Q: How does the combined heat and power system operate?

A: When there is demand for heat in the home the system runs, burning natural gas as the energy source. First the heat energy is used to produce electricity and then it is used to heat the home. The Climate Energy freewatt™ system combines Honda's MCHP engine-generator technology with today's most efficient gas heating technology for unrivaled total energy efficiency in combined heat and power delivery. This provides a total energy efficiency that the conventional arrangement of separate space heating and grid-supplied electric power cannot approach.

Q: How much power and heat does it generate?

A: When the freewatt system is running, 1,200 watts of electric power are produced. Over the year, a unit will generate about 4,000 to 5,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a typical northern home. This equals most of the needed electric power in the winter and about half of the annual electric need. Heating output will be sized to match the heat requirement for the specific home, just like a typical home furnace or boiler installation.

Q: What fuel does the system use?

A: Natural gas. Future systems will also be able to use propane.

Q: How quiet is the system?

A: The unit is very quiet, similar to a quiet refrigerator, and substantially quieter than a conventional natural gas furnace. The noise specification is 47 dB(A) at 3 feet. With a typical installation in the basement, it is unlikely to be noticed in the living spaces.

Q: Will it heat my house as well as my existing furnace or boiler?

A: Yes. In fact, thermal comfort will improve since the near-constant supply of low level heat provided by the system helps avoid temperature swings.

Q: What are the maintenance requirements?

A: On the heating side, the required service is the same as for any similar residential furnace or boiler system. On the engine-generator side, every 6,000 operating hours, (about every one and a half to two years) a regular maintenance service call will be needed to change the oil, filters, and spark plug and perform routine adjustments. This will be handled by the Climate Energy dealer and should take about an hour. At the same time the system will get a complete check over, something that is now increasingly recommended for any fuel burning home heating system.

Q: Does this system make sense if I have an emergency generator already installed in my home?

A: Absolutely. The emergency generator is just that: for emergency use only. It may have high kilowatt power output, much more than a freewatt™ system, but is designed to run for only a few hundred hours. Plus it does not produce any useful heat. Climate Energy's system is designed to run continuously and quietly to provide heat and power for thousands of hours.

Q: Can I add this to my existing furnace or boiler?

A: No. There are just too many code, safety, and installation issues in trying to add a Freewatt™ system to an existing heating system that was not designed to work with power generation. However, changing over to a freewatt™ system can be done when there is a need or desire to replace the existing furnace or boiler. Of course, a Freewatt™ system can also be installed in a new home under construction.

Q: What other special capabilities does the product have?

A: With Climate Energy's freewatt™ system, we are introducing the Internet connected home energy system. Our system is microcomputer-controlled, and its owners, service providers, and installers will be able to communicate securely with the system over the Internet through a web based interface. This feature has a number of convenience, reliability, and security advantages. The microcomputer continually monitors the system performance and integrity. If a problem is detected within the system, the owner and the service company will be alerted automatically.