Web produced by: Alyssa BunnReported by: Clyde GrayAmericans battered by the rising cost of energy are looking for relief wherever they can find it.
Some Tri-state residents are finding that relief in unlikely places, managing to cut their energy bills by whopping amounts.
Their solution may initially carry a hefty price tag, but many find the savings more than pay for it in a short time.
Before it's all said and done, we may all follow in their footsteps.
There has been a large focus this summer on consumers' discontent with high gasoline prices. Some say consumers have forgotten about the winter months and federal predictions of substantial jumps in natural gas and electricity rates that come along with the colder weather.
Now people are beginning to think more about their home energy grids and the possibility of living in a house where the meter spins backward.
The new technology is what Perry Leitner, of Blue Chip Solar and Wind, calls "a prelude to the future."
Homeowner Tim Sturdevant says "We look forward to see our bills on a monthly basis to see what we've saved."
Some innovative Tri-state homeowners want to explain to their neighbors how converting to alternative energy can save money and take the stress out of paying energy bills.
Tim and Renate Sturdevant live in a Clifton house built in less fuel efficient times.
When they bought it, they found a furnace in need of replacement. As they searched, Tim came across geothermal heat pumps and was impressed with what he found.
"When I started to see what geothermal had to offer over conventional heating and air conditioning units, that was the logical choice to go," explains Tim.
Tim Corcoran, of Corcoran & Harnist, installed the Sturdevant's geothermal unit. The tubes he installed in the house connect to eight wells in the back yard drilled 150 feet down, where Corcoran says the ground is always 55 degrees.
"In the summertime, we put the heat in the ground, in the winter we take heat out of the ground and move it into the house," says Corcoran.
For the Sturdevants, who live in a 5,600 square foot house, that means a year-round bill of $150 a month, a third of what previous owners paid.
Renate Sturdevant says "price wise, this house is twice as large and we have half the bill. Quality wise, it's just as comfortable. Maybe a little more even."
A Price Hill homeowner is also making the meter practically spin backwards by using the heat of the sun to generate power and savings.
Perry Leitner, of Blue Chip Solar and Wind, installed a unique money-saving system into the home. "We have a personal power plant. Solar panels on the roof," says Leitner.
Leitner adds the homeowner's electric bill dropped from $120 to $15 a month thanks to the solar panels and other energy efficiencies.
When the family isn't home, their house actually produces energy.
"In essence, you are spinning your meter backwards, creating a credit. At night, while you are at home using energy and solar energy is not producing power, you are drawing back from the street and using up your credit," explains Leitner.
All of this new energy comes with a price. The Sturdevants spent $43,000 for the geothermal system and a complete overhaul of their heating and cooling system.
The owner of the solar house in Price Hill invested a considerable amount of money in her upgrades as well.
Leitner estimates the cost of the solar panel system at "about $27,500, without rebates and incentives" but adds that the homeowner received about 25% of the cost back from the state and federal governments.
Incentives like those have since been discontinued, making the cost of solar power prohibitive for most homeowners. The State of Ohio is currently trying to resurrect the incentive program.
In the end, Renate Sturdevant's experience, price and all, leads her to one conclusion.
"It really is the only way to go," she says, and a lot of people are beginning to agree.
Tim Corcoran says he installed five to 10 geothermal systems last year. Now, he's installing one every other week now.
Perry Leitner says the solar industry is also beginning to take off in the Tri-state. He adds that solar power is more probable than wind power in the region because wind turbines aren't as effective in the Ohio River valley.
A city pilot project in Eden Park found solar panels worked better than expected, while the wind turbine under performed.
Research will continue as interest in alternative energy continues to grow.
