1. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?

Several attributes make it a good source of energy.

First, it's clean. Energy can be extracted without burning a fossil fuel such as coal, gas, or oil. Geothermal fields produce only about one-sixth of the carbon dioxide that a relatively clean natural-gas-fueled power plant produces, and very little if any, of the nitrous oxide or sulfur-bearing gases. Binary plants, which are closed cycle operations, release essentially no emissions.

As your family settles into the back-to-school routine and those mornings turn chilly, thoughts slowly turn to pumpkins, fallen leaves and keeping warm. But you shouldn't take for granted staying warm while keeping your energy bills reasonable.

A major problem that all too many people let fall to the wayside when it comes to keeping up their home’s air conditioning system involves the efficiency, cleanliness, and just overall quality of their house’s duct system.  Unkempt or constructed ducts can cause a great deal of damage to a home and the people who live there (not to mention causing the utility bills to skyrocket if the problem gets too far out of hand). Contaminants that invade the home via ductwork get dispersed into the atmosphere of the home, which can have long-lasting and detrimental repercussions on your health.

Autumn is a perfect time to discover and rectify any issues that you may have with your home, most specifically with regards to your heating and cooling bills.  The days get more crisp; the wind gets more brisk.  The biting cold of the winter months has not set in yet, but the oppressive heat of summer is backing off like a wounded cur.  We’ve discussed before about how fall and spring are the most important seasons for scheduling basic maintenance and tune-ups for your heating and air conditioning systems.  Today, let’s look at a few other tips for keeping those expenditures down the the nights and the days turn ever colder. 

Ah, we thank the heavens for you, our dear Southern September… Welcome back to the world, with your pleasantly brisk days and your charming night chill.  What a relief the break can be from that oppressive, heavy heat that dominates so much of our summers, and yet it is a small break.  Just around the corner lies winter, with its harsh cold, bitter winds, frosty nights, and the possibility of ice storms.  While we enjoy this moment of respite, it is the perfect time to schedule a maintenance check on your home heating units. 

How often do you stop and consider just how pure your water really is?  Our drinking water, specifically that from those community lines that run into most homes, is full of contaminants.  We guzzle it down, bathe in it, cook with it--but how well do we really know what is in our water?  Common agents of contamination found in everyday drinking water include, though are by no means limited to: silver, selenium, radium, chromium, copper, lead, perchlorate, cadmium, even arsenic.  This is why we always recommend having an excellent water filtration system in your home. 

While everyone knows the value of a working air conditioner (especially in the middle of a typical Southern summer), not everyone is willing to take the most important step in keeping it working properly: changing the air filter.  It’s just that sort of menial, miniscule task that takes very little time and costs very little money but somehow can lead to longtime friends and roommates screaming at each other over who’s turn it was this time.  Humans often have a bizarre tendency to put off simple tasks until right at or just past the last possible moment. 

The dog days of summer are upon us, and in the South the humidity levels make it feel even hotter than the temperature gauge says.  During this time, it is critical to maintain your air conditioner’s working capabilities, especially if you own your own business.  Happier employees are more productive employees, and nothing drains happiness (and energy and willpower and hope for humanity) like oppressive heat.