Abstract:
A method of providing a geothermal heating and cooling system for a building having the steps of designing and installing a geothermal heat pump and loop field system to a customer&#39;s building; calculating a periodic fee to be charged to the customer; measuring the actual geothermal system usage; and charging the customer the periodic fee which is comprised of a base fee and a usage charge based on the amount the system is in operation.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention is in the field of providing a utility and determining the rate that should be charged. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    The price of using fossil fuel or electricity to heat and cool buildings has been increasing, and is expected to increase for the foreseeable future. Therefore, many people are turning to geothermal energy for a less expensive alternative. 
         [0005]    Over the life of a building, geothermal heating and cooling is less expensive than many alternatives. However, the up front cost of installing geothermal systems is considerably higher compared to alternative heating and cooling systems. For this reason, many people do not consider installing geothermal in their buildings. 
         [0006]    In the field of solar hot water systems, one solution that has been tried is disclosed in US Pat. App. Pub. No. 2008/0027883 A1 by Reddy et al. Reddy discloses a business method for providing a utility and calculating a rate to charge the customer that is not based on energy usage. Reddy only discusses solar hot water, and specifically that the rate charged is not based on the amount of energy used. 
         [0007]    Another example in the solar field is disclosed in US Pat. App. Pub. No. 2008/0091626 A1 and US App. Pub. No. 2008/0091626 A1, both by Kremen. The primary examples in these publications involve photovoltaic solar power, not geothermal heating and cooling. The disclosures teach the creation of financial instruments to purchase, lease, and maintain consumer premises equipment, and provides for shutting off the power of the consumer stops paying. 
         [0008]    None of these references apply directly to geothermal heat pumps or geothermal loop fields, and none provide any incentive for the customer to save energy. What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for financing the installation of a geothermal heating and cooling systems and charging a fee based on an output related to energy usage. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    The invention is a system and method that satisfies the need for financing the installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems and charging a fee, and is based on an output related to energy usage. A system according to the present invention comprises a geothermal heat pump; a warm leg connected to the geothermal heat pump, the warm leg being substantially covered by ground for collecting heat from the ground; a cold leg connected to the geothermal heat pump and the warm leg, the cold leg being substantially covered by ground; an inlet duct connected to the geothermal heat pump drawing cool air in; an outlet duct connected to the geothermal heat pump for warm air to exit; a sensor connected to the geothermal heat pump system that detects the amount that the system is in operation; calculating means for calculating a periodic usage fee to a user based on the amount the system is in operation; and means for turning off the system in the event the periodic fees are not paid. A method according to the present invention comprises the steps of designing and installing a geothermal heat pump and loop field system to a customer&#39;s building; calculating a periodic usage fee to be charged to the customer; measuring the actual geothermal system usage; and charging the customer the periodic usage fee. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following drawings, description, and claim. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a system and apparatus according to the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a process flow chart showing the method of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a process flow chart showing details of one of the steps in the method of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Turning to  FIG. 1 , a geothermal heat pump (“GHP”) system that is used in the present invention has a GHP  102  at its core. If the GHP system is used for heating, a heat transfer medium is warmed by the ground or a loop field  108  or other geothermal heat source, and travels up its warm leg  104  to the GHP  102 . As used in this specification and claims the term “ground” and “loop field” are synonymous. The heat is transferred to air, for example, in an outlet duct  112 . Cool air is returned via an inlet duct  110 , and is cleaned by an optional air filter  118 . The heat transfer medium, after transferring its heat, is returned to the earth down a cold leg  106  for reheating. If the GHP system is used for cooling, the flows are reversed. It is intended that this specification, drawings, and claims cover the reversed cycle as if they were rewritten to show the reverse cycle, even though only the forward, heating cycle is shown. 
         [0014]    The warm leg  104  may have a warm leg circulation pump  114  to pump the heat transfer medium through the GHP  102 . The cold leg may also have a cold leg circulation pump  116  to pump the heat transfer medium through the GHP  102 . It is understood that one or more pumps may be needed. Sensors and meters that directly or indirectly measure the amount the system is used may also be coupled with the warm leg  104 , its pump  114 , the cold leg  106 , or its pump  116 . Examples include, but are not limited to, flow meters, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, timers that count how long a pump is operating, and power meters for the pumps. 
         [0015]    In one embodiment, a warm leg sensor  120  can be provided connected to the geothermal heat pump system. The warm leg sensor could be a flow meter, temperature sensor, or a pressure sensor. A cold leg sensor  122  can also be provided, which could also be a flow meter, temperature sensor, or a pressure sensor. 
         [0016]    In the same or another embodiment, a warm leg circulation pump sensor  124  and/or a cold leg circulation pump sensor  126  could be provided. They would be connected to the respective pumps can could be timers or power meters. 
         [0017]    In the same or yet another embodiment, a GHP sensor  132  could be connected elsewhere in the system, and could be one of the types listed above. 
         [0018]    A calculating means for calculating a periodic usage fee to a user based on the amount the system is in operation is also provided. The calculating means is preferably a computer storage media electrically connected to at least one of the sensors, the computer storage media containing software programming steps that calculate the periodic usage fee to a user based on the amount the system is in operation. 
         [0019]    Furthermore, a means for turning off the system in the event the periodic fees are not paid is also connected to the system. The means for turning off the system could be a means  118  connected to the warm leg circulation pump  114 . The means for turning off the system could also be a means  130  connected to the cold leg circulation pump  116 . Another means  132  could be connected to the GHP elsewhere in the system. The means  118 ,  130 ,  132  used could be at least one electric switch or fluid valve. It might also be a computer command issued to those devices from a computer. 
         [0020]    The method of the invention is to provide the system shown in  FIG. 1  with no up front cost to the customer while generating a profit to the vendor. Turning to  FIG. 2 , a vendor will evaluate, design, and install a geothermal system for heating and/or cooling a building  202 . The design, equipment, and labor are provided as a package. The designer will calculate the expected periodic usage rate for the equipment and location as a part of the design. The vendor and customer will likely enter into a long-term contract before the vendor does any installation. 
         [0021]    The vendor, either before or after the design and installation, must calculate a periodic fee to charge the customer  204 . The periodic fee would be based on regular periodic payments, for example, monthly. The base fee would be calculated using a base fee, item  220  in  FIG. 3 , and a usage charge, described below. 
         [0022]    While the system is in use, the amount of actual use would be measured  206  by sensors and meters, such as those listed above. Then the periodic usage fee will be determined and actually charged to the customer  208 . The periodic usage fee is calculated by multiplying the periodic fee by the actual use during the period typically monthly. 
         [0023]    Finally, the vendor will be able to turn off system if the customer does not pay in a timely manner  210 . The means for turning off the system would preferably be by disabling the GHP  102  or circulation pumps  114 ,  116 , although other means could be used, like electric switches or fluid control valves. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  provides details about the step of calculating the periodic base fee  204 . It is an economic calculation having as inputs the cost of the equipment  212 , cost of design and installation  214 , required rate of return for the vendor  216 , predicted usage  218 , and service and maintenance costs  222  for the equipment and location. All of these factors and possibly more go into calculating the base fee  220 . 
         [0025]    There are many benefits of the system and method of the present invention over the prior art. One of the benefits is that the customer does not have to pay for the up front capital costs, which typically includes a high cost for drilling. Also, the vendor receives a long-term, predictable stream of income. In addition, the customer and/or vendor may be able to take advantage of financing and tax incentives for the installation of a clean energy system that replaces a fossil-fueled furnace. Finally, the customer has some control over the amount he or she pays by changing the amount of usage. There is some incentive for conservation and for turning down the heat or air conditioning when the building is unoccupied. 
         [0026]    Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.