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Green Mechanicals

Come behind the scenes and see how are we being efficient and environmentally responsible while increasing your comfort.
Regardless of your thoughts on climate change and the impact that we are having on it, no one can argue that it doesn't hurt to reduce consumption while increasing comfort. At Aldrich Guest House, our green practices not only help reduce the amount of resources that we consume, but it also makes for a much more luxurious experience for you, our guests!

Here are some of the ways, both big and small, that we've worked to reduce either our consumption or to increase our efficiency.

Individually Controlled HVAC

Every guestroom features individually controlled HVAC. This not only allows you to set the temperature to your liking, but it also makes sure that we're not heating or cooling vacant rooms. Additionally, mini-splits (formally known as variable speed reversible heat pumps) are super efficient as they do not burn energy to create heat. Rather, in the summer they work like regular air conditioners and in the cooler months work like an air conditioner in reverse condensing heat from the outside air and bringing it inside.  And best of all, they're hardly noticeable - super quiet and unobtrusive...you can barely see it in the photo!
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Room 1
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AC Unit

Efficient HVAC for Common Spaces

Public spaces are now climate controlled with a new and highly efficient furnace and air conditioner. Our furnace has two stages, helping to reduce energy usage while keeping the temperature more consistent between cycles which keeps you more comfortable. The air conditioner is also extremely efficient to help keep you cool when it's too hot or muggy to keep the windows open.  To the left is the new AC unit as well as the exterior unit for the mini-split system.

Twin Tank Water Softener and 
Dual Flush/Low-Flow Toilets

A Twin Tank Water Softener has been installed as well. This helps those water heaters and other appliances to have a long life and you to have soft water, and being a twin tank system means that the regeneration cycle is only run when it's needed. This eliminates potentially having hard water between cycles during times of high usage, and makes sure that large quantities of water aren't being wasted regenerating when it's not needed.

To conserve water, we've installed dual flush/low-flow toilets in every guest room as well as low-flow showerheads.  But don't worry...no wimpy showers or flushes here!  Today's technology has evolved to make sure that there's enough water pressure - so much so that you won't even notice a difference!
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Water Softener
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Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless Water Heaters

We have replaced our two 80 gallon storage water heaters with three tankless water heaters. Not only do we not continually waste energy keeping 160 gallons of water piping hot 24 hours a day, but the heaters themselves are significantly more efficient. Best of all, it's now virtually impossible for us to run out of hot water, so all our guests are guaranteed a hot shower or bath, even if everyone is taking one at the same time!

LED Lighting

LED lights are in every fixture throughout the house as well as on the outside. We had over 120 lightbulbs to replace and the good news is you won't even notice it! LED lights have come a long way and no longer have the blue glow or buzz that they did when they first came out. And don't worry, we recycled all of our CFL, halogen, and incandescent bulbs that we replaced.
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Chandelier
Our long-term goal is to return to what the house's carbon footprint would have been when it was built in 1845 which was practically zero. While we continue to work to reach that goal, come see for yourself how all of our improvements work together to ensure you have all the creature comforts of the 21st Century while respecting the resources that we have.
 
Robert and Douglas, Innkeepers

Planning a visit to Galena, Illinois? Make your reservation with us now to experience what makes us the next generation of bed and breakfasts. After all, if you're not staying at Aldrich Guest House, you haven't experienced the best Galena has to offer!
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