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"  POPULAR MECHANICS contributor Ben Hewitt will keep readers updated online as he researches a series of print articles for the magazine on alternative-energy technologies--using his own home as a test lab. Hewitt and his family live off the electrical grid in northern Vermont; in the coming months they will be experimenting with ways to improve their lifestyle, while reducing their dependence on fossil fuels. -- The Editors  Just back from Iowa. Sadly, it was for my grandmother&amp;#039;s funeral. She and my grandfather farmed hundreds of acres of bottomland for almost their entire lives; my aunt and uncle still live on the farm, although it&amp;#039;s not in operation anymore.  I mention all this because I was intrigued to find that my aunt and uncle installed a geothermal heating/cooling system in the post-and-beam house they just built. According to my uncle, these systems are becoming hugely popular in the area, as heating fuel prices surge. At current fuel prices, the payoff is about three years!! That&amp;#039;s amazing. Anyway, they&amp;#039;re really happy with their system and I can attest that the house was toasty, even on a blustery night in the low 20s.  My uncle was also telling my about a biofuel plant that&amp;#039;s being built in a nearby town. It&amp;#039;s really interesting to see how quickly &amp;quot;alternative&amp;quot; energy sources begin the march to mainstream when prices rise.--Ben THE PM ENERGY FAMILY BLOG GEOTHERMAL HEATING/COOLING "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a413/2217492/>