We cannot always rely on our government, but individuals can help protect themselves from the instability of the energy grid, rising energy costs, and severe weather. Many Herndon residents are unaware of the possibilities.
Articles rarely mention ground source geothermal which is quietly working in our yard 24/7 to help heat and cool our TOH house and supplement our water heater. This technology (groundhog hybrid system) is eligible for the federal energy tax credit. There are many small firms installing these kind of systems as opposed to large corporate wind and solar plants. Upgrading your HVAC system is a good way to support local small business. More geothermal could help to offload the grid significantly. It could reduce dependence on fossil fuels as well as reduce the need for solar and wind. Unlike solar and wind, residential geothermal produces 24/7 and does not require unsightly equipment and lasts a long time without degrading.
In addition to geothermal, solar thermal air heat as well as water heat is seldom mentioned but usually has a faster payback than photovoltaics. It is something else to consider for what needs to be a multi-part individual solution to energy self sufficiency until our government steps up. There is also small business technology to use waste oil on-site for restaurants as well as to reuse the heat created from walk-in refrigerators for hot water. And of course insulation/conservation is the "third fuel."
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On a larger scale, specific to Herndon and the development of the nearby Waterside quarry site, I would like to propose a feasibility study to use the future rock quarry lake as a geothermal chiller like Nashville's airport. I am personally not in the energy business but make this suggestion as a concerned citizen.
We need to invest in the tools already available to solve our energy challenges in Herndon. It is not all dependent on federal or local government or large corporations. It does not have to be political, though some local incentives and public service announcements targeted to local residents and businesses would be nice. Please consider all your options to save your own and fellow taxpayers' money.