You don’t have to wait for next Halloween to track down energy vampires in your home. Any time of the year will do.

Just follow these Alliance to Save Energy guidelines, which are fun for kids and will surely be enlightening for adults too.

First step, turn off all the lights and appliances in the house. Take a flashlight outside to see if the meter is still running. It probably will be, because you’ve got things on “stand by” all over the house — hair dryers, phones, computers, televisions, DVRs.

Now investigate. Walk around the house with the flashlight and find the little LED lights that indicate an appliance is “ready.” Even in sleep mode, it’s drawing energy and you can

KillAWatt EZ will tell you how much energy your electronics are gobbling

often tell by feeling the item or the plug-in. Is it warm? It’s drawing energy.

The solution, aside from unplugging individual appliances, is to put equipment on a power strip. Then turn the power strip off whenever possible.

The costs of “phantom energy” are real. The Department of Energy estimates that the constant energy draw of appliances and electronics that aren’t even turned on can account for 20 percent of your energy bill.

According to the Alliance To Save Energy’s worksheet (developed with Energy Star), it costs about $6.85 a year (on average) to keep a VCR on standby and $4.28 for a TV that’s plugged in. Seem like chump change? Multiply those by how many VCRs and TVs there are in the house, then add in all the other clocks, toasters, phones and computers you’ve got plugged into the wall.

If you want a more precise fix on your vampires, consider proving their harm with a KillaWatt, a device that you can plug suspicious appliances into to give you a read out of how many watts are being consumed. The KillaWatt, by P3 International, an electronics firm in New York, is sold in several versions. See the P3 website.

The Alliance to Save Energy is promoting its Drive Smarter Challenge in anticipation of Americans being on the move for the holidays. The challenge offers tips to bolster your mileage and other ways to trim transportation costs, some more effective (rent a hybrid) than others (use the right oil for a 2 percent improvement in mileage).

But even though these travel tips are wildly divergent – take a train, drive during off-peak hours – they should get most families thinking about conserving in these still-tough economic times.

The Drive Smarter Challenge website offers some concrete help (get it?) with advice for creating a customized map for your route that identifies stops with inexpensive gas. The info page sends you to MapQuest’s Gas Prices, which samples prices around the country, finding, for instance, that Northfork W. Va. has gas for $1.99 a gallon (which is an interesting factoid but unhelpful if your relatives live in Missoula.

Drive Smarter also points you toward GasBuddy.com, which lists local gas prices for dozens of cities in the US and Canada and shows regional trends. (And yes, there’s a mobile phone app.)

Type in your city or destination at Gas Buddy.com and you can get a read-out of the “Lowest Regular Gas Prices in the Last 24 Hours.” Checking for Chicago that turned up gas prices ranging from $2.89 a gallon at a Shell and a Gas Depot on the Northwest side to $3.29 at a Citgo at DesPlaines and Taylor streets. The difference is probably not worth driving to a station outside of your neighborhood, for goodness sakes.

So what to do with this information?

It could conceivably help you decide whom in your clan to grace with your presence this holiday. Got relatives in Houston? It’s cheaper to drive there ($2.34 to $2.38 for a gallon of petrol) than to visit those fossil-fuel fancy pants in San Francisco ($2.87 to $3.49). Of course, once you get to the Bay Area you can at least take public transportation, something Houston is still working on.

Okay, so the price of gas probably won’t dictate where you go this holiday.

But it could be one thing on a list of ways you tighten up your energy profile.

Along with all the tips about how to make your car run more efficiently (inflate the tires, don’t idle, don’t drive like a jackrabbit), The Drive Smarter Challenge recommends that you incorporate public transportation, biking, walking or ride sharing in your travel plans.

Now there’s a smart driving plan: Don’t drive.

(The Drive Smarter Challenge campaign is hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy, but it has many other partners, from the American Petroleum Institute to the League of American Bicyclists.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

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

There’s a shiny green report card out in Warren County, Kentucky this month.

The county’s school district won the Alliance to Save Energy’s 2009 Andromeda Award for its programs, which include $4 million in energy savings over the last five years, a 28 percent energy use reduction, a daily curriculum that focuses on energy efficiency and Energy Star ratings on four buildings. But the star of their show undoubtedly is the new Richardsville Elementary, a Warren County School on target to become the nation’s first net zero energy public school when it opens in fall of 2010 (see photo above).

“This is a project that’s near and dear to us,” said Mark Ryles, Director of the Division of Facilities Management for the Kentucky Department of Education. “There were many hands in it. There was a very clear mission, which was to develop and design a net zero school building” and to  “enhance the educational opportunities,” he said.

“We were tickled to death that Warren County had won,” said project architect Kenny Stanfield with the firm of Sherman, Carter, Barnhart. In fact, the district beat out 15 other nominations that ranged from projects involving water heating technology to green condos to a Los Angeles Community College sustainable building effort across its nine campuses.

“Warren County has been a leader for a while, but this is really recognizing all of their efforts so that’s tremendous,” Stanfield said.

In planning the new building, engineers, school facilities management and architects had to first focus on all the areas in which energy could be saved, and then decide how to generate the rest. As a result, the elementary school will have exterior walls built of insulated concrete and Styrofoam, a geothermal HVAC and water-heating system, an air-monitoring system that regulates ventilation to the outdoors, and a north-south orientation with skylights and clerestory windows that pour daylight into classrooms, the gymnasium, the media center and the cafeteria. Overall, the building is expected to consume about 75 percent less energy than the national average for school buildings. (see interior image, right)

More than 40,000 square feet of solar panels take over from there. Mounted on the rooftop and support structures, the solar panels will generate electricity the school needs and send any extra to the grid. While there will be times when the school needs more than it generates, the two should balance on an annual basis. That’s the net-zero thesis at work.

Kentucky is clearly doing something right. They began building geothermal systems for heating and cooling their schools in 1990; other initiatives followed. As of Jan. 30, the state has a dozen Energy-Star certified K-12 schools, according to its own website. And as some newer schools began to exceed the goals set by Energy Star – and even the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEEDS platinum rating — the possibility of a net-zero school took hold.

“We believe that this was a logical step for us. It wasn’t an anomaly,” Ryles said.

The average energy nationwide for schools is about 73 kBTUs per square foot. Kentucky was building schools that were ending up in the 40s, then the 30s, Ryles said. And then a little accidental catalyst called Plano Elementary went up in Warren County.

“Plano kind of flew under everyone’s radar,” said Ryles. It was using just 28 kBTUs per square foot. “At that point if you drew a line across the chart, the next stop was net zero.”

He and engineer Ken Seibert began kicking the idea around. One day, Seibert called and said he had something to show Ryles. The state department of energy got wind of the meeting, and asked if they could bring some people along to listen, folks from state government, big universities, and energy providers. Ryles brought a couple of guests of his own – Warren and Kenton county school representatives. Before he knew it, Seibert was making his presentation to 25 or 30 folks.

“Mr. Seibert put on a show that was fabulous,” Ryles said. “He demonstrated a hypothetical way it would work, he showed us the engineering model, then showed us the business model. It was unbelievable.”

They were all in the same room. Warren and Kenton counties wanted in. Richardsville Elementary – and two other schools, Bristow in Warren County and Turkeyfoot in Kenton County – would soon be on the net zero design boards.

Turning the idea into reality faced some challenges: With school boards and cities and states and private businesses, it can be hard to get everybody to work together. There are various intersecting rules and regulations, and everyone has a territory to call their own. Negotiating new projects through all that red tape and ownership can be sticky.

Power bills got you down, and you can’t figure out what you’re doing wrong because you’re trying to do so much right?

The Alliance to Save Energy wants you to realize the most from your efforts to reduce electricity consumption, so they’ve released this checklist for you to consider as you try to trim those galloping electric bills:

1 – If the payoff from your home fleet of energy efficient products doesn’t seem to be reducing your electric bill, ask yourself is it the “dreaded Snackwell effect”? Are you gulping energy in the belief that your more efficient computer, TVs and refrigerator will curb the bill so significantly you no longer have to worry? This phenomenon, akin to dieters indulging on low-calorie foods (like Snackwells) because they estimate that they’re consuming fewer calories overall, could be giving you a false perception of the energy-tightening you’ve done.

2. Have you added big energy users – like a big screen TV that doesn’t carry the Energy Star seal – that are undermining your other energy efficiency actions?  Look at what you’re plugging in around the house.

3 – Have energy rates increased in your area? This could account for why your bill is static despite taking strong steps to cut back.

4 – Are you staying home more in this down economy? Watching movies at home, working from home. All these activities consume electricity.

And we might add…

5 – Keeping those TVs/VCR/DVRs on a power strip, which you turn off during the day, can reduce your household’s consumption of “phantom power”, that small, but cumulative trickle of energy that’s used by electronics that are plugged in, even though they’re not turned on.

For more tips on saving energy at home, see the Alliance’s list of ideas.   www.ase.org/consumers. The Alliance is a coalition of business, government, consumer and advocacy groups, founded in 1977.

Advertisement

Looking to replace your windows this year? Well, look out, you may qualify for newly increased tax credits of up to $1,500 if you install an energy-saving product.

The new government stimulus package includes tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements such as installing new exterior windows, doors, air conditioning systems or insulation. The new legislation extends tax credits through 2010. Most of these improvements were increased from $500 to the new $1500 cap; a cap of $200 for windows was removed.

If windows are on your mind, SeriousWindows, of Sunnyvale, Calif., is promoting energy efficient models that it claims are 200 to 400 percent more efficient than regular old Energy Star rated windows.

Many other firms sell windows, and many of those meet the Energy Star designation; windows must at least meet that test to qualify for receiving a tax credit.

The Energy Star website can help you sort out what qualifies for tax credits, and get you up to speed generally on windows, skylights and doors, which can be leaky sieves sabotaging the ability of a house to save energy .

More guidance about the new tax credits is available through the Alliance to Save Energy. A tax credit, unlike a rebate, lowers the amount of money you owe in federal income tax.

Of course, as important, is the utility costs you save from having a more energy-efficient home.

For more news on windows, see KGO’s story on the window glass of the future being developed at UC-Berkeley.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

The $819 billion economic stimulus plan passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday has been criticized for containing too many short-term measures aimed at stimulating the flagging economy – or too few; for being too focused on green infrastructure – or not focused enough.

Those arguments aside, there are many provisions in the House bill that passed Wednesday that will help individuals and their communities save money and energy, simultaneously, and in doing so, take a swipe at global warming.

“The House bill adopted (yesterday) would make increased energy efficiency a hallmark of the nation’s economic recovery with the infusion of federal funds for efficiency initiatives throughout the economy – to consumers, to businesses, to state and local governments, and more,” said Kateri Callahan, president of the advocacy group, Alliance to Save Energy.

According to the Alliance, which has sifted through the massive bill to pull out the energy-saving components, there are several meaningful ways money will flow from D.C. to help green America. Many of these measures also will create spending, for example, by offering consumers incentives to buy hybrid cars and newer furnaces.

But some are longer term ideas that attempt to knit energy efficiency into the fabric of the American economy. There’s money for energy research and innovation and federal dollars for local communities that want to make their schools more energy-wise or reduce the carbon emissions of city vehicles.

It includes:

• $14 billion for school repair (with stipulations that educational agencies use at least 25 percent of the money for modernization, renovation or repairs. Read: not new schools.)

• $11 billion to modernize the energy grid (allowing customers to more easily access renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power

• $9 billion for public transportation, including $1.1 billion for Amtrak construction to enlarge inter-city rail service

• $2.5 billion in energy retrofitting grants for owners of assisted housing projects

• $500 million for green jobs, for research and training projects that prepare works for careers in renewable energy and energy-saving programs

• $400 million to help state and local governments buy alternative-fuel vehicles

• $300 million to support state rebates to consumers who replace old appliances with Energy Star appliances

• $200 million for the Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicle Program, which gives grants to state and local governments for projects that encourage plug-in electric (hybrid) vehicles
]]> http://www.greenrightnow.com/kgo/2009/01/29/how-the-house-stimulus-bill-would-help-green-your-house/feed/ 0 http://www.greenrightnow.com/kgo/2008/07/30/energy-group-asks-congress-to-not-give-up-on-tax-incentives-for-green-energy-improvements/ http://www.greenrightnow.com/kgo/2008/07/30/energy-group-asks-congress-to-not-give-up-on-tax-incentives-for-green-energy-improvements/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:12:43 +0000 BKessler http://www.greenrightnow.com/?p=1334 The Alliance to Save Energy, a 30-year-old coalition of business, political, consumer and environmental leaders, today urged the U.S. Senate to adopt a bill that would grant or extend tax credits to consumers for energy-saving home improvements, while also potentially stimulating the economy.

The bill, The Jobs, Energy, Families & Disaster Relief Act of 2008, would offer energy-related tax incentives to consumers and businesses, and includes a new provision that would provide a tax credit for plug-in electric vehicles. But for all its timeliness, it has not been a slam-dunk in Congress, where Democrats and Republicans have been locked in debate over how to fund the tax credits. A vote Wednesday on whether to continue to debate the bill suggested it may be killed, going the way of previous proposals on the same topic deep-sixed earlier this year.

The Alliance to Save Energy sees the tax incentives as economically wise because they would do double duty – helping consumers strapped by high food and gas prices, while also assisting businesses selling the covered home improvements. The net effect: an overall boost to the economy, especially the green sector. All of which prompted the Alliance to issue a new release asking senators to “move beyond partisan bickering” to “help Americans meet the challenge of spiraling energy costs.”

“At a time when American households are paying an estimated $6,300 a year in total energy costs, it is simply inexcusable for Congress to leave for the August recess without approving the ‘extenders’ bill,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan in a news release.

The Alliance, whose board is composed of Democratic and Republican senators, representatives from companies like Dow Chemical Company and Washington Gas, as well as policy groups like the Edison Electric Institute and the National Resources Defense Council, is among many organizations advocating for the tax incentive bill.

Senate Bill 3335 would:

• Extend consumer income tax credits for energy-efficient upgrades to existing homes through 2008.
• Extend business tax credits through 2013 for energy-efficient commercial buildings.
• Modify and extend through 2010 the energy-efficient tax credits for appliance manufacturers producing greener products
• Introduce a new $3,000 tax credit for qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles.
• Extend tax incentives for certain types of wind and geothermal energy installations.

The Alliance to Save Energy was formed by Senators Charles H. Percy (R-Ill.) and Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.) following the energy crisis of the mid-1970s.

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