A solar array on the hillside behind the lodge carries the electricity. A geothermal loop at the bottom of the pond nearest the house carries the heating and the cooling. That is the whole system.
The only utility bill we have received in 2026 came in February. It was $50, and that covered both residences.
The solar side
The array sits on the hill behind the lodge, which is why you can see it from the drive on the way in. It runs anything electric here: the lights, the kitchen, the hot tub, and it will charge an EV on 220V if you need it. There is a meter, and it earns its keep. We are on a net metering plan, which lets us use the utility as our storage. No battery bank on the wall, and none of the problems batteries bring a few years down the road.
The geothermal side
Most people picture pipes buried in a field. Ours went into the pond. The loop sits on the bottom of the water nearest the house, and it pulls from the same constant ground temperature all year, heating the buildings in winter and cooling them in summer.
One practical result: no bottom fishing in that particular pond. The others are fair game, and there are bluegill, crappie and bass in them worth your time. Take a bass on a surface lure and you will find out why Brad calls it a blast. Literally.
The propane, because we are not going to pretend
We take one load of propane a year. That is what heats the floors. It is the one thing on this property that is not sun or ground, and on a January morning when the floor is warm underfoot, nobody has ever complained about it.
What we got wrong
We tried twice to drill a well and struck out both times. Two holes, no water. That is the part that does not make the brochure, and it is still on the list.
Why any of this matters to a guest
Mostly it does not, until the second morning. Then somebody notices there is no hum. No furnace kicking on, nothing running in the background. Selah means pause and reflect, and a quiet building turns out to be a bigger part of that than we expected when we built it.
Rooms are $125 to $175 a night, or $375 for all three. We are 45 minutes north of Kansas City.