1. Install of a conventional 15 SEER system – $12,500.00
2. Additional cost for Geothermal – $19,500.00
3. Total Investment to install Geothermal – $32,000.00
4. 30% Federal Tax Credit – $9,600
5. Total additional cost for Geothermal after tax credit – $9,900.00

After the tax credit the total additional investment in a Geothermal system is $9,900.00. Yes, that still seems like a bit more but now let's look at how fast you will receive a return on that investment. On average a Geothermal system has a life span of twenty years compared to a conventional system which on average of 15 years. So above you saw what you have to pay out but let's take a look at what you will get.

1. Average monthly savings in your electric bill  - $325.41
2. First year savings – $2,361.86 (or 33 trees)
3. First year ROI – 23.857%
4. Estimated lifetime savings – $78,097.29 (or 661 trees)

After the third year you will have saved $7,445.78 by using Geothermal and by the fourth year $10,179.93, which means that you have seen a 100% ROI by the fourth year of using your Geothermal system. So now not only are you doing what is best for the environment you are doing your wallet a favor too!

So there we were last week…cold, snow, wind and then darkness! There were 1000′s of us that lost power last week and let’s face it there is NOTHING enjoyable about being without power!   We were all out looking for a near by hotel where we could keep warm for the night or bunking up with parents, family and friends.  I mean I like my friends and family as much as the next person but there comes a time when you really just want to be in your OWN HOME! People…there is such a simple solution to this problem!

Install A Residential Generator!

A residential generator is installed permanently outside your home and is available in different sizes. After a power outage occurs the generator starts up automatically, usually within 10 seconds, and will continue to provide power to your preselected circuits.  A smaller generator will supply plenty of power to your refrigerator, lighting, television, computer and furnace or air conditioner. A larger residential generator can handle pretty much everything in the home including large wine cellars, security system and multiple air conditioners or heaters. You will have to talk to your H.V.A.C. provider about the size that best fits your home.

At the office we use and recommend the Lennox Home Generator. The Lennox Home generator performs a 20-minute full speed, self diagnostic test each week to ensure it is performing correctly. Please be aware when shopping for and installing a generator that you have something that is safe and reliable. We always recommend consulting with an electrician or your H.V.A.C. company for advice on what is best for your home as well as having one of them install the equipment correctly!

Summer is around the corner and if another power outage does occur instead of no heat it will be… NO AIR CONDITIONING… and I don’t know one person in Dallas that is ever comfortable with those three words!

One of the bigger financial benefits of installing a geothermal system is the tax credit that you will be eligible to receive. When the Energy Improvement Act of 2008 was passed it offered a one time tax credit of 30% of the TOTAL investment for homeowners who install residential ground loop or ground water geothermal heat pumps. So let’s say for instance you install a geothermal system at your home and the total cost is $32,000.00 the tax credit that you will receive is $9,600.00! That’s not bad! Doing what is best for the environment and getting money back from Uncle Sam to do it!

To qualify for the credit the system must meet or exceed EnergyStar requirements and be installed after December 31,2007. Units that were installed in 2008 are subject to a $2,000.00 cap on the credit. If the unit was installed from 2009-2016 then the homeowner can take advantage of the full 30% uncapped credit. Covered expenditures include labor for on site preparation and assembly or original system installation and for piping and wiring to connect the system to the home. The structure must be located in the United States and used as a residence by the taxpayer, although primary residency is not required.

Homeowners can file for the credit by completing tax form 5695, which has yet to be published for the 2009 tax year. The tax credit can be used to offset both regular income taxes and alternative minimum taxes. If the federal tax credit exceeds tax liability, the excess amount may be carried forward into future years. The tax credit will be available until December 31, 2016.

This tax credit “The Energy Credit” can also be applied to solar-electric systems, solar water heaters, and wind turbines. If you are thinking about using alternative energy sources then this is a good time to move forward. The tax credit gives you a little bit more incentive to “Go Green” with your energy systems.

For more information and to see a draft of the Form 5695 you can visit the IRS website.

Germicidal lamps work along side other indoor air filtration systems to keep your indoor air quality healthy. The lamp uses intense rays of ultraviolet light to kill and control things like bacteria and mold that grow inside your home.  Research has shown that the air in your home may be up to five times more polluted than the air outside and considering how much time we spend in our homes we should do everything possible to make sure the air we are breathing is clean. 

How do germicidal lamps work?The lamp uses the short wavelength of UV that is damaging to forms of life at the micro-organic level. The light  penetrates the cell walls of the micro-organisms, which includes pathogens, viruses and mold,  so their DNA is disrupted causing them to no longer be able to grow or multiply. The lamp is installed in the air-duct system and sterilizes the air coming into your home. You will want to talk to your H.V.A.C. contractor about the size and the wattage of the lamp to be used in your home. The lamps are similar to a fluorescent lamp in that they do not produce much heat. Germicidal lamps do not produce any dangers to humans. Obviously, at high levels UV light can be damaging to humans but because of the low levels of light and of where the lamp is installed in the home the homeowner rarely comes in contact with the lamp. 

Once the lamp is installed it is usually good for close to 10,000 hours of continuous use. It is recommended that the lamp be replaced once a year. The lamp will most likely always be lit but the UV effectiveness of the lamp is reduced after about 10,000 hours of use. If you want the lamp to continually be effective then you do not want to wait until the bulb goes out to replace it. It is also a good idea to clean the lamp every few months. If you have a service contract with your H.V.A.C. company they will be able to clean the lamp during their quarterly visits. Making sure the lamp is clean is another way to help maximize the life of the lamp. Many companies also offer a warranty on certain components and so if something does go wrong it is many times covered under warranty. 

Using UV Germicidal Lighting as a way to sterilize air and water has been around since the mid-20th century. They are most often used in water tanks, sealed rooms and forced air systems. Many times you will see them installed in someone's hot tub or fish tank.  Germicidal lamps are not only  beneficial for humans but also for the performance of your home's heating and air conditioning systems. The contaminants that the lamp kills also have a negative impact on your indoor air equipment. Therefore the lamps not only have health benefits but also benefit the equipment in your home. 

Weather you are living in a newly built home or an older one you and your family are at risk of suffering from poor indooor air qulaity. There are three types of contaminants that can cause the air quality in your home to be poor. First there are particles which include things like pet dander, pollen and dust, and then airborne mold spores which are microscopic living organisims that grow and reproduce in warm, humid places and last there are odors and chemicals which include things like cleaning supplies, paints, and pet odors. If you are in a new home there is a higher likelihood of chemicals and in an older home you are at more of a risk for mold and mildew. There are many different air purification systems on the market. We use and recommend the Lennox PureAir Air Purification System. The PureAir system helps reduce the amount of everything from dust mites and mold spores to infectious bacteria and viruses. It is also one of the only indoor air quality systems that safely removes and destroys odors and chemical vapors. The PureAir Air Purification System is made up of three different parts. A MERV 16 Precision Pleat filter, two 55-watt UVA lamps and a metal insert that is coated with a catalyst that’s activated by UVA light. The system reduces concentrations of pollutants through a process called photocatalytic oxidation which combines three powerful air purfiiers. The filter captures particles and bioaerosols, removing them from the airstream, then as the chemical and odor filled airstrem flows over the UVA lamps, the airstream is exposed to the catalytic surface and then the light energy and water vapor in the air activate the titanium dioxide catalyst, which generates hydroxyl radicals. These hydroxyl radicals attack the carbon compenents of the odors and chemical vapors, breaking them down into carbon dioxide and water. Bad indoor air quality can effect the health of you and your family. The more odors and chemical vapors that are in your home the more likely you or a family member might suffer from shortness of breath or diziness, especially if there is already an underlying ailment such as asthma. It is beneficial for everyone in your home to breathe good quality air. The benefits of installing a Lennox PureAir Air Purification System include not only cleanliness and comfort but most importantly the health of you and your family.

Cutting back unnecessary energy use is an easy way to keep your hard earned money in your pocket. Here are some suggestions you can do at home, at absolutely no cost to you.

Let the sunshine in. Open drapes and let the sun heat your home for free (get them closed again at sundown so they help insulate).

Rearrange your rooms. Move your furniture around so you are sitting near interior walls – exterior walls and older windows are likely to be drafty. Don't sit in the draft.

Keep it shut. Traditional fireplaces are an energy loser – it's best not to use them because they pull heated air out of the house and up the chimney. When not in use, make absolutely sure the damper is closed. Before closing the damper, make sure that you don't have any smoldering embers. If you decide not to use a fireplace, then block off the chimney with a piece of rigid insulation from the hardware store that fits snugly into the space (dampers don't shut fully without some leaking).

Eliminate wasted energy. Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms. Unplug that spare refrigerator in the garage if you don't truly need it – this seemingly convenient way to keep extra drinks cold adds 10-25 percent to your electric bill. Turn off kitchen and bath-ventilating fans after they've done their job – these fans can blow out a house-full of heated air if inadvertently left on. Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning to prevent up to 8 percent of your furnace-heated air from going up the chimney.

Shorten showers. Simply reducing that lingering time by a few minutes can save hundreds of gallons of hot water per month for a family of four. Showers account for 2/3 of your water heating costs. Cutting your showers in half will reduce your water heating costs by 33 percent.

Use appliances efficiently. Do only full loads when using your dishwasher and clothes washer. Use the cold water setting on your clothes washer when you can. Using cold water reduces your washer's energy use by 75 percent. Be sure to clean your clothes dryer's lint trap after each use. Use the moisture-sensing automatic drying setting on your dryer if you have one.

Put your computer and monitor to sleep. Most computers come with the power management features turned off. On computers using Windows, open your power management software and set it so your computer goes to sleep if you're away from your machine for 5 to 15 minutes. Those who use Macintosh computers look for the setting in your Control Panels called "Energy Saver" and set it accordingly. When you're done using your computer, turn it off (see next tip). Do not leave it in sleep mode overnight as it is still drawing a small amount of power.

Plug "leaking energy" in electronics. Many new TVs, VCRs, chargers, computer peripherals and other electronics use electricity even when they are switched "off." Although these "standby losses" are only a few watts each, they add up to more than 50 watts in a typical home that is consumed all the time. If possible, unplug electronic devices and chargers that have a block-shaped transformer on the plug when they are not in use. For computer scanners, printers and other devices that are plugged into a power strip, simply switch off the power strip after shutting down your computer. The best way to minimize these losses of electricity is to purchase ENERGY STAR® products.
 

For the past 40 years R-22 has been the refrigerant of choice for most residential H.V.A.C. equipment. R-22 is a chlorine based HCFC. An HCFC molecule is made of chlorine, fluorine, carbon and hydrogen atoms. It has been tested and is believed that because of how R-22 is produced, that it plays a part in ozone depletion. The theory is that when the molecules that are contained in R-22 refrigerant are released into the atmosphere they are eventually broken down into their individual atoms and the chlorine atoms then react with the ozone and cause ozone destruction to happen faster than ozone creation. How are you and your family affected by ozone depletion? The stratospheric ozone protects us, our animals and our plans from dangerous ultraviolet rays and as the ozone depletes it loses its ability to protect us from the dangerous ultraviolet rays thus causing increased possibilities of things like skin cancers and cataracts.

The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of substances that are believed to play a part in ozone depletion. At the first signing of the treaty in 1987 it was decided that R-22 refrigerant would be one of the substances to eventually be phased out of production. Twenty years later R-22 is, in fact, being phased out of production and as of January 1, 2010 all new residential H.V.A.C. equipment manufactured in the United States will no longer use R-22. Understand that this is NEW manufactured equipment. R-22 will still be available to the consumer and equipment that already uses R-22 can still be serviced and if necessary recharged with R-22 up until January 1, 2020. ALL new production of R-22 refrigerant will be stopped as of January 1, 2020.

Replacing the R-22 is the new R-410A refrigerant. Starting January 1, 2010 all H.V.A.C. equipment manufactured in the U.S. will use R-410A. EarthPure        (R-410A) as it is also called is a HFC (non chlorine based) refrigerant with zero ozone depletion potential. Besides being ozone friendly R-410A refrigerant also captures heat and releases it better than R-22, which means that an air conditioer that uses R-410A requires less refrigerant that the same size system that uses R-22. The not so good news is that R-410A can not be used in systems that were built to use R-22 and if your system is older, it most likely uses R-22 refrigerant.

So the question is what to do if you have an R-22 system that has a coil that need to be replaced. Do you replace just the coil and continue using the R-22 or do you think about replacing the entire system? The answer depends on a few things. One thing to consider is how old your system is. If the system is still under warranty then it might be a good idea to go ahead and replace the part, but if the system is out of warranty you will want to consider replacing the entire unit and not just the part. The life span of a system is anywhere for 10-20 years and so if you have an older system you will most likely be better off replacing the system with one that uses the R-410A. Remember the R-22 will only be manufactured in the U.S. for another 10 years and many R-22 manufacturers are aleady closing their doors and so eventually their will be a cap on the amount of R-22 that is available which will create a price increase for all R-22 refrigerant. Every major air conditioner manufacturer in the U.S. has chosen    R-410A  to replace R-22. The choice for the environment and the choice of U.S. air conditioner manufacturers is R-410A refrigerant.

 Geothermal heat pumps help electric utilities see significant reductions in their demand loads and by reducing the demand in turn reduces the need for new power plants which then reduces the need for natural resources like coal and gas. Geothermal heat pumps also reduce the possibility of acid rain, air pollution and global warming- problems caused in part by the burning of fossil fuels. A 2,500 square-foot home with a geothermal system installed saves the electric company from having to burn more than nine additional tons of coal a year when comparing it to a conventional system.

It has been estimated ny the U.S. General Accounting office that if geothermal systems were installed by more of the population then they could save several billion dollars annually in energy costs and also reduce pollution. Something to think about is that for every 100,000 residential geothermal systems installed, more than 37.5 trillion BTU’s of energy used for space conditioning and water heating would be saved. This translates to an emissions reduction of close to 2.18 million metric tons of carbon equivalents and a cost savings to consumers of about $750 million over the 20-year life of the equipment. Geothermal heat pumps also reduce the need for foreign oil. For every 100,000 homes with a geothermal system there would be a reduction in the need for oil by 2.15 million barrels annually.

Geothermal systems are beneficial for the earth, the economy as well as your own home!