<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Dear Catherine</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Ireland is the geothermal capital of Europe. It has become a middle class status symbol .</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Richard Douthwaite , a highly respected green economist wrote (extract from a much longer piece)</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans"><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">"I began to ask myself that question when I came across a document on the website of a small German electricity company which concluded: “A ground-source heat pump can only be considered acceptable as an alternative to conventional heating systems from an environmental point of view if it has a coefficient of performance of over 4, gets its electricity from a CO2 free source and uses a climate-friendly refrigerant. As most current heat pumps do not meet these criteria, we advise against their use.” ‘</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans"><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Richard Douthwaite , Construct Ireland Issue 19</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><A href="http://www.constructireland.ie">http://www.constructireland.ie</A>/</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Gill Sans" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><A href="mailto:richard@douthwaite.net">richard@douthwaite.net</A></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">best wishes</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Tom Woolley</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On 18 Mar 2009, at 17:16, BuildersWithoutBorders wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Dear colleagues -</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Can someone shed some light on so-called geothermal heating systems, and their cost-effectiveness for a typical home?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I imagine the pay-back in energy saved has something to do with how many heating degree days in a specific climate.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>But then, I understand they can also be reversed for cooling.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">This seems like an expensive technology that is dependent on electrical service... can it be powered by solar/</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Thanks for any insight offered.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Sincerely,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Catherine Wanek</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Co-director</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Builders Without Borders</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><<A href="mailto:mail@builderswithoutborders.org">mail@builderswithoutborders.org</A>></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">www.builderswithoutborders.org</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">575-895-5400<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">_______________________________________________</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">GSBN mailing list</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:GSBN@greenbuilder.com">GSBN@greenbuilder.com</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://greenbuilder.com/mailman/listinfo/GSBN">http://greenbuilder.com/mailman/listinfo/GSBN</A></DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Tom Woolley</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Rachel Bevan Architects</DIV><DIV>17A Main Street</DIV><DIV>Saintfield</DIV><DIV>Ballynahinch</DIV><DIV>BT24 7AA</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><A href="mailto:tom.woolley@btconnect.com">tom.woolley@btconnect.com</A></DIV><DIV>028 44 830988</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>