Where there’s a need, there’s a way. Turns out that the biggest number of ENERGY STAR homes are being built in steamy Sunbelt locations where keeping the AC under control is an urgent need.

The top market, with the most ENERGY STAR-qualified homes built since the program begin in 1995, is Houston, with 144,000 homes.

The next top cities with the most homes built to these guidelines include Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles, according to a list released by the EPA, which announced today that there are now 1 million ENERGY STAR-qualified homes in the US.

The ENERGY STAR program requires that buildings take extra steps to conserve energy by using sufficient insulation, a tight building envelop, high-rated windows and efficient heating and cooling systems, making them 15 to 30 percent more energy efficient than homes built to standard code.

Along with passing the 1 million mark, the ENERGY STAR “label” for homes is growing in popularity, said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

“This is an amazing achievement for the Energy Star program – but the real winners are the 1 million American families who have the chance to save money and keep harmful pollution out of the air. That’s great news for anyone who wants to cut costs and protect our planet,” Jackson said. “We’re going to keep the number of Energy Star homes growing, because every new Energy Star home is a step towards lower costs, cleaner air, and communities that are environmentally and economically sustainable. We’re giving everyday American homebuyers the power to lower their bills and join the fight against climate change.”

The EPA, which oversees ENERGY STAR, estimates that the existing ES-rated homes will save their owners, collectively, $270 million on their electric bills this year, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to operating 370,000 cars for the year.

The cities with the most Energy Star-qualified homes:

• Houston, TX (144,000)

• Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (103,000)

• Las Vegas, NV (80,000)

• Phoenix, AZ (73,000)

• Greater Los Angeles, CA (57,000)

• Greater New York, NY (25,000)

• Tucson, AZ (19,000)

• San Antonio, TX (19,000)

• Sacramento, CA (18,000)

• San Diego, CA (18,000)

• Columbus, OH (17,000)

• Des Moines, IA (16,000)

• Indianapolis, IN (14,000)

• Austin, TX (13,000)

• Greater Philadelphia, PA/Wilmington, DE (12,000)

• San Francisco-Oakland, CA (11,000)

• Boston, MA (10,000)

• Denver, CO (7,800)

• Orlando, FL (7,600)

• Oklahoma City, OK (7,500)

Want to know more? You can take a virtual tour of an ENERGY STAR home at the program’s website. You also can find an ENERGY STAR builder in your home state or city, using the website’s builder finder.

Cars that deliver 30 mph typically don’t deliver much else. Acceleration is, at best, peppy. You can buy fuel efficiency, but you can’t find a thrill.

The 2009 BMW 335d is a breakthrough automobile: great fuel economy coupled with great performance.

The reason is BMW’s 3-liter, inline six-cylinder twin-turbocharged diesel engine. This clean-burning diesel engine cranks out 265 horsepower and an astonishing 425 lb-ft of torque. What’s torque, you say? Torque is what pins you to the back of the seat when you punch the accelerator.

BMW says the 335d jumps from 0-60 mph in six seconds and we have no reason to say otherwise. It’s tough to work a stopwatch with both hands on the wheel and a big grin on your face.

Diesel cars are no longer the clattering, black smoke spewing vehicles of decades on by. New generation diesels burn cleaner than most gasoline engines. The BMW 335d, in fact, qualifies for a federal Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Tax Credit of up to $900.

The fuel economy is stunning for a car of this size that offers this performance. The EPA fuel economy estimate is 23 mpg in city driving and 36 mpg in highway driving. We got nearly 34 mpg in a mix of driving that included very little of the set-the-cruise-control freeway driving that boosts average fuel economy readings.

Oh, and did we mention this car is fun, fun, fun to drive? The six-speed automatic transmission makes good use of the power. The handling is rock solid as is now expected from BMW. The car has dynamic stability control, traction control and four-wheel ventilated anti-lock brakes.

The cabin is very comfortable, luxurious in a minimalist Germanic sort of way. The front seats have plenty of lateral support to keep folks from sliding side to side as the car zips through S-turns.

Rear passenger legroom is strictly OK and there isn’t much storage space. But you can’t have everything. A fuel-efficient car that hauls ass will have to be enough.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Las Vegas, that city of celebrated excess, is going green?

In a word, yes – at least, in one concentrated area.

The soon-to-debut CityCenter, a seven-building luxury development created by MGM Mirage and Infinity World Development Corps, a subsidiary of Dubai World is slated to open in stages from early December 2009 into 2010. Each building – four hotel/residences, a two-tower residential-only project, and a retail/restaurant/entertainment complex will be LEED Silver or Gold certified; each has been designed by top architects from around the planet.

“CityCenter represents what we feel is a significant new direction for our city and our company,” MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren said in a press statement Thursday. “…Las Vegas is on the fast track to becoming a major urban center in the western United States.”

Dubbed variously “one of the world’s largest sustainable developments,” “a city within a city” and “a Strip within the Strip,” the water-and-energy-conserving playground is located between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts, encompassing 67 acres and 18 million square feet of construction.

According to media representatives, the colossal campus will include more than 5,000  “green your stay” guest rooms, as well as 2,400 residences, plus showrooms, casinos, exhibit halls, restaurants and watering holes – all catering to our greener nature. Casino slot machines, for instance, will double as floor air-conditioning units, cooling guests from the ground up, saving money and energy.

In fact, developers claim that CityCenter’s sustainable initiatives will save the energy necessary to power 7,700 households yearly, over…um, what it might otherwise cost to produce a  similarly sized conventional, giant glitzy entertainment complex. In addition, the new urban center is purposely densely developed, so visitors can walk or ride a tram between venues.

The “campus” also will include a substantial recycling operation, capable of recycling or reusing more than 230,000 tons of construction waste – including 80 percent from the imploded Boardwalk Hotel, which was formerly located on the site.

Having shown gamblers the green for decades, Vegas apparently yearns to explore its other green side — combining show-stopping architecture with the latest eco-conservation methods.

Below are highlights of what the development will include, LEED-wise. So greenies, get ready to hit Sin City with a slightly less guilty conscience.

CONSTRUCTION

• Ninety-five percent of the Center’s construction waste has been recycled, including bathroom fixtures which have been shipped to other countries – wrapped in former Boardwalk curtains and carpets – for reuse.

• Use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood, taken only from forests with responsible, sustainable management practices.

• Low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints used, as well as enough sustainable certified carpet “to cover 140 American football fields.”

• Reclaimed water from the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino, used for dust control – which, developers say, has “contributed to savings of 2.4 million gallons of potable water.”

• Concrete generated on site, saving gas (and carbon output) for trucking the materials.

• An 8.5 megawatt natural gas co-generation plant will provide for at least 10 percent of CityCenter’s overall energy needs. It reduces emissions and puts waste-heat to work, heating ALL the domestic hot water necessary for the development, including its numerous swimming pools and spas.

• CityCenter employees – 10,000 builders and tradespeople, including – will undergo LEED training, so that they can apply their skills elsewhere in the future.

HOTELS/SPAS

• Hotels and residences feature low-flow water fixtures and pressurized showers – using a third less water than traditional plumbing

• Spas will use organic or wild-crafted paraben-free products, as well as intensive recycling programs for paper and water.

• Each hotel allows guests to “green their stay” by indicating their preferred light levels and room temperatures (many will include extensive natural lighting and skylights).

• Guestrooms will automatically go into “unoccupied status” when visitors check out, cutting off lights/AC-heating/appliances until the next guest checks in.

• Much of the art and design work incorporate recycled, reclaimed and organic/natural materials.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Nissan has opened a chat room to discuss it’s newly unveiled all-electric vehicle (EV), the Leaf, with potential customers.

The car company’s also publishing more pictures of the family sedan, due out in 2010 and revealed this past weekend in Japan.

Many of the questions, predictably, center on the infrastructure to support electric vehicles. For instance, how does an apartment-dweller recharge the thing? There’s not a great answer for that, just yet; apartment building owners will have to get on board and provide parking lot charging stations. Nissan replies that urbanites might find some help at public facilities.

Tech firms that make charging stations, such as the Silicon Valley-based Coulomb Technologies, are just now pushing out the equipment that will support electric cars, with stations sprinkled across the West Coast. Once again, driving electric for early adopters may prove easier in San Francisco (where Coulomb’s ChargePoint  stations are already on the street) than in Kansas.

The US Department of Energy is working to extend EV infrastructure, and just this week awarded a grant of nearly $100 million to the Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec), a subsidiary of ECOtality, to install electric vehicle charging systems and deploy hundreds of Nissan EVs in Arizona , California , Oregon , Tennessee, and Washington.

Which brings us to the other question that turns up on the FAQ, and will likely linger: What about the Nissan’s 100-mile range? The answer, for now: “Our vision is to constantly improve our vehicles to meet our customers’ needs.”

The Nissan answerer behind the green curtain also notes: “98 percent of Americans don’t drive more than 100 miles a day.”

Wherever you turn, someone, somewhere is talking about climate change. And that’s a good thing. But it’s not a happy conversation. Often, the discussion pivots on how much time we have left to reel in our carbon emissions — and among those who consider climate change a real threat (let’s say the majority of us), the realistic answer to that is, less than a decade.

Give or take a month. (I’m kidding.)

So we’ve got to make some real progress, fast.

Here’s some good news, being highlighted by the WorldWatch Institute today. McKinsey & Company says the U.S. could reduce it’s “non-transportation” energy consumption by 23 percent by 2020.

According to McKinsey’s report Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy, if the country made an all-out effort it could eliminate $1.2 trillion in energy waste — which would more than cover start-up investment costs. And it would save 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Yes, more than a gigaton. Put that in your calculator and check out the zeros.

This savings, McKinsey says, would be the same as removing the entire US fleet of passenger vehicles and light trucks from the road.

The report goes on to note that this energy savings will only be possible if the US overcomes “significant sets of barriers” which are basically everything from inertia to a lack of education to a lack of financing and incentives to inadequate building codes and standards, etc.

Business types, civic leaders and other interested parties may want to read the report, and/or the WorldWatch summary, which notes that some of these transformative new energy actions that could save our planet include simple things — like turning off one’s computer at night and applying duct tape where needed to leaks.

Of course, we all know that solving climate change will be even more challenging, because, in the end, getting all the cars and light trucks off the road might not be enough. But we’d better start listening to radical groups like McKinsey (you get that I’m kidding right?) if we want to get started.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

New green homes can be awe-inspiring, both for their groundbreaking designs and their show of techno-muscle. Those tubular daylights, state-of-the-art solar panels, sleek recycled flooring, dehumidifying HVAC systems, complex gray water reclamation systems, louvered light “shelves” and heat-reflecting metal roofs can leave the common homeowner gaping — and wishing.

The truth is most of us won’t be building a brand new green castle, at least not anytime soon — and perhaps there’s something to be said for the alternative; let’s call it “greening in place”.

Almost any home can become more energy friendly, and this “in fill” project can occupy a very important spot in the urban landscape: your own lot!

We asked Anna Rosemann, owner of Eco/Consulting US in Los Angeles, to give us her list of things to consider when retrofitting your own precious casa.

First on Anna’s list is the Home Performance Test, which is where she and many other consultants start when asked to evaluate a property.  (This is similar to the energy audit conducted by HERS (Home Energy Rating Systems) experts, commonly used in the building industry.)

To Anna, who started Eco/Consulting US in 2006 after working several years in real estate development, this initial assessment is the equivalent of considering one’s location when buying a home. Her mantra, “Home Performance Test, Home Performance Test, Home Performance Test”, is a take on the Realtor’s maxim “Location, Location, Location”.

The test looks at a home’s energy systems, the insulation and the building envelope to identify potential leaks and inefficiencies. Most likely the house is not performing nearly as well as it could, says Rosemann, because “for a long time we were building houses as fast as we could and no one was really paying attention to how they were being built.”

In about 90 percent of the existing homes she’s evaluated, the house is insufficiently insulated. Using infrared equipment to check the walls, Eco/Consulting contractors typically find a wall cavity devoid of insulation. “It’s insane and crazy how many walls we see with zero insulation,” Rosemann says. In these cases, the fix might be a relatively affordable injection of eco-friendly cellulose insulation. But there are many other nips and tucks to consider within any given home.

Here is Rosemann’s list of factors to consider when contemplating a retrofit:

• Use recycled material whenever available. Increasingly there are companies that reclaim excess or used building materials that have wide reuse potential, such as doors and windows.

• The caulking gun. Rosemann calls it “the most high tech tool of this century” – meaning it can do powerful work.

• An on-demand tank-less water heater can serve as a backup to the solar hot water system in the coldest months.

• Recycled jean insulation. (For more info on insulation get advice from the Department of Energy.)
  

• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. The savings is real: CFLs have a much longer life than other bulbs, use less energy and produce less heat. Changing five of the most frequently used bulbs in your home can save you $100 per year on electric bills.

• Program your thermostat and when you are at home, keep the thermostat at 78 F or higher in the summer and 62 F or lower in the winter. Programmable thermostats allow you to program the systems to reduce output when they are not needed, like when no one is home during the day or at night when everyone is sleeping.

• Plug air leaks. This simple step can go a long way toward keeping your home at the temperature you desire, saving money on heating and air conditioning bills and more. Common leaks occur around windows, doors and other wall penetrations. Plugging those leaks with weather stripping and caulk can be a simple task for anyone.

• Tune up your heating and cooling (HVAC) system. Have a checkup for your HVAC system every two years to make sure it is running efficiently. Be sure to clean the filter monthly during times of peak usage; a dirty filter can significantly reduce the system’s efficiency.

• Choose ENERGY STAR® appliances. ENERGY STAR®-qualified products meet a high level of energy efficiency, which can translate into savings on electric bills. So when it’s time to replace that old refrigerator, microwave, clothes washer or other appliance, remember that even if an ENERGY STAR appliance costs more, you could reduce your energy bill by $50 yearly for each appliance. Also, check with your electric utility – some offer incentives for replacing old appliances with more efficient ones.

• Explore solar. Photovoltaics – solar power technology that uses solar cells or solar photovoltaic arrays to convert light from the sun directly into electricity or heat – are increasingly available for residential use. Solar power can be harnessed to create electricity for your home, to heat water, and to improve indoor lighting.

• Reduce water use. Inside, install faucet aerators – available for a few dollars at your local home supply store – and change to low-flow showerheads. Outside, landscape with native plants and minimize high-maintenance landscaping such as turf grass.

• Use low-VOC products. Switch to products that don’t give off volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Low- or no-VOC products greatly improve your indoor air quality and protect your health. Look for low-VOC paints and cleaning products, or you can make your own cleaning products using simple household materials like baking soda, vinegar and borax.

Many clients call wanting to look into solar panels, says Roseman. These callers envision glittering arrays on the roof that will help them cool down their energy costs. But she asks them to tick through a list of ground-level, and often more affordable changes, first. “People are quick to say, I want to be green, I want to put solar panels on my house, and that’s not the first thing I advise people to look at,” she says.

Rosemann, who’s taken green building courses offered by the US Green Building Council and is certified by California’s Build It Green, suggests many other solutions, from planting trees to shade a home to adding a water filtration system to remove the need for plastic water bottles or water services. Her Brentwood-based company handles commercial as well as residential projects from assessment to recommendations through project execution.

Hiring a consultant is sort of a luxury, she says, like hiring a designer. “But if you don’t have the time to research it all. We already have the knowledge and can tell you where you need to go.”

(Photo credits: Eco/Consulting, new home at 1309 Main St., Venice, Calif.; Anna Rosemann.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Some of our nation’s most prominent locations are greening up their dining practices. Restaurant Associates, the operators of eateries inside some of America’s museums and landmarks, has committed to a five year partnership with the Green Restaurant Association.

All current and future cafes within the US House of Representatives, American Museum of Natural History, and the Lincoln Center will become more environmentally friendly.

Each location has committed to the Two-Star Certification level as their goal. This includes:

• Operating a full-scale recycling program
• Eliminating the use of polystyrene foam
• Meeting point requirements in six environmental categories
• Developing an annual environmental education program for staff
• Earning 140 total points under the GRA program by the end of the fifth year

On average, it takes three months for restaurants to become certified. “Once each restaurant has completed the certification program, they will have the ability to display the Certified Green Restaurant logo/seal in the window, on their menus, and any other signage they want to create to show customers that they’re certified,” stated Colleen Oteri, communications director at the Boston-based Green Restaurant Association.

While the Two-Star Certification level is the lowest of the three levels of certification, it is still a major step towards change. The restaurants will cut waste, energy, and water costs and be making a statement. “With every restaurant we certify, we hope that more industry professionals and consumers will learn about the benefits of becoming certified, and how simple it can be to improve the environmental impact of the restaurant industry.  These prestigious locations will certainly help to spread awareness of the Green Restaurant movement,” Oteri said.

(No word yet on where the Senate dining room stands.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

While people scurry to devise new green components for homes, Don Blalock is in the enviable position of launching one that he’s been nursing along for the last six years.

His Aeonian brick will build houses that are significantly more energy efficient than conventional homes; help them qualify for LEED platinum certification and withstand hurricane force winds up to 240 mph. They’ll also resist heat, mold, mildew and termites, says Blalock, whose goal is to build “the most structurally sound house that’s livable (and) that will last for a very long time.”

Blalock, a onetime music teacher and 35-year veteran of the construction business, knows he sounds like someone peddling a secret sauce on an infomerical – “But wait! There’s more! We’ll throw in termite and fire protection with your durable new home!”

But he explains that he simply set out to build a better brick, one that would repel the water damage he repeatedly saw while overseeing reconstruction of houses for State Farm Insurance. Seven out of 10 homeowner claims involved water damage, from an array of sources including leaky pipes. Water damage led to mold “explosions” inside walls on receptive drywall and wood supports, compounding the damage and the indoor air quality.

Experimenting with brick, he says he developed a chemical process that tinkered with the molecular properties of clay to make it intrinsically more water resistant — creating a product able to leap over concrete block as a useful building base (and compete with sealed brick as a viable exterior).

The idea attracted enough private investment that the company broke ground on its first model home outside Charleston, S.C., on Monday. It’s expected to be done by November and will serve as a demonstration building and offices for Aeonian Brick Homes, which will sell whole-house plans that can be built with the brick.

A Charleston builder, Jessco Homes, also plans to build a house from Aeonian brick as a prototype of a net zero energy home.

“We ran across the technology a couple months back and decided we’ll build a home out of this material and couple it with some other features to try to build a zero energy home,” said Jessco CEO Jeff Stahl. The Jessco model, a one-story, will use high-efficiency heating and cooling systems and new lighting installations to cut energy use. The Aeonian brick will play a major role in reducing energy needs, acting as a heat barrier.

“In a normal stick home, you don’t get the thermal energy mass you do with this,” said Stahl, whose company is launching a green building incubator program called Eco Sustainable Systems.com. Aeonian Brick, he says, has “huge potential” to protect homeowners from escalating electrical bills — as well as hurricanes and termites.

Can Brick Be Green?

Brick has been known to last for the ages. In desert climates, ancient ruins made of bricks have largely survived. But in wet areas, fired clay bricks erode and can absorb water that can nurture mold and mildew issues in a home.

Aeonian brick homes will keep mold out, Blalock says, and be revolutionary in other ways, too, starting with how they’re built. The smooth, 8×8x4-inch bricks are made from compressed clay that’s been precision-molded and fit seamlessly together, like Legos. The bricks form the house’s exterior surface and serve as frame, insulation and drywall. Electrical wiring and plumbing are embedded during construction. The result is a nearly airtight, water-resistant structure that Blalock hopes to see embraced by builders in hot, humid and hurricane-prone areas.

The key is the material and their tight fit. “This material is so precise I can make a brick today and I can make a brick next year, both will be within 1/100 of an inch,” Blalock says.

Even though the bricks use regular clay, which takes resources from the earth, the process is greener than traditional brick production. Regular bricks must be fired at high temperatures over an extended period of time (many days) whereas Aeonian brick is molded and steam cured, replicating ancient processes and using far less electricity.

It also claims green points for removing the need for stick framing, saving trees. More green savings accrue by subtracting the drywall. The price for all this? About the same as for conventional building, Blalock estimates, because the savings in multiple materials make up for the costs of the unique new brick.

The bricks are formed like compressed earth products, but perform better because the clay is altered with a chemical that makes the clay water resistant. The catalyst is derived from oil slag, but Blalock swears it’s non-toxic (and claims competitive privilege in concealing the formula). The petroleum byproduct involved has been tested in other uses and proven to be safe, he says, noting that the Aeonian process makes use of waste material.

“This is the essence of recycling. This is recycling something you want to get rid of that the companies
are having a hard time getting rid of.”

The houses can be scored, molded and painted to blend in completely with an existing neighborhood. The paint bonds to the material, inside and out, and will not require repainting, he promises. These houses won’t look weird, Blalock says, and can be made to look “exactly” like other homes in the area. (Which may or may not be a good thing.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Kim Williams didn’t really think she would be studying pie charts and graphs on a regular basis. But several times a month, that’s exactly what she does when she logs into her Pennsylvania Power & Light (PPL) Energy Analyzer account website.

She checks her energy usage to see exactly what her bill is, what specific appliances are consuming, whether her usage is occurring during peak times, and also gauges her costs compared with other similar-sized homes.

“Since I’ve started checking the site, we have lowered our costs substantially by turning the heat off in rooms we don’t use, and lowering the thermostat by two degrees,” says Williams. “I feel like a nerd, studying what other people are using. But it’s interesting to see exactly what we use, when we use it and try to change our behavior. We do all our laundry now at night, during off-peak hours.”

Williams is just one of the 47,000 visitors to the site the utility company receives each week. Since PPL has equipped each of its 1.4 million customers with new “smart meters,” and then rolled out their interactive  Energy Analyzer  in the summer of 2007, the number of users has increased by a whopping 800 percent.

Clearly consumers are interested in their pie charts.

The meters are wired into the company’s website which allows customers to see exactly how much energy they are using, every hour, every day. Ninety-nine percent of customer’s bills are based on the actual energy they’re using and the estimated bill is virtually a thing of the past. PPL also offers an Energy Analyzer to help customers figure out exactly what they’re spending on each appliance, for example, or on heating and cooling. There is also a longer questionnaire that customers can fill out to help them pinpoint exactly how their family uses energy, complete with a pie chart and graphs to compare with others. Since introducing the Energy Analyzer, more than 280,000 customers have accessed it, and 100,000 more have taken the extra step of filling out the questionnaire.

“With the Energy Analyzer, customers can break down their bills and see that they’re spending $200 for heating and cooling, for example, $50 for the water heater, or $30 on the refrigerator. They can also see what their using at peak energy times,” says Ryan Hill, spokesperson for PPL. “With this tool, people can really understand what energy efficiency is all about.”

The shift to smart meters is part of an overall attempt to modernize the country’s electrical grid, into a “smart” grid. The foundational technology that enables all these “smart” innovations is known as Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI).

AMI is an integral part of the Modern Grid Strategy, a Department of Energy-sponsored project led by the Horizon Energy Group for National Energy Technology Lab (NETL).

You’d like to make energy upgrades on the casa, but you’re a little short on the green.

Not enough green to green is a common problem right now. Yet, there are some changes you can barely afford not to make. One of these easy fixes involves addressing the build-up of heat in your attic this summer. If you live any place south of Washington, Maine and Michigan, you’re going to experience some days when it’s difficult to cool the house, and the typical attic compounds the problem by trapping heat overhead. If your AC unit is installed up there, the situation is even worse; the extreme heat will make the air conditioning system work harder and run longer as it pushes cooled air through hot duct work.

An attic fan, especially one run on solar power, is a way to circum-vent this issue.

This will cost a few hundred bucks compared with the thousands you might spend on other energy fixes, like rooftop solar panels, new HVAC systems or even a solar hot water heater.

And the impact can be great. Cooling the attic, and therefore the house, can pare back electric bills all season long.

“There’s a very short payback to this one in our view,” says Geoff Foreman, chief executive officer of U.S. Sunlight Corp., which manufactures a 12-watt solar-panel attic fan with a 38 volt motor.

That payback time – the point at which energy savings equal the initial cost – will likely be just months, and easily inside a year, Foreman says.

Here’s why: The company’s Solar Powered Attic Fan is $399 (uninstalled; add about $125 for professional installation according to Foreman). It qualifies for a federal energy efficiency tax credit of 30 percent of the cost, which brings the cost to around $280 (or about $400 with professional installation).

If you live in California or another state with state or local incentives, you’ll get even more back. In Burbank, Calif., the attic fan qualifies for another $200 tax credit, which if you installed the thing yourself, brings the cost to less than $100 — little more than the price of a 12-pack of quality CFLs.

That’s pocketbook efficiency.

U.S. Sunlight isn’t the only company making solar attic fans; but for Californians, they’re a local company, based in Livermore in the Bay Area. Other companies include: SunRise Solar Inc., of St. John, Indiana; Solatube, which makes the Solar Star Attic Fan and Natural Light Energy Systems of Phoenix .

Foreman promises that U.S. Sunlight offers one of the best warranties now that they guarantee the solar panel on the attic fan for 20 years. The device will ventilate about 1,250 square feet of attic space, providing about 10 air exchanges per hour for a typical ranch house of about 1,700 square feet, he says.

That amount of air flow is much better than that provided by more passive air venting systems, such as such as roof ridge vents and the “whirly bird” turbines on many houses. Those systems rely on the relatively weak movement of hot air out of the house. The solar powered fan works like an electric fan, actively cycling the hot air out; but unlike the electric attic fan, it is powered by sunlight and does not add to the electric bill.

The fan’s solar panel does need to be oriented to the Southern or Western sun, though the panel can be remotely placed to best absorb sunlight. (A side benefit, keeping the attic vented in winter can help reduce moisture build up that can nurture mold and mildew.)

Foreman says that customers have been “exceptionally pleased” with the product, and those customers include himself.

“I just re-roofed my house I put two of my units on my roof. I have one facing south in a portion of the attic, and another facing west, but tilted and rotated to catch the southwestern sunlight in a different portion of the attic.” The heat in what was the hottest spot in the house has gone from “unbearable” to comfortable, he says.

Like many new energy entrepreneurs, Foreman is proud that his operation is Earth-friendly.

“This is a low cost way (homeowners have) of doing something meaningful,” he says, “not only for the comfort of their home but also for the environment.”

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Lighting and energy experts have been scratching their heads for sometime over how to make LED lighting as effective and pleasant as CFLs, because LEDs are even more energy efficient than CFLs.

Renaissance Lighting, based in Herndon, Va., appears to be inching forward in this effort. The company will be showcasing its new, all white solid-state LED downlight fixtures at the LIGHTFAIR International 2009 at the Javits Center in New York City. The new fixtures are brighter than ever and have two and half times greater efficacy.

The new white downlights are available in a full range of light color temperatures and use Constructice Occlustion technology, which produces a uniform, glare-free and efficient output. LED lighting provides an alternative to energy-efficient CFL bulbs, which contain small amounts of  mercury.

“In less than a year Renaissance Lighting’s products have made significant gains in breadth, value, price, efficiency, output and overall performance,” said Barry Weinbaum, CEO, in a statement. Technology in the LED lights is still evolving. These lights are available for commercial projects, but not yet available for every day home use.

The LIGHTFAIR International, is a three-day lighting industry trade show and confrence.

Bright Automotive, launched just last year, rolled out a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle on Tuesday that doesn’t just get an estimated 100 miles per gallon — it gets 100 mpg hauling a bunch of stuff.

The “IDEA” isn’t some cramped commuter car. It’s a 21^st Century panel van designed for commercial fleet use with 180 cubic foot cargo capacity and a 2,000 pound payload.

The vehicle was designed specifically for commercial fleet use, said John E. Waters, CEO and President of Bright Automotive, at the unveiling in Washington D.C.

It is the first such vehicle designed from a clean sheet of paper that incorporates lightweight materials, advanced aerodynamics and low-rolling resistance tires, said Waters, who developed the battery pack system for the EV1, an electric car produced by General Motors in the 1990s.

Targeting commercial fleets also allows for a fresh-start business model, Waters said in a telephone press conference. The IDEA sales pitch will focus on total operating costs, not just the sticker price.

The IDEA will save fleet managers $6,000 per vehicle per year, Waters said while dodging questions about the proposed MSRP (the sticker price).

Bright Automotive also is targeting business and government fleets because they buy a lot of vehicles – up 500,000 a year.

The IDEA uses battery power for the first 30 miles, using little or no gasoline and less than $1 of electricity, Waters said. After this, it functions like other hybrids with a four-cylinder gasoline engine supplying power to the front wheels and the rear-wheel-drive electric motor boosting acceleration.

It’s an efficient combination, Waters said, adding that driving a 50-mile daily urban route, would take about a half-gallon of gas – the equivalent of getting 100 mpg. For a 70-mile daily drive, the IDEA would use one gallon of gas  – equivalent to 70 mpg.

Waters said production of the IDEA would begin in the U.S. by the fourth quarter of 2012 with an annual run rate of 50,000 vehicles in 2013. But that timeline depends on getting a $450 million loan this summer from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program.

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