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.

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!

In residential central heating and cooling systems, the conditioned (heated or cooled) air is delivered to each room of the home through a "supply" duct system, the first half of the duct system. These ducts are used as pathways to deliver air to each room in the home and the "return" duct system or second half of the duct system, returns air to the heating and cooling system. The condition of both duct systems is vital to the overall efficiency of the heating and cooling system and the comfort levels in each room of the entire home. 

Energy loss is not the only concern, duct systems can also affect the indoor air quality of a home. If the return duct system is leaky, it could be drawing stale or polluted air into the duct system and distributing it throughout the home. This air could come from an attic, combustion air from the gas furnace, stove, water heater, or the outside. If the supply duct system is leaky, the home can become depressurized and air from outside may be drawn into the home through infiltration. Either situation may contribute to breathing problems such as allergies and asthma.

Now that you know that duct systems can affect both energy usage and indoor air quality, how do you know if your duct system is in good condition? The most reliable and cost-effective way to determine this is to have a "duct test" using the proper test equipment. Duct testing is the process of using calibrated mechanical equipment to measure the amount of airflow that is lost through the duct system when it is pressurized to its normal operating pressure. While some joints or seams may have only small leaks, other sections may be completely disconnected.

Duct testing can indicate the relative leakiness of the ducts and help determine if the duct system should be sealed, repaired, or renovated. Duct testing is strongly recommended when a new heating and air conditioning unit is being installed. If the existing duct is leaky and inefficient before the new unit is installed, it will still be leaky and inefficient after the new unit is installed unless the ducts are sealed. It does not make sense to install a new energy efficient heating and air conditioning unit unless the duct system is also energy efficient and provides the correct amount of heated or cooled air to each room.

Geothermal technology uses the earth’s renewable energy, located below the earth’s surface to heat and cool your home. A few hundred feet below your home the earth’s temperature remains a constant 45 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Wells are drilled around your home at a depth of 250-300 feet. Pipe is then dropped into the holes which creates a loop.  Fluid is circulated through the pipes. The fluid, which consists of water and non-toxic antifreeze, absorbs the heat from the earth and carries it through the pipe, to a heat pump located in the house. The heat pump circulates the warm air/cool air into the home. In the summer the process is reversed. The heat is transferred from the air in the house by the heat pump. Then heat is the then transferred back to the earth via the water-antifreeze fluid that is running through the pipes.  Geothermal heating and cooling is the most efficient and environmentally responsible way to heat and cool your home!