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Geothermal Heating/Cooling Systems- - - geothermal heating/cooling, also known as ground source heat pumps, has been named "the most energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive of all space conditioning systems", by the Environmental Protection Agency. The system's basic concept takes advantage of the earth's constant temperature, approximately 55 degrees, to heat and cool a building. By tapping this steady flow of heat from the earth in the winter, and displacing heat in the earth in the summer, a geothermal heat pump can save homeowners 40 to 70 percent in heating costs and 30 to 50 percent in cooling costs compared to conventional systems.

Mobile Home Park Co-ops Thrive in Vermont - - Once a way for people to own a home for an affordable cost, Mom and Pop-owned Mobil home parks are being sold to predatory landlords who either kick out the residents or raise the rent to unaffordable levels. Here in Vermont, these folks have found a way to head off this tragic loss of equity.

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Geothermal Heating/Cooling Systems- - - geothermal heating/cooling, also known as ground source heat pumps, has been named "the most energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive of all space conditioning systems", by the Environmental Protection Agency. The system's basic concept takes advantage of the earth's constant temperature, approximately 55 degrees, to heat and cool a building. By tapping this steady flow of heat from the earth in the winter, and displacing heat in the earth in the summer, a geothermal heat pump can save homeowners 40 to 70 percent in heating costs and 30 to 50 percent in cooling costs compared to conventional systems.

Home Issues - - A comprehensive series of RMI guides for making your home more resource-efficient. They include topics like , , , , and more.

11 Effective Tips to Improve Indoor Air Quality - - A nice collection of ideas to improve indoor air pollution, all in one page [16k]

Mobile Home Park Co-ops Thrive in Vermont - - Once a way for people to own a home for an affordable cost, Mom and Pop-owned Mobil home parks are being sold to predatory landlords who either kick out the residents or raise the rent to unaffordable levels. Here in Vermont, these folks have found a way to head off this tragic loss of equity.

RMI - Insights - - More from Rocky Mountain Institute, plus lots of references to books, etc..

Solar Data - - Could you heat a house with sunshine where you live (U.S. only)? Check out the Solar Radiation Data for your location. Gives data for several collector types, also has basic climate data for regions in the U.S. Or look at a map of average daily solar radiation in U.S.A. ( 79k )

Solar energy - what you need to know - - All your questions about Solar Energy answered! A complete guide to how it works and whether it would work for you. History, costs and benefits, financing, and much more.

Strawbale Construction - - The hottest development in sustainable (and affordable) housing.

The Home Energy Saver - - A cool web tool that shows homeowners what to do to save the most energy and money. Enter your zipcode and get the energy use, bills, and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions for your areas' typical house, compared to an energy-efficient house. Answer some questions about your house (floor area, type of heating equipment, etc.) and get a custom-tailored energy bill breakdown along with a custom set of energy-saving improvements for your house covering all major energy-using systems.

Developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The site also has links to hundreds of Internet sites: energy-efficient homes, products, service providers, utility programs, and on-line reading materials...even email access to energy experts.

"Whole house" diagnostics and repair - - How to diagnose and repair energy leaks in your house, and if you wish, how to find and evaluate contractors to do the work for you.

Window Quilts - - Are those chilly winds of winter putting frost on the window panes? Here are complete instructions for making and installing window quilts and insulating panels.