Country Sunrooms of America

With the ever increasing demand for Renewable Energy; in 2007, Country Sunrooms of America became a part of the solution with the Developement of our Green Energy Division. After 14 years of installing Passive Solar Enclosures it made sense to become more involved in the "Going Green" movement. Weather we decrease our dependency on fossil fuels, reduce our carbon imprint, slow down global warming or simply cut utility expenses we wanted to do our part.

We started the venture by researching the various types of Renewable Energy in an effort to choose the most practical technology for our geographic location and with the best return on investment for our customer base. Gratefully, our query was facilitated by the multitude of information available on the web.

This is what we learned:

*Wind: according to wind maps published by NREL, with the exception of a few tiny pockets, Delmarva is rated less than fair. To turn a wind turbine, wind speed needs to achieve 7.5 mph, and speeds of 12-13 are needed to create a substantial gain in kHz. Windmills must be 10% taller than the nearest obstacle (trees, homes, buildings), and also need to be 3x's the height in distance away from the obstacle. With the exeption of small roof mounted turbines, larger turbines are mounted on large steel light standards, lag bolted to large concrete footers, and rise 40' plus into the skyline. For more info go to: www.nrel.org

*Geothermal: a great source of clean energy, by harnessing steam streams miles beneath the earth. This technology is best suited for power plants on a grand scale, typically in the mid western states. Residential Geothermal Heat Pumps bring ground temperature air at 50-55 degrees to the heat exchanger rather than ambient temperature that could be much colder. This is achieved by a series of shallow wells around the home. During the summer months, the air exchanger removes hot air from the home and then dissipating the heat in the wells, returning cooled air to the home. Best suited for new home construction sites due to the extensive excavation required. For more info go to;www.eere.energy.gov

*Biomass: a clean and natural source of energy, that's been around since man has burned wood to cook and keep warm. The fuel and fuel byproducts come from vegetation and recycled organic waste such as paper. Bio-diesel fuel, ethanol, corn, pellets and wood are all part of the Biomass Energy sector. On the residential level, this technology is limited to wood and pellet stoves and in some cases bio-diesel furnace fuel. Bio-fuels are non taxable and clean burning but come from a degree of physical labor and upkeep. This technology will have it's greatest impact in transportation sectors. for more info go to:www.eere.energy.gov

*Solar: simply put, energy from the sun. The Eastern Shore is rated Good by the U.S. Department of Energy. According to national insolation maps, our market area gets 5-6 hours of sunlight per day. All that's required to make a Solar project both practical and valuable is a site with southern exposure. Collectors can be mounted on roofs or at ground level. Installation is relatively quick, easy and attractive. And since our Solar Packages come with a performance guarantee, the investment is well worth it; for many years to come!

For more info go to:www.schueco.com our supplier