SOLAR-POWERED SNOWMELT SYSTEM
While many homeowners on the East Coast were saddled with hours of shoveling after the recent blizzard, Raj Parikh and his family watched much of the snow melt away from the driveway of their Paramus, New Jersey, home.
As NJ.com reported, Parikh, an engineer, and his son, Asit, a real estate broker, redesigned their 36-year-old home in 2011 to take advantage of the warmth and cooling of the sun and earth.
Heated driveways aren’t uncommon, but they usually rely on gas or oil for their heat. The Parikhs, on the other hand, use solar collectors and geothermal pumps to heat the water that flows through pipes under their driveway.
They heat and cool their home in a similar way, surviving without a furnace, air conditioner, or hot water heater. While the initial investment may have been high, they did it all to save money in the long run.
“I don’t know if you’ve met my folks but they don’t waste money,” Asit told NJ.com. “We’re sitting on the same couches and dining table we had 20 years ago.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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