Cogeneration has hit the single family home market with a new system that produces electricity every time the heater kicks in. Now available in New England and eastern Pennsylvania, the 5 kW units can be powered by fuel oil, propane or natural gas and in many cases wipe out electric bills altogether.

“In some jurisdictions we can actually see the electric meter run backward,” according to Tom Sciacca, cofounder of Intelligen Energy Systems, Inc. Seven years ago he and Neil Slavin, two electrical engineers from MIT, set out to design a cogeneration system for home use. “It’s been technically feasible for 80 years,” Sciacca told NGI. “The trick was finding the right engine.”

The Intelligen system starts with an internal combustion engine that provides space for water heating. Reliability was essential so the company made an international search. The Lister-Patter engine from England is best known for ultra high-end industrial applications like the M-1 tank and offshore automated lighthouses. “It’s better known in places like the Australian outback, where there’s no one to service equipment,” said Sciacca.

Attached to the engine is an induction generator that produces 5 kW of electricity when the engine is running, which means that most of the winter the system is producing more wattage than a single family home needs. The excess is sold back to the electric utility, and the net result is a dramatically reduced electric bill.

“If a family has an electric utility bill of $100 or more a month, this system is economic,” said Sciacca, although its use is more likely in high-end homes with a big energy drain, like luxury houses that feature indoor swimming pools, that suck energy all year round. “We have some clients with bills over $300/month, and they’re the ones that are saving the most,” he added.

As a comparison, replacing a gas furnace in a house could cost $3,000-$3,500. The Intelligen system ranges from $10,000-$15,000, but the payback on that additional cost is between three to five years, says Sciacca. The company’s website (www.Intelligenenergy.com) provides detailed instructions for figuring energy savings, although Sciacca says he usually provides that service to customers who bring him their electric bills from the previous year.

Neighborhood pools and apartment houses of 25 to 50 units (with central hot water) could also use the Intelligen unit, which can be combined for bigger loads. Three Intelligen units, for example, can be attached to an Hizaki chiller for air conditioning,

So far the company has sold about 100 fuel-oil units and 20 gas-fired units, some as far south as Philadelphia and Baltimore. Most have been in the company’s home territory around Hopkinton, MA. The main problem is making the initial contact with an electric utility.

“Installing the first unit in a new district is the most difficult,” said Sciacca. He says the introduction follows a standard pattern. The initial reaction is “this system does not exist.” The next is “our company doesn’t allow it.” After Intelligen cites PURPA (the federal legislation that requires utilities to hook up cogeneration and pay for excess electricity) the company comes back and says, “OK, we have to hook you up, but you’ll have to meet these requirements because we don’t want you to electrocute our linemen!”

Being an electrical engineer helps at that point, says Sciacca, because he can point out that the induction generator doesn’t electrify lines that are down. His company now has units intalled in over 20 electrical utility service territories. Right now it will only sell the units in areas with a trained local dealer to provide support.

Sciacca compares his company to the pioneers of the personal computer. “Twenty years from now personal generators will be as ubiquitous as the personal computer.”

Sarah McKinley

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