| " Everyday products can help make our lives simpler and more energy efficient. We see that with cars, appliances and even homes. Now it's becoming increasingly easy and affordable to build homes using energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly products." "The system is called geothermal. The easiest way to explain how it works is to think of your refrigerator. Refrigerators work by pulling out heat from the items you place inside -- it's why you feel that warm air coming from the back. Geothermal systems turn the earth into a refrigerator for your home." "Forty-seven percent of the sun's rays are absorbed by the earth. A geothermal system taps into that." "In the winter, it pulls in heat from the ground using it to help heat your home." "In the summer, the system reverses, pulling out heat from inside your home and sending it back into the ground." "It does require electricity to push the air through your home, but "for every unit of energy we put in this unit, we're getting three or four units of energy out of the ground which are free," said Massmann." "It costs about $7,500 to install a Geothermal system in a typical home. It can cost more than that in existing homes because you often have to increase the size of the duct system. But they often pay for themselves in a couple of years. Geothermal systems require less maintenance and can save homeowners 30-60 percent a year on heating and cooling costs." ""We've got houses that range from 3,000 square feet on up to 5,000 square feet where we're doing their heating, air conditioning and domestic hot water for between $500 and $1,000 a year," Massmann said." ""My passion is, really, to see the durability and health restored to the construction industry," said Twin Cities builder Sean Morrisey of " "Morrisey's been in the construction business for 30 years, but he didn't like what he was seeing, so he became part of a pilot project called LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The idea is to build homes with savings and durability in mind." "LEED homes are designed to save water, energy and land and the materials used in them make the home more durable and healthier for the people who live there. It starts from the ground up." "Morrisey shows how he begins constructing
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