[Rhodes22-list] Alternative Energy

[pdgrand at nospam.wmis.net]

In 1992, my wife & I decided to try something new.  We were tired of big
city living (Chicago suburbs), so we bought 40 acres in Michigan and decided
to try the country lifestyle.  When we built our home, there were no natural
gaslines this far out and I didn't want an ugly propane tank sitting outside
the house, so I looked at other options.  The electricity in our area is
provided by a nuclear (not nuke-you-lar) plant, so the cost of electricity
is relatively low and stable.  We put in a freon based, closed loop,
geothermal unit that uses the earth's relatively constant temperature to
heat the house in the winter and cool it in the summer.  13½ years later
it's still humming right along.  It requires almost no maintenence except
for cleaning the filters every month and our electric bills are very low.

Paul