensor has an AC voltage source applied to it by the furnace’s ignition control. When flame is present, the highly ionized area of the flame conducts current in only one direction (hence the term flame rectification). The ignition control monitors the current while the furnace is being fired and looks to make sure that the rectified current stays above a minimum level. If it doesn’t, the ignition control will shut down the gas valve.

The proper measurement of flame current (flame signal) requires that you have a good quality digital VOM. If you have a $10.00 VOM from the local hardware store, you can probably forget about making a flame current measurement. In some cases, you will need to measure DC flame current of less than 1 µA (micro amp). Only very good quality VOM’s have a current scale capable of measuring flame currents this low. For the most part, if the full scale resolution of your VOM is more than 40 µA, you probably will not be able to accurately measure flame current on ignition controls that have an operating current of 5 µA or less. With that said, here is how to connect your VOM to measure flame current:

How To Connect VOM To Measure Flame Current

Once you know for sure that flame current is low, the next decision is what to do to fix the issue. Most of the time, low flame current is caused by the buildup of combustion byproducts on the flame sensor. There is several schools of thought about what you should do if the flame sensor has a build up of byproducts that is acting like an “insulator” that causes the flame current to drop. Some technicians always replace the flame sensor while other technicians choose to clean the flame sensor of it’s byproducts by cleaning it with steel wool. Which is the correct way to repair the heating appliance? We believe that both methods are acceptable, however, once a flame sensor gets pitted or a burned look, it should be replaced instead of cleaned.

With today’s increased consumer awareness of indoor air quality issues, many filter manufacturers are marketing “allergy” type filters to appeal to these purchasers. One side effect of many of these filters is the fact that in order to increase the effectiveness of the filter, the pressure drop created across the filter when the blower is running is increased. Increased pressure drop equates to more pressure the blower has to work against to deliver air to the ductwork. As this pressure increases, the air flow (CFM), decreases on most air handlers and furnaces. This can cause performance issues on furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps.

Is the reduced airflow an issue?
The answer depends on how much the air flow is reduced. All filters reduce air flow. It’s only a problem when the filter significantly lowers air flow. If airflow is lowered significantly, it can affect operating efficiency and, in extreme situations, even contribute to the damage of your heating and air conditioning equipment.

What should I do if I want to use high performance allergy filters?
The answer is to discuss your desire to use high performance allergy filters with the technician that regularly checks your furnace and air conditioner. He may be able to recommend a filter, or more importantly, he can make sure that the filter you plan to use will be compatible with your system. He may even be able to make adjustments to blower speed to compensate for the increased pressure drop of many of these filters.

New Systems that use variable speed ECM motors can compensate for variations in filter design.
Most all major manufacturers offer variable speed blower technology on their top of the line furnaces and air handlers. This type of blower can automatically adjust air flow to compensate for allergy filters. If you are considering new equipment for your home, an ECM motor for the blower offers more than just the ability to adjust air flow. ECM motors are also much more efficient that conventional multi-speed blower motors.

We often here from customers that they do not need to have their furnace inspected because it is only 10 or 15 years old and still under warranty. First, a warranty is only your guarantee from the manufacturer that they will replace the heat exchanger if it fails during the warranty period. It is not a guarantee that the heat exchanger will not fail. Many factors can cause a heat exchanger to fail prematurely… such as lack of maintenance. Restricted air flow caused by loaded filters is a major factor in premature heat exchanger failure. A proper inspection and maintenance is the key.

CozyParts.com has added new web based HVAC calculators that will be handy for many technicians. We currently have a calculator to determine a furnace’s input by clocking the gas meter and a traverse matrix air flow calculator that allows technicians to enter their traverse matrix readings into a form and calculate the air flow.