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Freewatt Plus demo program begins in Northeast, Midwest
June 2, 2010PERC has launched an extensive demonstration program to field-test ECR International’s new addition to the Freewatt micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) system they introduced in 2008. Called Freewatt Plus, the home heating system can deliver backup power when the electrical grid goes down.
Ten light commercial and residential sites in the Northeast and Midwest will use Freewatt Plus and will be monitored for one year. The data is being collected by the Gas Technology Institute and shared with ECR. The collected data will help the team validate the system’s reliability and performance in a variety of environments and operating conditions.
Three commercial sites will participate in the Freewatt Plus demonstration program: Danny Heineman & Sons Plumbing and Heating in Sardinia, N.Y.; Osterman Propane in Palmer, Mass.; and Mom and Tots Center in Ellsworth, Mich. Also participating are seven private homes, in Holliston, Mass.; Weymouth, Mass.; Gloucester, Mass.; Needham, Mass.; Denver, Pa.; Kittery, Maine; and Rhinebeck, N.Y. Both forced-air and hydronic propane configurations are included in the program.
The Freewatt Plus micro-CHP system combines a high-efficiency warm-air furnace, a propane-fueled Honda internal combustion engine and a heat exchanger module to produce 12,000 Btus of heat per hour and 1.2 kilowatts of power for homes and businesses. The system can help customers reduce energy costs by providing about 50 percent of a typical residence’s annual electricity needs. Freewatt Plus provides all of the benefits of Freewatt and it generates 1,800 kilowatts of backup power when the grid goes down, quietly, from inside the home. Installation also may help customers qualify for an energy-efficiency tax credit.
Any Freewatt system has notable environmental benefits. Customers who use the Freewatt system can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30 percent (almost 2 1/2 tons of carbon) compared with conventional heating and power generation technologies, PERC said.