In April 2007, I was contracted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to create an email bast for homeowners in Virginia on any topic I felt I could be persuasive about. At the time I was studying for my master’s degree in environmental management and sustainability, and was reading up on geothermal heat pumps. It was a natural choice for me. What follows is the “blast” I gave them.
Virginians: Tell your State Representative to support legislation for tax incentives for installation of geothermal heat pumps in your home. Many states offer tax incentives for installing clean and renewable geothermal heat pumps, but Virginia does not. Urge your representatives to co-author and support legislation to provide tax incentives for these and other clean technologies for the home.
{your address}
{your state representative}
Dear [Decision Maker]
I urge you to support legislation to provide tax incentives for geothermal heat pumps and other clean energy appliances for the home. Although there are currently federal incentives, many states have their own programs for homeowners to install clean and renewable energy sources. Virginia should have these incentives as well.
By using the earth’s natural thermal energy instead of conventional gas or oil heating systems, homeowners can drastically reduce their heating and cooling costs by 20-70 percent. Unlike traditional HVAC systems, this clean renewable resource uses no fossil fuels and only requires small amounts of electricity to run the pump itself. Geothermal heat pumps provide carbon-dioxide free heating and cooling on the hottest and coldest days. This is perfect for year-round use in Virginia.
Virginians deserve the tax breaks that other states provide to help in the fight against global warming. Providing a tax incentive will save the state money in the long run by reducing the load on our municipal utilities. This means less electricity from our power plants, less oil from our refineries, and less use of chlorofluorocarbons such as freon for our air conditioners.
Again, please support and author legislation that provides Virginians with these incentives. If you have already done so, I applaud you for your foresight in protecting the environment of not only Virginia, but the world.
Sincerely,
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