Emergence of residential micro combined heat-and-power (micro-CHP) systems. Distributed electricity production combined with a gas-fired home heating plant. This note in the CSM does not indicate the comparative efficiency of the micro-CHP to the oil-fired forced hot water heating system common in New England.
Exploring an on-site, gas-fired source of electricity should be attractive to many in my area, given the frequency of power outages due to winter storms in New England, plus the rising electricity rates. The Massachusetts-based company mentioned in the article is working on a system that will start and run off-grid, as in a power outage, but does not yet have it.
It heats. It powers. Is it the future of home energy? - Yahoo! News
Two U.S. micro-CHP providers are mentioned in the article. I have no financial interest in either, but here are links to their sites:
Climate Energy (Medfield, MA)
Marathon Engine Systems (E.Troy, WI).