Have you ever seen Ed Begley Jr's show? He seems to know a lot, goes around helps his friends and other people.  Here's his website http://www.livingwithed.net/house.asp?target=34 It might not be anything, but just a thought!

Ps: Forget Ed Begley, who you might not like because he's a 'celebrity' lol! I was just perusing Oprah's magazine, forget that it's hers, I found an article that you might be interested in in the September issue....Author James Clave built a cottage from scratch eco-friendly and what he learned, including from big mistakes...he wrote a book "Almost Green: How I saved 1/6th of a Billionth of the Planet"....I'll shut up now

I was actually watching a story the other day about a guy here who spent like $150,000 on a solar system for his house.  The kicker was it only reduced his power bill by 20%.

So Draginol, can you be most specific as to what issues you are having? I have always contemplated the idea of solar power and maybe even a windmill since they do look kinda nice. Wouldn't mind getting a heads up on possible future issues if I ever get a change to try this.

I've heard LOTS of good things about geothermal heating and cooling.  What have you found out about it?

Hi Brad! You may remember me from the old days on c..* on usenet

My father's house uses geothermal to heat and cool. It works quite well for him. To be sure, it's expensive to set up, but if you are able to have a well, you can have geothermal.

You have enough acreage to make a windmill another real possibility. Up here in southeastern Ontario, they are popping up all over the place... and aren't without their controversy; this is the tech most likely to piss off your neighbours.

I think solar panels are still looking a little expensive, but as more people buy them they should become cheaper... though I understand that there are some very rare elements used in their construction that might create long term issues for the technology. Also, consider passive solar... the idea is to use the sun to help with both heating and cooling of the house but not by generating electricity; this is more expensive than just building a house, and requires you to look at where the house is in relation with where the sun crosses the sky, but it can work quite well too... one of my neighbours bought a few of those "heat your pool" things and put them on his roof, but instead he uses the water to heat his house in the wintertime.

Consider building a straw bale house; they are extremely good at remaining at a comfortable temperature. Of course, if you live in a place with hurricanes and tornadoes, that might not be the best possible option, but otherwise everything I hear from people around here who have them (mostly on Wolfe Island) love them... good ventilation and very good insulation.

Off topic, Brad, have you heard of this?  It's supposed to be a government program where small business users cajavascript:;n nominate which rules to get rid of.

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/running_small_business/archives/2008/09/your_chance_to.html?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_small+business

They should also start one for rules potential small business ownders want to get rid of, to be really fair.

Just invite Democrats over to speak... all the hot air will generate plenty of energy.

Oh I think many of them have.....They are all very expensive still...That is most of the problem. Planning green from the start is the key. You have to plan from the get-go which options are best suited to the particular locality. IE. Solar panels are most efficient if the house is oriented properly and the roof is designed with particular solar panels in mind. That said the most important aspect of a green home is not on the energy generation side of the equation but rather on the energy usage side. The materials used to insulate, windows, appliances, hvac, etc.