T his isn't the first time Hilbert and Mercedes Bruss have experienced high energy prices. It's just that this time, while the rest of us bemoan the dent home heating fuel is putting in our pocketbooks, the Bruss household is prepared to meet the challenge head on. For the next 18 years, they never saw a heating bill. It's a really nice way to live. If the idea of an underground house conjures up pictures in your mind of a damp, dusky mole hole with furniture, one visit to the Bruss home will literally open your eyes to alternatives.
Tall trees line both sides of the long driveway that leads to the rear of the home.
At first glance, the back entrance seems a lot like any other with its expansive parking area and two-car garage. Then Hilbert emerges from the sheltered back porch, waving in welcome as if you are coming home to the family farm. But my dad was a farmer and he was poor. His father was a farmer and he was poor. My uncle was a draftsman, and he had a car and a jacket.