In the United States, most cooling needs in the 1930s and 1940s were provided by gas. By the 1960s, electric chillers began making inroads into the cooling market due to lower cost equipment, low electric rates, and higher efficiency machines. In the 1970s, the use of gas was restricted and electric cooling use continued to increase. By 1990, only 5% of all air conditioning in the United States was provided by gas.

In many cases, the optimal cooling system would incorporate both electric and gas chillers. In a “hybrid” plant, the gas chillers may be used for the “base load” and the electric chillers would be used only during the peak cooling periods. In general, this is a more economic and more reliable solution than a thermal energy storage system.

No. Unitary or packaged gas cooling is available in both direct expansion (DX) as well as chilled water systems. Equipment range in size from 3 tons to 500 tons and larger. This equipment is suitable to most residential and light commercial/industrial applications.

Yes, there are three basic types of gas cooling systems; absorption, engine-driven and desiccant. In Southern California, the most popular systems are double-effect absorption (either direct-fired or steam) and engine-driven gas cooling units. Absorption cooling systems are similar to vapor compression or mechanical systems in that they utilize a cycle of evaporation and condensation of a fluid or refrigerant to produce cooling.

Yes. Absorption equipment is available from all of the major manufacturers of A/C equipment, Carrier, Trane, York, McQuay, and Dunham-Bush as well as Yazaki, Broad, and Robur, Cention, Energen, Energy Concepts and Thermax. Engine-driven equipment is available from York, Tecogen, Trane and Alturdyne. Desiccant equipment is available from AIL Research, Inc., Bry-Air, Concepts and Designs, Drykor, Kathabar Systems Division, Munters Corporation, NovelAire, Seasons 4 and SEMCO.

Yes and No. Some gas companies offer special incentives for the installation of certain gas A/C systems. In some cases, special rates are also available for residential customers.

Yes, gas service is very competitive. A family of four consumes an average of 465 therms per year totaling approximately $856.00 per year. The equivalent amount of electricity for a family of four would cost approximately $1,628.00 per year. Compared to electricity, natural and propane gas are relatively cheaper than electric energy for typical applications. Back to Top

Yes, our energy conservation allowance program can help you save up to $1,000 when you convert costly electric appliances to money saving gas appliances. Call us at 727-298-3540 for complete details. Back to Top

The Dawn Solar collection system cools the roof at the same time that it heats water, thereby reducing the cooling needs of the building. By operating the system at night and using the night sky to cool fluids, the system can provide radiant cooling and process cooling in certain applications.

Gas central heating, supplied by British Gas in most flats and houses, few flats have electric heating.

In order to ensure proper efficiency of your water heating system, a solar energy system must be used in conjunction with a traditional gas or electric heating system, rather than as an alternative to a traditional system.

Contact your Gas Company Account Executive or representative who will assist you in evaluating your facility or project to determine if gas cooling makes sense for you.

There are many types of cooling towers. The major types are wet and dry cooling towers. Wet cooling tower are more cost effective than dry cooling tower because of the high efficiency of direct heat contact between water and air. In a wet cooling tower, the cooled water can approach the wet bulb temperature of the air. In a dry cooling tower the cooled water temperature can only approach the dry bulb temperature of the air.

When biomass is burned, it produces heat (as in any simple fireplace or furnace). In most power plants (steam-cycle or steam-turbine systems), this heat is captured by boiling water to generate steam, which turns turbines and drives generators that convert the energy into electricity. New technologies now being evaluated include several types of biomass gasifiers in which biomass is heated to convert it into a gas.

Today, wood and wood-processing residues and by-products are the most widely used biomass fuels in the USA (where more than 500 electric power plants operate on biomass). These conventional steam-cycle power systems have the longest operating experience, and are well understood.

A grill either uses a fuel such as propane, natural gas, or charcoal or it has an electric burner similar to one found in an electric kitchen range. The two kinds of gas that can be used with gas grills are Natural Gas (NG) and Propane Gas (LP). NG is usually connected to your house. It will cost more to install but is much cheaper to use. With NG you never have to refill the a tank.

Golf carts are available in gas and electric models. For most applications, either will perform. Many people prefer electric carts because they are quieter and require comparatively less maintenance. But they are dependent on an electrical source for recharging – and for that reason, other people prefer gas carts. Both types of carts have about 1000 pounds hauling capacity and will perform for 15-20 years (depending on the quality of maintenance).

We do not convert electric lanterns to gas. Most electric lanterns are not designed to handle the heat produced by a burning flame and should not be converted for safety reasons.