Green Options » weatherization

Best Counterargument to Price on Carbon Hurting Jobs?

Scott Cooney — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:25:19 +0000

At yesterday’s Sustainable Industries Economic Forum, keynote presenter Paul Hawken was asked, “What is the best counterargument to the argument that carbon caps will raise energy costs and hurt our economy?” In typical Hawken style, his earlier speech was well done, inspiring and insightful. In typical Hawken style, his off-the-cuff answers to audience questions was where he really shone. And this answer was perhaps his shining moment of the day.

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Group Purchasing Yields Discounts on Home Energy Audits

Brad Burton — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:04:37 +0000

In the United States today, 21% of all carbon emissions come from our homes. Even more startling is that, on average, 40% of all energy consumed in our homes is wasted, but is still paid for every month. Simply bled off into the atmosphere, we lose our heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. Inefficient buildings not only harm our atmosphere because of all the energy required to run them, but also take a hefty chunk of change from us. Happily, there is something to be done about it. Enter One Block Off the Grid and their new model of collective bargaining for discounted home performance retrofits and big-ticket green home improvements.

One Block Off the Grid is the nation’s largest and fastest growing community purchasing group for residential solar, and was founded to cause the tipping point in its adoption. Grouping people together to make bulk purchases has lowered the upfront cost, as well as streamlined the oftentimes-complicated process of solar installation. This bulk-purchasing model is widely applicable, and in the process of engaging people on the topic of solar, it became clear that the power of community-based bulk purchasing could and should be applied to other services as well. Home performance retrofitting, sometimes referred to as weatherization, was an obvious choice.

1BOG has partnered with its first non-PV integrator to offer Bay Area residents a steep discount on home performance retrofits. Home performance retrofitting can help eliminate wasted energy, and make your home a more comfortable place to live. Leaky windows and ducts mean that temperature control is more difficult than it needs to be. Home performance retrofits solve this. Mold and dampness make air quality indoors three to five times worse than air quality outdoors. Home performance retrofits solve this.

By partnering with Sustainable Spaces, the Bay Area’s leading provider of these services, 1BOG is able to offer a 15% discount on all retrofitting work done. Sure, home performance retrofitting isn’t free, but when you take into consideration that you can begin saving up to 40% on your energy bills (gas and electric), the value of this service becomes clear. Regardless of age, location, shading, etc., chances are your home, your family, and your wallet can all benefit from a home performance retrofit through 1BOG and Sustainable Spaces.

For more information, visit 1BOG at: http://1bog.org/home-energy-efficiency-from-1bog/

1BOG and GO Media are both powered by Virgance.

Weatherizing the Nation: States to Receive Recovery Act Funding

Ruedigar Matthes — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:41:14 +0000

Oh! The weather outside [can be] frightful, which is why Stephen Chu of the U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that 7 states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire) will be the recipients of more than $288 million dollars, which will be put toward weatherization projects.

The funds will go toward weatherization projects benefiting more than 91,000 homes. And with the money and subsequent weatherization comes lower energy costs for low-income families that need it, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and creation of green jobs across the country - all part of the Obama administration’s green vision.

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Free American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Federal Tax Decoder

Derek Markham — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:13:31 +0000

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed into law by President Obama in February provides financial opportunities for homeowners, specifically tax credits, rebates, and loans for improving energy efficiency. The Act also provides tax credits for buying a house and for hybrid and alternative fuel car purchases. The problem is that the 400 page legislation can be tough to work your way through to find what’s available to you.

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SolveClimate: The Next 100 Days — Let’s Launch a War Against Energy Waste

SolveClimate — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:20:19 +0000

Editor’s note: This post was originally published on Friday, May 1, at SolveClimate.

It is time for President Obama to mobilize us all to help build the new energy economy.

He has begun shaping the public policies we need. Now he needs to launch an Apollo project, interstate highway project, war effort and Marshall Plan all rolled into one.

For starters, he should call on us all to pick up our caulking guns and enlist in the war against energy waste – a national clean energy surge.

The potential for savings through efficiency improvements and conservation is enormous.

As Obama noted during the campaign, the United States is only the 22nd most energy-efficient major economy in the world right now. With very few exceptions, every vehicle, home, power plant, factory, community and state is hemorrhaging energy, energy dollars and greenhouse gas emissions.

Consider just a few examples:

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Ten Tips to Save Energy This Winter

Dawn Killough — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:27:15 +0000

As the weather cools, the heating bills go up! The Energy Trust of Oregon has published a list of ten tips to help reduce the cost of heating this winter.

1. Turn down the thermostat when leaving the house. Even better, purchase a programmable thermostat, so you won’t have to remember!

2. Seal air leaks on exteriors walls, doors, and windows with caulk or weatherstripping. To check for leaks, hold a lit incense stick next to the opening and watch the smoke, or walk around with a damp hand to feel for air flow.

3. Seal leaking ducts with mastic sealant or metal tape. There are firms that will come out and test your ducts for leaks and fix them for you. Check in the phone book under “duct sealing” or “duct testing.”

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