• One key element in making the ecopower™ system work is hot water. If your home uses hot water derived heat (boiler and hydronic delivery system) then your residence would be a prime candidate for ecopower™.

• The ecopower™ system can be retrofitted into an existing heating environment or, of course, be designed into a new building.

• For the most part, ecopower™ is most beneficial in colder climates, where heat needs are nine or ten months per year. The logic here is that the longer ecopower™ runs (for heat) the more payback is achieved from the amount of electricity generated. More moderate climates can justify a cogen system if there is a high heat demand for such things as a swimming pool or spa, or where electric costs are sufficiently high (> $.18/ KWH) to justify on site generation provided by ecopower™.

• Generally speaking, larger homes (> 3,000 sq. ft) have a better chance of justifying a cogeneration unit because of their higher energy usage. Very large homes (>5,000 sg. ft.) can be designed with multiple units such as used in zoned air conditioning.

• By utilizing the ecopower™ system, the need for a separate hot water heater is eliminated - thus saving energy. There would be need for a separate tank (by code), however, the heat for that tank would be provided by ecopower™.

• An important consideration to keep in mind when applying cogeneration calculations is that ecopower™ is designed to run as much as possible in a heating mode. During this time, it is generating electricity to offset the electrical demand in the house. The homeowner won't be concerned about this calculation, because once programmed, the microprocessor in ecopower™ controls the unit to run at an optimum level and achieve the most savings.

• It should be noted that the ecopower™ system runs completely counter to a standard boiler (or forced air furnace) concept. In those applications, a thermostat turns on and tells the heat source (boiler, furnace) to energize and run at full speed to supply heat to get to the fixed set point. When that point is achieved, the unit turns off and awaits the next command. With ecopower™, it anticipates the heat demand from the seven sensors located in the house, the buffer tank, and outside and varies it's output to satisfy that demand. Because of this modulation, ecopower™ runs at a level that will maintain a constant heat value in the buffer tank to support the heat requirement.

• It is also recommended that a complementary boiler be used in larger houses for two reasons: on degree days when additional heat is needed, as well as a backup to the ecopower™.

• As depicted in the photo above, ecopower™ can act as a swimming pool heater also. As mentioned, warm weather applications are a challenge for cogeneration because during that time of low heat demand,ecopower™ would only supply domestic hot water needs. By using it during summer months as a pool heater, the electricity generated can help offset the high electrical use because of pool pumps and air conditioning.