Friday, November 30, 2007

Lincoln Tomb "Going Green"

Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site, Springfield, Illinois

The State Journal-Register in Springfield is reporting that the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site is “going green.” No, poor upkeep is not to blame. The change is part of the state’s “new energy-efficient, ‘green guidelines,’” for construction projects.

The historic site’s heating and air-conditioning systems will receive a fascinating upgrade, which relies on geothermal energy. Such technology relies on the temperature underground, which always hovers around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. A spokesman for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency explained how the new system will work:

Geothermal makes use of that constant temperature within the Earth, so in the summer it will take the heat from a building and pipe it out into the ground, and in the winter it takes the warm air from the ground and pumps it into the building.

Obviously, that doesn’t take care of the entire heating and cooling need of a place. But it does greatly reduce the need for additional heating and cooling and the use of energy.

The site has received a $25,000 energy-efficiency grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.


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