Combined Heat and Power Systems

Combined heat and power  systems (CHPS) use waste heat to produce electricity. Once only available to large commercial power stations to increase their generation efficiency, small  CHPS (also known as cogeneration) systems for homes (micro-CHP) and small businesses (mini-CHP) are now available. In a residential application, waste heat from many sources can be captured and used to drive small turbines that can often exceed a home’s current energy demand.

Heat sources for cogeneration include fuel cells, solar PV, and fossil fuel space and water heating systems. When it is used with fossil fuel systems, CHPS can almost double the efficiency of the process of extracting useful energy from the fuel. A natural gas/propane system is capable of producing half of the home’s electricity needs from the fuel that would be purchased for home heating.

When excess electricity is produced, it can be used to charge a battery bank (for off-grid solar applications) or sold back to the local utility, reducing your energy bill and potentially earning you a check from your power company! Contact us today, and EDGE Energy can advise you on the most cost-effective system for your home or small business.