As part of my drive to become energy self-sufficient (and to help others do the same), I get google alerts for a number of terms, and stumbled into this website by Design Pedia from the term “Energy Independence.”

I won’t google alert the term “green” as that is way overused. And having spent part of my engineering career studying the environmental life cycle of products, most “green” applications with respect to energy self-sufficiency might not be “green” at all - but still make sense to do from the stand point of long term sustainability AND economics. For example, those compact florescent bulbs - quite toxic on disposal because of the mercury. Likewise with solar panels. And many other materials that go into creating sustainable energy solutions - they need to be properly disposed of. So, from a life cycle environmental perspective, I’m not sure we really have enough information yet to know enough about the long term ramifications of the more sustainable energy producing options to make claims that one is more “green” than another.

But these designs, literally are “green.” Amongst the many fantastic design concepts, something about these three images were really charming. And just how did the little square house with four sides and white picket fence become the aspirational norm?

Would you like to come over to my hovel for a nice cup of tea?

What if I invite over my neighbor, a former NBA star?

What if the roof was covered with mint and there were sheep up there?

Geothermal heat pump application will reduce heating costs and reduce risks of monopolistic pricing practices by the only diesel supplier in town.

I’m evaluating using a geothermal heat pump to heat a property I manage in Southeast Alaska. The drivers for considering this application are:

1. Presently the property is heated using a diesel oil powered furnace for radiant in floor heating. The price of diesel oil is controlled by one monopolistic company in town and the prices go up but not down.

2. The property is vacant about 30% of the time - primarily during the coldest winter months. The heat pump will keep the house warm enough to prevent damage from freezing if no one is on site. The property has a large central chimney with a large wood stove that would suffice as the heating back up on days where the heat pump system may not provide sufficient heat when people are present.

3. There are numerous options for the geothermal heat source of water - the property is on a large body of water that never freezes.

The best site I have found so far that succinctly defines how geothermal heat pumps work is by the California Energy Commission - http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/geothermal.html