Valley spirit by Eric Eriksen
Living in the San Luis Valley is full of riches. Majestic mountains outline the Valley we call home. It’s home to the headwaters of the Rio Grande flowing across our sun-soaked landscape feeding abundant life. Thriving wildlife, forests, recreation, agriculture, tourism, and so much more helps sustain the livelihood we enjoy. I have come to learn these traits are often referred to as the rich treasures of rural life.
Amidst the incredibly vast space and beauty, one doesn’t have to be present for very long to begin understanding the true magnificence of the San Luis Valley— troves of deep cultural roots, heritage and history. Together with our family, friends and neighbors we define our “Valley Spirit.” Community, productive, ingenious, with a resilient can-do way of life are words that pop into my thoughts.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the Valley is an innovative leader and example for others across America to follow. Recently I was visiting with your neighbor, Avery Augur, and had the pleasure of learning about the cool, clever heat pump technologies he is building into local home designs. His purpose is to save homeowners money through better energy efficiency while adding comfortable value to their homes. I was surprised that he’s been doing this for years with great success. I had to ask him to share this great experience with you. Here’s what he had to say…
Words from your neighbor:
Heat pumps work in the Valley
By Avery Augur, Architect Creede America
In the Creede America subdivision we’ve had a long history of using heat pump systems in our homes. Early on we installed Geothermal, or ground source heat pump systems, in six of our homes. These systems have delivered extremely efficient heating and, depending on the configuration of the system, cooling, to these homes for many years. We moved away from the ground source systems due to the very high installation costs but have found that the same technology that made the ground source heat pump systems so efficient has dramatically improved in a new generation of low temperature air source heat pump systems. We completed a home in 2020 that uses an air source heat pump system to provide hydronic radiant heat. This heat pump is able to provide heat in temperatures down to -7 degrees Fahrenheit and has a backup system that ensures that the system continues to heat on the coldest of days. It has been operating for four years now, and we’ve been very impressed at the performance of the system. In this particular case, the homeowner added a solar array to their home and has seen significant cost savings on their utility bill. We continue to monitor new developments with cold climate heat pump technology and understand that there are some new units on the market that can operate in temperatures as low as -14 degrees Fahrenheit. We’re big believers in these systems and their ability to help keep the operating costs of our homes as low as possible.
Heat Pumps
If you would like to learn more about heat pumps or other energy savings opportunities, then please contact us at power@slvrec.com or 877-760-7468 and ask about our new Electrify and Save program, list of local qualified contractors and member heat pump product information.
Heat pumps have been working in cold climates for several years now, including Alaska and Colorado. They can heat your home, cool your home, heat your hot water and save you money. Some cold climate models have dual fuel options (electric & gas) for additional reliability and options, operating 100 percent performance as low as -25 degrees Fahrenheit. Below are a couple data graphs showing cost saving opportunities for your home or business.
We’re here whenever you need us. Connect with us online, in person or through our social media channels. However you choose to connect, please let us know how we can serve you better.
I would love to hear from you and the words you’ve chosen to describe our Valley Spirit.