THE HELIO THERMICS SOLAR-HEATED AND -COOLED HOUSE

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

. . AND THE LIVIN' IS EASY!

You don't have to be an engineer with a degree in thermodynamics to live in the Helio Thermics house, nor do you have to tolerate idiosyncrasies in the structure that only an inventor would live with. Quite the contrary. The dwelling boasts all the modern comforts that most Americans expect . . . or, at least, have come to want.

Do you like your living space maintained at a constant 68 or 70 degrees? Then just set the control unit at that temperature. The only additional effort you'll have to make to guarantee your year-round comfort will take place in the spring (when you'll flip a master switch from its "heating" to a "cooling" position) and in the fall (when you'll flip the same switch back again). Everything else will be taken care of automatically.

As a matter of fact, you'll almost think that your heating and cooling bill is being automatically handled by the Helio Thermics control unit too. Because the average monthly cost of operating the prototype house has been only about $5.00 . . . instead of the $35 to $40 that it "should" cost to heat and cool a house of 1,100 square feet in the Greenville area.

BUT WHAT ABOUT INITIAL EXPENSE?

Then again, everything—even "free" heating and cooling—generally winds up costing something. And in the case of solar-powered houses, that "something" is usually a heart-stopping increase in the original purchase price. (Yes, Virginia, there really are prototype solar-heated homes that cost $ 300,000 ! )

Luckily for all of us, the Helio Thermics house ain't anywhere close to the $300,000 category. To be more precise, its 1,100 square feet of living space-2 X 6 studs, extra-thick insulation, collector/attic, air handler, storage pit and all—is priced at just $24,000 . . . complete. And that's only about $4,000 more than a gas or electric heated home— without allthe extras— currently costs in Greenville, South Carolina.

This means that if the Granger brothers' prototype saves its residents $35 a month (as it has already proven it can do), the house will save enough in fuel alone to make up the $4,000 difference in less than 10 years. And that's if gas and electricity never cost any more than they do right now. If the price of energy continues to escalate (and it will) as it has during the past few years, the Helio Thermic will pay off the you can adapt some of the helio thermics concepts to your own house difference even sooner. And after that, of course, its continued year-after-year savings will be pure gravy.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print