The NW100

With all the hyperbole (hype) surrounding the word (Green) in the current lexicon of

American politics and pop-culture, finding a balance between cost and benefit is often

lost in the shuffle. When I hear or read that something must be done to save the planet, or

save the Spotted Owl, or save the Spiny Newt, regardless of the cost, I become

suspicious. Rarely are the true costs of any such endeavor truly realized until the good

intentions have long been forgotten. Very often, the true nature of, well nature, is not

completely understood and the knee jerk reactions and promised returns end up causing

more problems than they repair. I prefer to take a rational well researched approach to

decisions and look at the real benefit of something before running head long into a

solution that may have unintended consequences. I do believe that the proper course in

today’s economic circumstances should be one that does embrace and promote the idea

of limiting environmental impact and energy use while at the same time maximizing

efficiency and saving some of the other (Green) i.e. Money.

What if there was a way to heat and cool your home that would minimize the

energy used? What if you could heat your home using solar energy stored in the earth’s

surface and could reject heat from your home back into the ground in the summer? What

if this system could be installed on a standard city lot? What if the system could operate

at efficiencies of 300% or more? What if you were able to save 50%, 60% or more on

your annual energy bills? What if you could get 30% of the cost of this system back in

the form of a federal tax credit? What if your electric utility provider would pay for up to

$3,300.00 of the cost to install a system like this? What about a Geothermal Heat Pump?