The Power Underground

For small business owners, the cost of gas and electric can be just another cumbersome subtraction from the bottom line — not to mention the cost to the environment. But in one Icelandic town, they've decided to chuck gas to cook with geothermal energy. That's right. In Hveragerði, restaurant owners at Kjöt & kúnst use only energy generated from nearby hot springs to power their kitchen.

According to one study by Oregon's Geo-Heat Center for the Department of Energy on geothermal heat pumps, "The average annual energy savings of GSHP systems ranged from 31 percent to 71 percent and dollar savings ranged from 18 percent to 54 percent."

In a recent visit to Kjöt & kúnst for his show Bizarre Foods, The Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern sampled cod, potatoes, rice and cake cooked in the steam generated from the volcanic activity below ground.

Business owners stateside are also taking advantage when they can. At Box Canyon Lodge in Ouray, Colo., the hot spring water is used to heat everything from bath water to laundry to guests' rooms.

Sounds like a hot idea we're willing to spring for.