Wade

The geothermal system was installed a couple weeks ago. We went with a Climatemaster Tranquility 30 two-stage geothermal unit. This is a water-to-air system that utilizes a vertical closed loop with three 200′ wells. It cycles a brine solution through the wells to take advantage of the consistent 55 degree groundwater to maximize heating and cooling efficiency. The great thing about these systems is how quiet they are, low maintenance, and we won’t have an outside AC unit either!

As amazing as these systems are, unfortunately they are quite costly. Luckily South Central Public Power District offer customers a $1,700 rebate for installing a geothermal system like this, and we can also take advantage of the 30% tax credit from the IRS as well. All of these factors make the return on investment much shorter, and a better long-term alternative to propane or natural gas.

For the past two weekends we have been busy installing two retaining walls. We had some grade issues to contend with on the walkout basement, so these are there to extend the foundation wing walls and help gradually reduce the height. Each block is 77 lbs., and we had around 300 all together. My back is glad that this project is done!

The electrician has been busy hooking up light fixtures. We went with a lot of Glomar fixtures from Home Depot as well as Emerson Pro Series ceiling fans in each bedroom. We also used Cree LED bulbs in most of the fixtures as well which should help keep energy costs down over the long haul.

The plumbers were here today and put in the septic tank and have a good start on the leach field. The tank is 1500 gallons and will have 4 legs on the leach field. Let’s hope this is the last time we see this!

The electrician was here today and installed the LED trim rings on all of our Juno recessed can lights. These put out a lot of light and are incredibly energy efficient. We’re anxious to see the rest of the light fixtures go up as well.