Most commodities come with a clear price attached to a distinct amount. A bag of potatoes, a can of beans, a jar of peanut butter….the cost of these is stamped on a sign at the grocery and an individual label breaks down the nutritional details.

Zerofootprint's Talking Plug

Electricity is sold with a price tag also, a price per kilowatt. Every month, customers pay a provider based on how many kilowatts their household has used. But there’s no label breakdown.

We don’t know how much electricity was expended to power the HVAC or dishwasher or fridge or computer. It’s a mystery what caused that spike in our bill. Our worst power phantoms are hiding.

Could the problem be those old incandescent light bulbs?

We don’t know. We’re in the dark.

“The way we use electricity is quite antiquated and quite dumb,” said Zerofootprint founder and CEO Dr. Ron Dembo, in a news conference Monday to introduce his group’s solution, the Talking Plug ™.

If we knew more — like how much, when and on what we were spending our electricity dollars, we’d be wiser consumers, he said. We could shift electricity use to off-peak hours making utilities happier  –  reducing our bills and our carbon pollution.

The TalkingPlug™ can be the starting point for all that because it takes energy monitoring to the micro level. It exposes errant appliances and runaway energy hogs in the home, but unlike similar, competitor devices that merely signal high or low energy use, it sends a stream of information to a software program (Zerofootprint’s web-based VELO software) so residents can monitor or re-tailor their energy use, and turn things on and off remotely via the Internet.

Set top box not needed today? Turn it off from your office or laptop computer.

“It’s win, win, win,” said Dembo, whose  Toronto-based carbon management company launched in 2005.

The TalkingPlug, he explained, is not just another cool gadget, but a foot in the door toward a new way of thinking about electricity. By putting more transparency into electricity consumption, Dembo proposed that it could lead to a paradigm shift that’s needed to fight climate change.

“It’s about changing culture more than anything,” he said. And changing the culture is necessary. Right now, green buildings are producing wonderfully new efficient buildings, he noted, “But if you leave the electricity on it doesn’t make any difference.”

His theory: You’ve got to develop precise measurements so people can compare their usage. “In short, it’s understood that if you want to change culture you compare things. These products allow you to compare very easily,” he said. This will take environmental consciousness to a new level, he predicts.

As the information bubbles up, and becomes accessible, there could be many applications, Dembo said, such as these:

• 

  A computer screen would register energy use using the TalkingPlug (Photo: Zerofootprint.)

  A school could track its precise energy consumption using TalkingPlug technology, and it could be made public with a meter over the door showing if current energy use was in the red, orange or green zone. Such a device could inform the public and exert pressure on schools — or businesses — to watch their watts.

• Appliance companies could track how their products worked in the home, and aggregate that information and use it for marketing. They could prove their claims of lower energy use, and do research.

• Utilities and residents could make deals to idle, by remote, certain appliances at certain times, resulting in a rebate for the user and a reduction of peak demand for the utility. (Utilities are built for peak demand to avoid blackouts, Dembo explained, but “it’s only a few minutes a year that we hit full peak.” So at the commercial level a lot of electricity is generated to be on “stand by” that is not needed, and never used.)

All these are all potential applications for the TalkingPlug technology, Dembo said, adding that this new technology will be compatible with Smart Meters that are being installed by some utilities to get a better handle on how energy is used in a given home. But they won’t require rewiring or any retrofitting of appliances.

The SmartPlug and Smart Meter technologies could work “in tandem,” Dembo said. “I see this as a rapidly convergent market.”

Right now, the TalkingPlug is being custom produced, and each one costs about $50. But that will come down to somewhere in the $30s after the first of the year, and drop further as it’s adopted and can take advantage of economies of scale, Dembo said.

ZeroFootprint operates a for-profit software and carbon management programs aimed at helping companies reduce their carbon footprint through better risk management and new technologies. The organization also operates a non-profit foundation with a mission of reducing carbon pollution.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

We hate to just sit around and wait for technology to work us out of this global warming fix….but hey! Look at this technology from Popular Science’s just released Best of What’s New list:

• 

  GE’s new “hybrid” hot water heater uses up to 62 percent less energy than the same size traditional hot water heater. This 50-gallon water heater, which uses heat pump technology along with traditional electrical components (hence: the hybrid terminology), is featured in the home technology category. The Energy Star-rated appliance could be expected to use around 1850 Kilowatts of electricity per year compared with about 4,800 KWh for a standard hot water heater. Downside: It costs $1,600. Upside: It qualifies for a $480 energy tax credit.

• 

  Sole Power Tiles provide solar power while posing as clay roofing tiles, albeit blue ones. Still, this sounds like a great way to thwart your homeowner’s association while going green with your roof. The curved photovoltaic tiles are thin, but their curved architecture allows them to pick up 10-15 percent more solar action. They were developed by SRS Energy with advice US Tile, the country’s largest clay-tile manufacturer.

• A powder to neutralize mercury by Steward Advanced Materials. This grand prize winner, called Thiol-SAMMS, holds promise for cleaning up lakes, rivers and toxic waste spills, as well as cleansing tap water efficiency and affordably.  “Thiol-SAMMS is made of silica molecules assembled into a spongelike pattern of holes, packing the surface area of a football field into just one teaspoon,” reports Popular Science. Each tiny opening is coated with sulfur atoms, which can bind with poisonous mercury, rendering a material that can be safely stored in landfills. (Let’s hope advances like these don’t stop us from trying to stem the pollution at the source, however.)

• The Eco2 Plastics Environmental system helps save water, millions of gallons of water, by supplying recyclers with a corn-based biodegradable solvent that cleans plastic containers so they can be recycled. This proven technology is already in operation at one recycling plant. Now you don’t have to wonder how they get that ketchup out of your old bottle. The old way: use a ton of water. This solution: Save the water and make recycling more affordable.

The 100 winners of the Best of What’s New “represent the higheset level of achievement in their fields,” said Mark Jannot, editor-in-chief of Popular Science.

There’s lots more fun to be found on the list, which features everything from a  handy home-use air leak detector (by Black & Decker; $50) to an entire hospital, El Camino in the Silicon Valley, that employs state-of-the-art robots.

While the number one award-winner on the list, an amplified, smart stethoscope by 3M and Littman Electronic, isn’t green, per se. It could save millions of needless echocardiograms a year, thereby cutting medical costs and making health care a little more sustainable — a goal we can all take to heart.

Would you feel guilty if your toilet was “phantom flushing” or slowly leaking gallons of water a day?

Leak Alertor

We would, and we’d be concerned about the costs on our water bill too.

A Philadelphia-area company feels our pain. The company, nth Solutions, has invented the Leak Alertor to let you know when the water closet is out of control, so you can get in there and fix the flap or that other thinga-majig that makes the toilet behave.

Nth Solutions’ staff has done a lot of research on this topic of wasted water too. They report that at any given time, one in five toilets in the US is leaking. So in the US, where the residential person-to-commode ratio is pretty high, 50 million toilets might be silently leaking.

That info comes from the American Water Works Association, an industry association that is committed to clean, safe water (and a thriving water industry). If it’s true, and we’re guessing the AWWA is in a position to know, you can start to see why you might need a Leak Alertor.

Still, we asked Eric L. Canfield, president of nth Solutions, to give us a little more to go on and he did.

Leaking toilets, he said, are the number one cause of high water bills and the average leaking toilet can waste hundreds of gallons of water a day or enough to fill a couple swimming pools if left to leak away for a year or so.

Yikes, you’d have to take a lot of one-minute showers to pay back that water debt!

But, still, we respectfully prodded Canfield: Wouldn’t I know it if my toilet were leaking? Wouldn’t it wake me up at night with a faint little whiney sound?

No, he said, it wouldn’t necessarily alert you. (But the Leak Alertor would, with a little red light.) Many leaks are silent. Furthermore, he explained, many people with less than perfect hearing might not catch a leaky toilet, and others, who do hear that “phantom flush” misinterpret it and think all is well in water closet land.

And so, Canfield has the solution, a water-conserving, made-in-America solution that’s a bit of a hard sell in these times, but does only cost $19.95: The Leak Alertor, installable in less than a minute, without tools.

Who knew?

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

In 1995, The ULS (Use Less Stuff) Report developed a statistic that is frequently quoted to describe how much extra waste is generated between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day: 5 million tons. Use Less Stuff Day (the third Thursday of November) was created to educate people and help them reduce that waste.

Rather than declining, that number has grown by 20%, to 6 million tons. Obviously, Use Less Stuff Day hasn’t been a big enough event to get people into the conservation spirit. Starting this year, ULS is proclaiming the entire week before Thanksgiving (Nov. 19-25, 2009) to be Use Less Stuff Week.

According to Bob Lilienfeld, editor of The ULS Report, here are some reasons why people need to be more aware of waste during the holiday period:

• Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans generate 25 percent more waste per week than during the rest of the year. This creates an additional 1.2 million tons per week, or an extra 6 million tons, for the holiday season.
• According to the USDA, Americans throw away 25 percent of food purchased — 52 billion pounds each year, or 170 pounds per person. When you add in food waste from restaurants, retailers and other commercial purveyors, the University of Arizona estimates that the real amount wasted is closer to 50 percent.
• If every American family reduced holiday gasoline consumption by just one gallon a week, the result would be an annual reduction in greenhouse gas production of 13 billion pounds (6.5 million tons) of carbon dioxide.
• If American households reduced their holiday ribbon usage by just 2 feet, the result would be a savings of 50,000 miles, enough ribbon to circle the Earth twice.

In Omaha, Neb., Travis Freeman is a bit of a local Christmas legend. Not only does he own and operate Brite Ideas Decorating – which specializes in both commercial and residential seasonal lighting – but he also is known for his efforts in putting together the Salvation Army’s  Tree of Lights, a big part of the local holiday landscape.

Omaha's Tree of Lights uses LEDs (Photo: Brite Ideas Decorating)

Christmas, of course, isn’t a famously “green” time of year, unless you are talking about the trees we cut down or the currency that seems to fly endlessly out of our wallets and purses. The spirit of the season almost insists that we throw caution (and energy) to the wind when it comes to fancying-up trees and winning the arms race on outdoor decorations.

For years, the Salvation Army was no different.

“When we had our tree outside the Crossroads Mall, Travis used incandescent lights on real evergreen trees offered each year by local residents…not very green!” recalls Susan Eustice, Divisional Director of Publications and Communications for the Salvation Army. “Travis encouraged us to think a bit more green…”

That process started about five years ago, when Freeman began to dabble in new kinds of lighting. This year, he may have outdone himself.

The 2009 Tree of Lights, made of metal, weighs more than 6,000 pounds, stands 75 feet tall, and will be illuminated by 55,000 lights and 100 starbursts. The 10-foot base features an additional 16,000 red and green lights, and the tree is topped by a star illuminated with another 2,500 lights.

An electric bill only Warren Buffett could afford?

Hardly. Freeman’s creation is built entirely with LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs. By his estimate, this year’s tree will use about 90 percent less energy than a similar display using traditional incandescent lighting.

“It takes about one-tenth the energy to run LED lights as it does incandescent lights,” he said. “It used to take 180 amps to run that tree. Now, the whole thing draws about 19 amps.”

When you go shopping for lights this season, you’ll find no shortage of LEDs vying for your attention, sitting on shelves right next to their incandescent brethren. Those boxes will tout savings of 80 percent or more over the older technology, an environmentally-friendly edge that could take some of the sting out of those post-holiday bills. Claims that the lights will burn twice as bright and last up to 20 years are pretty attractive, too.

The catch: A significant difference in your up-front costs.

Outdoor LED multi-colored lights

During an early November visit to a local home and garden store, we priced the incandescent mini lights we’ve used on our outdoor display in recent years against similar LEDs. A string of 100 incandescents  on a 25.5 foot length were offered at $4.99. A string of 60 warm white LED minis (20.33 feet) came in at $14.99.

Bottom line:  Making the switch is the “green” way to go on several fronts, but you’ll have to part with considerably with more cash up front to do so.

Bottom line 2: If you can pony up that cash, you’ll probably get your money back over the long haul…and maybe save yourself some other aggravations in the process.

Most folks are accustomed to trudging to the store in November after discovering that a significant number of last year’s strings mysteriously passed away in a closet, basement, or attic. And anyone who has known the joy of seeing that middle string on the tree burn out after the ornaments, tinsel, etc., have been added can appreciate the prospect of more dependable, longer-life lights.

While acknowledging the cost, Freeman says he is finding more and more customers willing to dig a little deeper on the short end.

“It’s an easier sell, because people are keeping their lights. They’re not throwing them away; they’re taking better care of them. With the old ones, they’d buy new lights every year. It’s not even worth it to keep them.”

Mindful of the price gap, some retailers are offering creative incentives. From Nov. 5-15, The Home Depot offered customers a $3 credit on old or broken strings (up to five redemptions) toward purchase of LED lighting. Online retailer HolidayLEDs.com offers a 15 percent discount for shoppers who send in their old strings to be recycled.

For those unfamiliar with the new kids on the illumination block, LEDs are a type of semiconductor that generates light when an electric current passes through positive and negative materials. Different colors and efficiency levels result from altering the composition of those materials. Early on, LEDs found applications in traffic lights, DVD players, cell phones and other electronic devices. Ongoing improvements in the technology are allowing LEDs to expand into new markets.

Today, LEDs seem to be leapfrogging compact fluorescent lights (CFL) as the next significant change in lighting technology. More than a year ago, lighting giant Philips announced it was shifting its focus from CFL to LED moving forward. Others seem to be following suit.

“We know the cost will come down and the technology will improve,” Kevin Dowling, vice president of innovation at Philips Color Kinetics, told the San Jose Mercury News.

While making the monetary commitment to LEDs can be a difficult call for the average consumer, manufacturers find themselves in a quandary as well.  Conventional business has been based on the assumption that customers need to replace bulbs regularly. Philips and others must weigh the advantages of cutting costs with the knowledge that better bulbs mean less frequent sales.

And, like hybrid cars, LED lighting is cutting edge, with all the good and bad that implies. Both have clear advantages, with a few bugs yet to be worked out.

Angel LED light (Photo: 1000Bulbs.com)

“The one thing, and it’s getting better, is the colors,” Freeman says. “Particularly with the whites and warm whites, it’s getting consistency. The reds, the blues, the greens are definitely better.”

Good enough that the citizens of Omaha will be getting an eyeful this holiday season.

“It’s an amazing tree,” Freeman says. “Every year, more and more people are attracted when we light it.”

This year, they’ll be seeing more than colors and holiday cheer. They might just be getting a glimpse of Christmas Future, too.

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Looking to upgrade from your old, often unreliable incandescent Christmas lights to those cool, environmentally-friendly LED (light emitting diode) numbers you’ve heard so much about? The Home Depot is offering an incentive to do just that.

Between Nov. 5 and Nov. 15, you can redeem old or non-working Christmas lights and get a $3 off coupon toward the more energy-efficient LED string lights as part of the company’s second annual Christmas light trade-in. Customers are limited to five redemptions, and all of The Home Depot’s US stores are scheduled to participate.

LED lights cut energy use by about 80 percent over traditional incandescent string lights. They also are estimated to last up to 10 times longer.

So, what happens to your old lights after you part with them? According to The Home Depot Web site, here’s the recycling process:

• The light bulb coupler and the socket plug are manually clipped.
• Three byproducts result and four categories of raw materials.
• Each byproduct is independently shredded for separation, returning glass, HDPE plastics, and non-ferrous copper as well as ferrous steel.
• The prepared separated raw materials are then sent to licensed smelters for re-casting or re-molding, all in accordance with local, state and federal statutes.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

October, like many months, is stocked with special campaigns. As almost everyone knows, it is Breast Awareness and Diabetes Awareness Month (interesting duality there as we load up kids with Halloween sweets).

Lesser known commemorations: “Eat Country Ham Month” and “Vegetarian Month” — which weren’t well coordinated, eh?

Who knew that October also hosts National Weatherization Day, which is October 30? So as we prepare our haunted mansions, we might also consider those scary power bills to come after Hallows Eve.

Here are some ideas for tightening up our building “envelope”  from various sources, including the Cool Cities Home Audit Checklist:

• Seal up leaks. Double duh, but have you done it? Wherever you feel air seeping in, know that heated air can waft out. Cool Cities says stop door drafts with a draft stopper, or just put down a towel. For outside window frames, caulk is your best friend.

• Remember to set your hot water heater at 120 degrees. Excessive heating of water during cool months can needlessly hike up bills, and your carbon footprint. It’s like the phantom in the attic, or basement, keeping hot water at the ready — even when you don’t need it.

• Don’t just close off the chilly attic. Seal it off with foam weatherization tape, or buy or make an attic door cover.

• Close the drapes at night; open them to let the sun in during the day.

• Check your furnace filter monthly, and check the vents to make sure you’ve got good air flow. See the EPA’s Heat and Cool Smartly Guide for more.

• Remember to close that fireplace damper after the coals after burned out. An open fireplace literally sucks the warmth from your home, and that’s just ghoulish or foolish.

And if you’re making serious improvements, remember it’s not just solar panels that qualify for federal tax breaks. Windows, insulation, new furnaces — all that — can earn you some return at tax time. See the EnergyStar website for details on federal incentives. For more about insulation, see our story.

This year, too, environmental groups are jumping in to show that weatherization is not just for misers, it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions too. The Sierra Club has lined up business partners, energy service providers and town officials across the country for events highlighting the importance of making our homes energy efficient.

“Residential buildings are responsible for a staggering twenty percent of global warming pollution. Many families lose money on energy bills each month because their homes aren’t energy efficient,” says Sierra Club Clean Energy Solutions Representative Allison Forbes. “Weatherizing homes is one simple solution that will create thousands of good jobs, put money in the pockets of American families, and help fight global warming.”

Some of the events include:

• In Denver, the Sierra Club will celebrate the graduation of local workers from a weatherization training program offered by the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA).

• In Charlotte, North Carolina, volunteers will canvas neighborhoods, giving  low-income and elderly residents information about weatherizing and how it can help them save on energy costs.

• In Detroit, Sierra Club will participate in a “utilities summit” for residents to learn about government assistance available for retrofitting homes. The city has funding set aside to upgrade about 4,000 homes in this city where nearly 40 percent of the population is now below the poverty level.

For more info about how to reduce household energy bills, see Sierra’s weatherization webpage.

The next time you take a stack of old newspapers to the recycling bin, you might be helping make your home a more comfortable — and efficient — place.

Cellulose Insulation. (Photo: National Association of Certified Home Inspectors)

Cellulose insulation – made from recycled newsprint and other kinds of paper – has emerged as a legitimate choice for homeowners trying to combine environmental consciousness with good business. Like any insulation option, it has its good points and not-so-good ones, but it is something to consider when you decide to make your house a little cozier in the winter and a bit more comfortable in the hotter months.

What makes cellulose an attractive choice to homeowners thinking green?

For starters, you are re-using paper products that might otherwise turn up in landfills, where they decompose and give off greenhouse gases. For another, cellulose requires less embodied energy (the total energy required to transport raw materials, manufacture and distribute the product) than comparable insulation materials.

So, how does that compare to those nice pink rolls of fiberglass insulation, the ones that remain the most popular option?

Fiberglass is cheaper, but it also is difficult to work with and may create some health issues. Cellulose, despite the comforting notion that last year’s Sports section might be this year’s guard against costly energy leaks, isn’t completely green, because chemicals are added to keep all that paper from catching fire, or contributing to a blaze that started elsewhere.

Confused yet? Google “green insulation” for an afternoon, and you probably will be. While some alternatives get better reviews than others, there doesn’t appear to be a consensus as to who’s No. 1. In most cases, it simply depends on who you ask or what part of the equation is more important to you. While most of us would prefer to be green, overall performance and cost are considerations, too.

Insulation is evaluated in terms of thermal resistance, called R-value. That measures resistance to heat flow. The R-value of thermal insulation depends on a variety of factors: Type of material, thickness, and density. The higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation is.

If you combine layers of insulation, the R-value is the sum of the individual values. Keep in mind, however, that compressing insulation diminishes its R-value, so forcing too much into a space is counterproductive.

Simply by reducing the amount of energy required to heat or cool a building, insulation is environmentally friendly. How you go about it can increase (or diminish) the amount of good you are actually doing.

Here’s a quick look at some of the options:

Cellulose: According to the Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association, cellulose has the highest level of recycled content in the industry, up to 85 percent. Scrap also can be recovered and recycled on the site of an installation, another plus. Cellulose is a loose-fill product blown into spaces with pneumatic equipment, making it easier to use in hard-to-reach spots. It also provides a tighter fit than rolls and batts, or blankets. And, simply by using a recycled product, you are going a little greener.

Natural Fibers: Ever wondered what happens to leftover material at the blue jean factory? These days, some of it is going into attics and walls. According to manufacturer Bonded Logic, Inc., UltraTouch denim insulation “contains 85% post-industrial recycled natural fibers making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to use a high quality sustainable building material.” Unlike cellulose, it comes in batts, so completely sealing a space can be more problematic. In contrast to fiberglass, however, it doesn’t cause itching or other irritation and is easier to handle. Like cellulose, it also has the green advantage of finding a new use for recycled material.

Polyurethane foam: Doesn’t sound very good, does it? The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance – yes, there really is such a thing — begs to differ. The organization contends that SPF “is environmentally friendly, contains no formaldehyde or ozone depleting chemicals, saves energy and reduces the use of fossil fuels, thereby reducing global warming gasses. It also assists in providing good indoor air quality, requires less energy to produce than the leading insulation, and reduces the amount of energy required to transport and install it.” After it is applied, the foam expands to fill the space allowed, improving overall protection. One downside: It’s highly toxic during the installation phase, and you’ll probably need to steer clear of the premises for several days after.

Cementitious: Al Gore put Air Krete in his home. The National Audubon Society used it in its building. How can you go wrong? Air, seawater and formaldehyde-free cement are mixed to create this blown-in insulation option, which again serves to make for a tighter fit and a hostile environment for insects and other pests. Its non-flammable nature is a nice feature, too.

Fiberglass: Would the Pink Panther install something dangerous in your house? Even the leading manufacturer, Owens Corning, features pictures on its Web site of average folks installing their own batts of fiberglass insulation…wearing protective clothing, heavy gloves, and a face mask. Hmmm. Fiberglass remains the cheapest and most common form of insulation, but it’s worth considering that packages of the product also carry a cancer warning. Still, according to the American Lung Association, fiberglass insulation “is safe when it is properly installed.” Eye, skin, and throat irritation is common among installers who don’t take proper care.

Whichever way you go, this may be a good time to do it. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides for a federal tax credit for installing insulation of 30 percent of the purchase price, up to a total credit of $1,500.

Before you jump in, make sure your improvements qualify for the credit. Check out the fine print at energytaxincentives.org. For state and local information, visit dsireusa.org.

Already, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) is predicting lower heating bills for the winter of 2009-10, based on lower fuel prices and the anticipation of milder weather. In its Winter Fuels Outlook, the EIA projects average savings of about eight percent per household.

“Heating accounts for 31 percent of the typical home’s energy costs,” Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan said. “So using energy efficiency measures to lower those heating bills will keep real money in consumers’ pockets. Simply tightening up your home and insulating sufficiently to avoid sending precious warm air ‘out the window,’ for example, can cut yearly heating bills by up to 20 percent.”

For a different look at these and other insulation choices, visit the US Department of Energy.

For another side-by-side comparison, check out a table provided by the Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory put together this Insulation Fact Sheet.

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Most cities have water restrictions that not only limit the amount you can water your lawn, but even when you can water it. This can lead to one of two things, a brown, dry yard or a beautiful yard that results in community fines.

But there are irrigation systems that can give you the green landscape you desire, while actually saving water.

One new system on the market is the WaterOptimizer, which uses “smart irrigation technology” that controls system water pressure and disperses the water only where it is needed. The system uses soil moisture sensors which allow for your yard to get the exact amount of water it needs, and not any more. The WaterOptimizer saves up to 70 percent of water when compared to a regular sprinkler system, its makers say.

This sort of technology, in fact, gets special consideration under some watering laws.

Florida, for instance,  just passed a new irrigation law, Chapter 373.62, that exempts homeowners associations, community development districts and large properties using water sensor irrigation systems from mandated water restrictions. The law recognizes that moisture-detection systems must be allowed to operate on their own schedule, and will save water if left to work as designed.

The WaterOptimizer, available online, connects to current residential irrigation systems, replacing existing controllers.

“Installation costs vary, depending upon the irrigation system and how much the irrigation company charges for the installation.  Typically an average installation costs approximately $420-$900 per home.  This cost includes equipment, installation and miscellaneous hardware,” stated Thomas O’Connor, spokesman for WaterOptimizer.

Some cities also give rebates to homeowners that install this eco-friendly technology.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

An opt-out program to stop the receipt of the Yellow Pages on your doorstop has recently become an option, but what about the white pages? Perhaps opting-in is a better solution for the environment.

(Photo: banthephonebook.org)

According to Banthephonebook.org, every year five million trees are used in the production of the white pages phone books. Then, it costs $17 million each year to recycle the phone books. And many phone books end up in landfills because people simply throw them away instead of recycling. The website also says that a Whitepages.com survey found that 80 percent of people would support an opt-in program, which theoretically would reduce phone book consumption because it would stop automatic deliveries of phone books.

Nowadays, many people use their cell phones or online sites to search for phone numbers, leaving doubts about whether physical copies are even necessary.

If you want to join the white pages opt-in movement, sign the petition to let the phone directory companies know. More than 16,000 people already have signed the petition. But until there is a white pages opt-in program in place, the best option you have is to opt-out with the Yellow Pages.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

If you’ve ever thought about going solar to take a bite out of your utility bills, you may want to take another look: A perfect storm of events, policies and programs currently makes solar more affordable than ever.

The problem: He who hesitates may miss the best deals.

“People say, ‘It’s too good to be true,’” says John Berger, CEO of Standard Renewable Energy of Houston. “And, you’re right, it is. That’s why it’s not going to last.”

In theory, solar has always been an attractive source of alternative energy. It’s clean. It’s green. What’s not to like about harnessing power from the sun to climate-control your home, keep the lights on, and maybe even run a few appliances?

For the average person, the issue has been cost. Until recently,going solar on any kind of useful scale has been expensive, asking buyers to pony up big bucks, then wait 20 years or more to recoup their investment through monthly utility savings.

Here’s what has happened to change all that:

• Since the middle of 2008, the price of solar panels has dropped about 40 percent. Credit increased production of polysilicon and the opening of more panel-producing plants, particularly in China.
• The global economic slowdown: Installations in Europe – long a hotbed for solar power – are expected to be off 26 percent from last year, according to consulting firm Emerging Media Research. More supply + less demand = lower prices.
• More generous government subsidies: In 2008, homeowners could get a 30 percent tax credit on solar installations, but the credit was limited to $2,000. That ceiling was removed on January 1.
• And, yes, even many of your old-guard utilities are helping make solar more affordable. For the moment, at least, rebates from your regular utility can further slash your bottom line.

Put it all together, and going green by way of the sun isn’t only for those enjoying deep pockets. With so many moving parts, however, the current opportunity may be fleeting.

According to SRE’s Berger, the decline in materials cost will almost certainly lead to reduced government incentives. (If it’s already cheap – or cheaper – why subsidize?) At the same time, utilities have begun backing away from rebates. (In Northern California, Pacific Gas and Electric is cutting its rebate program by 29 percent; Phoenix’s Salt River Project trimmed 10 percent from its homeowners rebate in June.)

“Any incentives you can get from your local utility, or the state, or the federal government, you need to wrap them up now,” Berger says. “We’re already faced with incentives getting cut because of the price decline. We anticipate more by the end of the year, and we expect a whole lot more next year.”

For now, those with the resources to invest can enjoy big bargains.

About a year ago, Greg Hare of Magnolia, Texas, priced a system for his 7,000-square foot house and garage at about $100,000. He decided to wait. Over time, the drop in panel prices trimmed about $23,000 from that bill, and the beefed-up tax credit nearly doubled his savings. Ultimately, Hare took advantage of the situation and opted for a larger system, installing 64 panels rather than the originally-planned 42.

For those with more modest means, Berger estimates that a typical homeowner can cut 20 percent off his bill with a post-tax credit investment of $15,000 or less.

As prices become affordable to a wider range of potential customers, the long-term implications may be more significant than the current run of attractive short-term deals. Regarded by detractors as an environmentally friendly but largely impractical solution, solar appears to be in the process of becoming a real and viable industry.

When you think silicon, you think of computers. Yet, in 2008, more silicon went into solar panels than microchips, says Mike Splinter, CEO of Applied Materials, a Silicon Valley company that makes the machines that manufacture microchips.

“We are seeing the industrialization of the solar business,” he told The New York Times. “In the last 12 months, it has brought us a $1.3 billion business. It is hard to build a billion-dollar business.”

Where does your local utility fit in this picture? That depends largely on where you live and who controls the market.

In Austin, Texas, municipally-owned Austin Energy offers an aggressive rebate program, featured prominently on its website. Similarly, San Antonio’s CPS Energy touts the new kids on the energy block. In those cities, you can go solar and get considerable help in doing so.

In Colorado, on the other hand, the state’s largest utility (Xcel) tried passing a surcharge on homes and businesses using rooftop solar power. The initiative quickly crumbled in the face of public outcry and pressure from the governor’s office. (Environment Colorado is now lobbying the state to increase subsidies for residential solar power.)

“Typically, the municipal utilities are the ones more embracing of it,” Berger says. “The industrial utilities…hate it with a passion.”

Still, even seemingly-entrenched industrial power companies may have to reassess their position. According to data compiled by Credit Suisse Securities, wholesale power demand in the United States was down 15.3 percent in the second quarter of 2009 compared to a similar period a year ago.

Experts attribute much of that to the economic slowdown, but concede that conservation efforts and a move to alternative energy sources have played a part. If that’s the case, utilities that have dominated their markets may be forced to seek a different kind of role in a changing landscape.

Already, John Berger senses a change in the perception of the power of the sun.

“A lot of the utilities thought this was a social do-gooders business,” he says. “I’ve had some execs ask me that. ‘It’s really nice, what you’re doing for the planet, John.’ And I’ve always told them that I wanted to make one thing clear: We’re here to make money and help people basically get off the debt you keep putting on their backs.

“That wasn’t taken seriously until this year. A lot of it is being taken seriously now.”

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

They’ve been around for hundreds of years, but when you think of a metal roof, energy efficiency and attractive, colorful design may not be the first thing that comes to mind.

Forget about the tin roof on Grandpa’s farmhouse. In recent decades, the industry has evolved to the point that metal roofs make up about 10 percent of the residential market share – compared to less than 2 percent in the 1990s.

It is the fastest growing roof product in the residential market, according to Scott Kriner of the Metal Construction Association.

Today metal roofs can be formed to look like shingles, or wood shakes, or even slate and terra cotta tiles. They come in a variety of colors, with infrared-reflective pigments, coatings and textures that offer a rainbow of looks while increasing the roof’s ability to reflect solar heat.

Homeowners have reported saving an average 25 percent on cooling bills with a metal roof, as opposed to asphalt shingles, Kriner said. The savings amount can be  higher in hotter parts of the country. The EPA’s Energy Star program says that cool-metal roofs can reduce peak cooling demand by 10 to 15 percent.

The Energy Star program has guidelines for the types of roofing materials that provide enough energy savings and heat reduction to get their seal of approval. They answer questions about those roofs, and point out that metal roofs and roof-coating products will be more likely to have the Energy Star stamp.

Energy Star says about $40 billion is spent every year in the U.S. to air-condition buildings – which is one-sixth of all electricity generated in a year. In addition to lowered cooling bills, the EPA program’s website points out that a reflective roof may allow a homeowner to buy a smaller and less expensive air-conditioning system. All of that energy savings means fewer fossil fuels are burned.

Another energy-saving aspect of cool metal roofing is created when roofers leave a narrow bit of air space between the roofing panel and roof deck, said Jim Bush, chairman of the roofing council of the Metal Construction Association.

“That space creates a natural airflow which further aids in keeping a home cool, reducing energy needs in the summer months and increasing insulation in the winter,” Bush said. That added dimension to a metal roof makes the roof more energy efficient for northern climates as well as the warmer South.

A study of homes in Florida (conducted by Florida’s Solar Energy Center, and both Lawrence Berkeley and Oak Ridge national laboratories) compared energy efficiency of six identical houses, side-by-side each with different roof materials. White metal reflected 66 to 77 percent of the sun’s energy. The coated, or cool-metal roof, saved 35 percent or more on cooling bills.

In addition to lowering cooling bills, these cool-metal roofs can reduce the “heat-island effect” (particularly in urban areas) that causes air temperatures to remain warmer than they should into the evening, because buildings – especially roofs —  retain heat. Cool metal roofs are efficient not only at reflecting the sun’s heat, but at emitting infrared rays to keep air temperatures cooler.

Beyond energy savings, metal roofers point to a laundry list of advantages:

Metal is lightweight, can be made of recycled material – and can be recycled at the end of its life.

That life, however, is very long. “Typically, most metal roofs carry a 50-year warranty on residences,” said Bush, who is also vice president of sales at ATAS, a large metal roofing and wall systems manufacturer. “We always tell people that this is the last roof they’re ever going to put on their home” especially those homeowners in their late 40s and 50s who have settled into what they hope will be their final home.

Today’s metal roofs don’t corrode, and can withstand hailstorms without a dent, or hurricane force winds. The newer solid sheathing can dampen the noise of pelting rain. Also, metal roofs are good in wildfire-prone parts of the country, because they won’t burn.

All of those advantages mean metal roofs are generally more expensive then their competitors, but, industry insiders point out, their longevity easily makes up the price difference.

And there are federal tax credits (as well as potential state or city rebates) for installing an energy efficient roof – be it metal or not. According to Kriner, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (along with more recent bills) offer a homeowner a 30 percent tax credit, up to $1,500, for installing a pre-painted cool metal roof with an Energy Star label.

You can learn about some case studies of metal roofs from the Metal Initiative Web site, said Greg Crawford, the executive director of the Cool Metal Roofing Coalition. And, he adds, the Cool Roof Rating Council has information on other state, city or utility district rebates.

For the uninitiated, the most striking difference in today’s metal roofs is the look. With different shapes and colors, they’re difficult to tell from other roofing materials.  The infrared reflective pigments in the paints mean that even dark colors can reflect almost as much as light colors, Crawford said.

“I can be walking down the street and I can tell people, ‘That’s a metal roof,’ and they would never have known it,” Bush said.

For more information on metal roof sustainability and energy efficiency, the Cool Metal Roofing organization has a detailed brochure.

PHOTOS: Courtesy ATAS photo gallery

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media