Senate committee hearings scheduled next week for the Home Star Act of 2010

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has unveiled language for proposed legislation authorizing the HOME STAR energy retrofit program, which would allocate $6 billion in federal funds to provide short-term consumer incentives for residential energy improvements.  The legislation was designed to stimulate job creation in the construction and manufacturing sectors by giving millions of American homeowners access to substantial rebates for cost-effective efficiency upgrades.

As expected, the language calls for a combination of:

·         Prescriptive rebates for eligible efficiency upgrades (the SILVER STAR path)

·         Performance-based rebates for whole-home retrofits designed to achieve energy savings of 20 percent or more (the GOLD STAR path)

·         Quality assurance and fraud-prevention provisions

·         Funding for state and local energy retrofit financing programs to help homeowners pay their share of the upfront costs

The SILVER STAR path would provide rebates up to $3,000 or 50 percent of project costs (whichever is less), with potentially higher rebate amounts available for GOLD STAR projects.

Now that the so-called “discussion draft” has been released, the Senate can move forward with hearings about the proposed legislation – a process that is due to begin next week.

Supporters of the bill are encouraged to contact their Congressional representatives in the House and Senate to press for passage of the legislation.  Efficiency First provides a quick and easy way to voice your support at www.efficiencyfirst.org/home-star.

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Nearly one in ten Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers is now buying power from a source other than the utility, BGE said Monday.

About 75,000 residential customers and 25,000 commercial and industrial customers, of BGE’s 1.2 million customers in total, have shopped around for cheaper electricity.  BGE estimates that 40 percent of the actual supply of electricity being used in the region is coming through competitive energy suppliers, however.

An increase in competition can, in theory, lead to lower electricity prices.  Gov. Martin O’Malley has pushed for an end to electricity competition in Maryland, saying it hasn’t developed enough to save residents money.   The proposal has been slow-moving in the General Assembly’s 2010 session, which ends in April.

BGE officials encourage customers to shop around for cheaper electricity.  While the utility was once more of an energy generator, it’s now largely focused on electricity distribution and doesn’t make money off of the sale of electricity.  It buys power in large batches several times a year to sell on to customers.

“When competition is given time to develop, the marketplace responds with lower prices and customers reap the benefits,” Mark D. Case, BGE senior vice president of strategy and regulatory affairs, said in a statement.

Electricity suppliers offering service in BGE’s service area include BGE Home, Commerce Energy Inc., Clean Currents, Dominion Retail Inc., Washington Gas Energy Services, and ProEnergy Consultants.  Standard BGE electricity is being sold at 11.97 cents per kilowatt hour, while power is being sold for as little as 10.25 cents per kilowatt hour under a two-year contract from BGE Home.  BGE Home, like BGE, is a subsidiary of Baltimore energy giant Constellation Energy Group Inc. (NYSE: CEG).

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Bloom EnergyBloom Energy spent nearly a decade developing its fuel-cell technology. Above, five Bloom Energy Servers sit outside eBay’s headquarters in San Jose, Calif.

By TODD WOODY

In The New York Times on Wednesday, I wrote about Bloom Energy, the once-secretive Silicon Valley start-up that has apparently made a big breakthrough in developing a fuel cell that can generate electricity at competitive prices while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.

The company is officially unveiling its Bloom Energy Server at a news conference on Wednesday morning featuring Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California; Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state and a Bloom board member; and John Doerr, Silicon Valley’s leading green-tech investor.  But on Monday and Tuesday, I had the opportunity to spend some time at the start-up’s headquarters in Sunnyvale and to see the Bloom box up close.

In contrast to the usual Silicon Valley practice of announcing a coming product, Bloom spent nearly a decade developing its fuel-cell technology while saying nary a word.  Over the past year and a half, it has quietly sold and installed 100-kilowatt Bloom boxes at Google, Bank of America, Wal-Mart and other big companies.  The boxes cost $700,000 to $800,000 a piece.

“Silicon Valley is learning some hard and important skills, mainly making stuff again,” said Mr. Doerr, a partner at the venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and a Bloom Energy board member.

Making stuff, particularly solid-oxide fuel cells, is very hard work.  Such fuel cells have been something of a holy grail as they can operate at extremely high temperatures to maximize efficiency and can use a variety of fuels, like natural gas and biogas.  Since the heat allows the fuel to be directly transformed into electricity through an electrochemical process, the expensive precious metals and rare-earth elements used in other fuel cells to act as catalysts could theoretically be eliminated.

But finding cheap common materials as substitutes and ensuring fuel cells don’t crack and leak under such conditions have stymied scientists for more than 30 years.

So how did Bloom crack the fuel-cell conundrum?

“I call it R.&D. on steroids,” K.R. Sridhar, Bloom’s 49-year-old co-founder and chief executive, said at the start-up’s offices.  “We created an R.&D. platform where you continuously improve, validate and test.  Learn why it broke and move on.”

Mr. Sridhar worked on fuel cells as a scientist on NASA’s now-defunct Mars program, where precision engineering and exotic materials were at his disposal.  At Bloom, scientists used sand — the silicon-based stuff that gives the Valley its name — to create a thin ceramic wafer that resembles a floppy disk.

In the manufacturing area of Bloom’s offices, wafers shuffle through a machine that paints lime-green ink — the anode — on one side and black ink — the cathode — on the other.  Mr. Sridhar says the ink is made from common, low-cost materials and infused with some proprietary “magic dust.”

The ceramic wafer serves as an electrolyte, and as fuel passes over the cell and mixes with oxygen ions, the resulting reaction generates electricity.  Each fuel cell generates 25 watts of electricity — a couple of years ago, it was 5 watts, said Mr. Sridhar.

On the other side of the office, workers assemble stacks of fuel cells that fit into polished metal cubes that look like they could have been designed at Apple.   A 100-kilowatt Bloom Energy Server will fit in a parking space.  (“I didn’t want it to look like a power plant that you hide away,” Mr. Sridhar said.)

Bloom executives said the energy server, which can be installed in a matter of hours, operates at an efficiency of 50 to 55 percent and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 to 100 percent depending on the type of fuel used.

Mr. Sridhar said the Bloom Energy Server has been generating electricity at a cost of 8 to 10 cents a kilowatt-hour.

In California, where Bloom has installed 30 fuel-cell systems, commercial electricity rates averaged about 14 cents a kilowatt-hour in October 2009, according to the latest figures from the United States Department of Energy.  Elsewhere, commercial rates averaged 7 to 24 cents a kilowatt-hour.

Last July, eBay flipped the switch on five Bloom Energy Servers that now supply 15 percent of the electricity at its San Jose, Calif., campus, or about five times as much energy as generated by its 3,248 solar panels, according to Amy Skoczlas Cole, director of the company’s Green Team.

“We’re expecting a three-year payback period,” said Ms. Skoczlas Cole, adding that the calculation includes state and federal tax incentives that halved the price of the fuel cells.

In seven months of operations, Bloom has replaced a few fuel-cell wafers, but the machines have otherwise operated without a problem, Ms. Skoczlas Cole said.

Bloom executives said the company spent years developing a proprietary seal made from low-cost materials to prevent cracks and leaks. They estimate that the Bloom boxes will have a 10-year lifespan and that the company will have to swap out the fuel-cell stacks twice during that time.

Mike Brown, an executive with UTC Power, a leading fuel-cell maker, said the fuel cells need to last at least four or five years for the technology to be competitive.

Northern California’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, has asked regulators for permission to install fuel cells from Bloom and a competitor, F uelCell Energy, according to Janice Berman, a senior director at P.G.&E.

“We think it’s one of the emerging technologies that has great potential, and we’re really interested in understanding how the technology interacts with the grid,” she said.

One byproduct of fuel cells is water, and Bloom has patented and proved a fuel-cell design that could also tap electricity generated by solar panels and wind farms to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen that could be used as fuel in the cell.

“That’s the killer app,” said Mr. Sridhar, who said such a product probably would introduced within a decade.

Mr. Brown wished his rival well.

“We hope they’re successful because that it brings more attention to fuel cells,” he said.  “But if they’re not successful, it is not good for the industry because it looks like it’s just more hype about fuel cells.”

http://www.proenergymd.com

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Leaky windows and faulty insulation can sap money out your front door, but a home energy audit can help counter the loss of energy while lowering your power bill.

So where do you get your home audit — your local utility company or a private auditing firm?  The answer may depend on how much energy savings you want for the initial outlay.

Taking steps to conserve energy can cut your electricity bill by as much as $600 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.  Add tax credits of $1,500, and it’s not surprising why performing a home energy audit is a burgeoning business.

The free home energy audit offered by many power companies is usually comprised of a visual inspection.  That could include identifying energy hogging appliances as well as leaky windows, air ducts and areas where insulation is lacking.  A professional audit, which can cost $300 to $500 depending on the home’s size, is a more in-depth assessment — about two hours long and utilizing measurement tools to identify leaks, according to the Department of Energy.

The free utility audits give homeowners ideas on how to save energy, but fee-based energy audits, because they are so detailed, can potentially save homeowners 30 percent or more on energy costs, according to Brian Castelli, executive vice president at Washington, D.C.-based Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit group of that supports energy efficiency.

A free energy audit makes sense for homeowners who aren’t paying excessive energy bills or aren’t dealing with drafty areas of their home, says Mark Cannella, a partner at Cleveland-based Pro Energy Consultants.

"If a homeowner truly has an issue and truly wants to make a home more energy efficient, a full-blown audit is necessary," Cannella says.

Utility companies help consumers conserve

For some homeowners, swapping out old appliances may be enough.  According to the Department of Energy, replacing your old, in-room air conditioner for one with an energy efficiency rating of 10 can cut your A/C energy costs in half.

Duke Energy Corp. of Charlotte, N.C., offers a free home energy audit through its House Call program.  During an assessment, a specialist reviews appliances, analyzes home energy use, checks the home for air leaks, examines insulation levels, and monitors heating and cooling systems. Duke says homeowners get a custom report within 10 days, providing ways to increase efficiency and reduce energy loss.  The report’s recommendations could include buying energy-efficient appliances, adding insulation or sealing up leaks.

Although it isn’t free, Long Island Power Authority of Uniondale, N.Y., or LIPA, offers its Home Performance with Energy Star program.  Customers pay $200 to $400 for the home assessment performed by contractors accredited by the Malta, N.Y.-based Building Performance Institute, an organization that offers contractor training and certification.

LIPA says it will rebate 25 percent of the cost up to $3,000 if customers choose to follow up on recommended electric energy-saving measures from the Energy Star program.  LIPA reimburses after it receives proof the work was done.

The utility company also is testing a program to select customers with electric heat or air conditioning in which accredited contractors perform assessment and sealing services for free.

LIPA will cover 75 percent of recommended energy-saving measures up to $3,000 from the free service, says Dan Zaweski, LIPA assistant vice president. In addition, electric heating customers can save from $150 to $300 a year, depending on the home’s square footage, under the program.

Buyer beware when it comes to audits

Not all fee-based home energy audits are created equal.  As in any budding industry, there are fly-by-night companies that claim to be experts but really aren’t, according to Cannella.  Make sure you’re using an accredited auditor and that the auditor uses specific energy measurement tools.

Before hiring a professional auditor, check with the local Better Business Bureau to verify the company is legitimate.  Also, ask for references and confirm the auditor does a blower door test and thermographic scanning.

You want to be sure the auditor uses a calibrated blower door and infrared cameras," says Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Yonkers, N.Y.-based Consumer Reports.  The blower door is a powerful fan mounted on the front-door frame that tests a home’s air leakage; thermography (infrared scanning) pinpoints failures in insulation.  Proper home air tightness will reduce energy usage and eliminate drafts, the Department of Energy says.  Private auditors will take around four hours before providing a detailed report.

Bottom line: Whether you go with the free assessment from your utility or pay for a more detailed one from a private auditor, any steps taken to curb energy usage will save you dollars over the long run.

"Sealing up your house, adding insulation and sealing duct work can result in between 20 percent and 40 percent savings," says Cannella of Pro Energy Consultants.

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

Employment stimulus legislation moves forward with bipartisan support, paving the way for further job-related measures

Following yesterday’s test vote on a $15 billion job-creation package proposed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the first in a series of bills aimed at lowering the nation’s unemployment rate is poised to pass the Senate later this week. Congressional leaders have indicated that three to five more job bills are in the works, including legislation authorizing the proposed HOME STAR retrofit incentive program.

The current bill creates or extends tax breaks designed to encourage hiring of unemployed workers and retention of existing employees, and allocates funds for various labor-intensive infrastructure projects.  Five Republican Senators voted in favor of the legislation, including newly elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.  The 62-30 vote blocked a GOP filibuster and virtually assures passage of the bill when a final vote is taken.

Efficiency First continues to be actively engaged in the legislative process, and is working closely with members of the House and Senate to assure inclusion of the HOME STAR language in subsequent legislation.

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Marylanders in search of lower bills gradually finding alternate suppliers

Howard County resident Mark D. Case saved a bundle by dumping Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and signing on with an alternative electricity supplier.  He points out that residents could save about 10 percent or more by doing the same.

He should know. He’s a top executive with BGE.

"It’s still one of the best-kept secrets in Maryland, and that’s unfortunate," said Case, the company’s senior vice president of strategy and regulatory affairs.

Maryland deregulated the power business more than a decade ago to allow residential and commercial consumers to sign contracts to lock in lower electricity prices with an alternative supplier, potentially cutting their monthly bills.  But for years, residential consumers had few options other than the utilities, and few switched even after rate caps were lifted in 2006, making it easier to find better deals.

That trend appears to be changing, albeit at a glacial pace.

Only about 5 percent of the 1.1 million residential customers in BGE’s service territory in the city and surrounding counties had switched to an alternative supplier as of January.  While that’s double the percentage that had done so a year earlier, it’s still only a sliver of the residential market.  In contrast, nearly a third of commercial and industrial customers have opted for an alternative supplier.

More residents are expected to shop around as more suppliers have entered the market and as programs are put in place to encourage consumers to examine their options.  Other possible factors behind the newfound urge to shop for electricity: the long, cold stretches that led to bigger utility bills last winter, a faltering economy that has prompted more budget scrutiny or the desire to get power from environmentally friendly energy sources.

BGE Home, owned by BGE parent Constellation Energy, announced in January that it would start offering contracts, and Dominion Retail recently revived its alternative service in Maryland.  BGE, which makes its money by distributing electricity, no matter who supplies it, also ran TV ads about electric choice last year.

Several bills before the Maryland General Assembly seek more consumer education about electric choice.  One proposal announced last week would have the state Public Service Commission, which regulates the power industry, create public service announcements and a user-friendly Web site about electric shopping, and require that utilities inform residents about their options.

Fewer than half of the Maryland respondents in a recent poll knew they had the option to shop around, according to a survey commissioned by the Retail Energy Supply Association, an alternative supplier organization.

Unlike utilities, which spread out energy purchases to protect against sudden spikes, alternative suppliers can take advantage of market lows and offer cheaper rates.

Going with an alternative supplier also lets customers choose products that use electricity generated by wind – although they might pay more for that option.  In addition to Clean Currents, more than 10,000 Washington Gas Energy Services customers in Maryland and surrounding states have contracts for wind power, said Leah Gibbons, the company’s director of regulatory and legislative affairs.

But what should residential customers keep in mind when entering a contract?

Paula Carmody, head of the Office of the People’s Counsel, which represents consumers’ interests before state utility regulators, said ratepayers should check the Maryland Public Service Commission’s Web site to see which suppliers are licensed in this state.

The People’s Counsel site also maintains price comparison information, so consumers can find out what different suppliers are charging.  To see if you’re getting a good deal, compare the offers with prices from your local utility.  Ensure both numbers are using the same units of measurement, such as kilowatt-hours.

Carmody added that ratepayers should review contracts carefully, just as they would with any other purchase or service contract, and the People’s Counsel has a contracting guide available on its Web site that can help.  Most contracts last as long as 12 or 24 months, and Maryland’s suppliers often charge early termination fees of as much as $150 or $200 if customers cancel before the term is over.

And many of these contracts automatically renew – at whatever rate is available at the time, which could be higher or lower.  "This is something people really need to watch out for," Carmody said.

Suppliers must send a notice to customers at least 45 days before the contract renews, but if the consumers don’t take action, the contract continues.  "It is very important that people keep in mind that this is going to be coming to them, and don’t throw it away," she said.

Here is some other important information to know:

Your local utility will remain your electric distributor, and so you’ll continue to receive BGE bills if you’re in BGE’s territory with charges for both distribution and supply.  The local utilities will stay in control of system repairs, as well as collections and service terminations.  If your power goes out or you need more time paying your bills, you still call your local utility.

BGE customers who do decide to switch will still receive the $100 credit on their bills as part of regulators’ approval of Constellation Energy’s $4.5 billion nuclear joint venture with Electricite de France.

And any ratepayer who signed up for BGE’s "PeakRewards" program or other discounts will still receive those benefits, even after making the switch to another supplier.

Alternative suppliers say other states have done more to encourage consumers to shop for electricity.  For example, Pennsylvania’s public utilities commission approved electric choice education campaigns paid for by existing ratepayer surcharges.

But Douglas Nazarian, chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission, said the commission spent about $6 million on consumer education when the state first deregulated.

"The question we’ve struggled with is whether ratepayers ought to be doing the marketing and consumer education to support private companies’ business models," he said.  "We have been unwilling to put those costs on the backs of ratepayers."

Carmody agreed.  "Agencies are appropriate for general consumer information," she said.  "But it’s not our job to market."

Gov. Martin O’Malley shelved plans to re-regulate the state’s energy market this year after the state legislature rebuffed the idea during last year’s legislative session.  The governor, a Democrat, had argued that a deregulation policy implemented in 1999 failed to produce cheaper rates and a reliable energy supply.

Suppliers also say that they would like access to lists of customer information, such as names and addresses, maintained by the utilities.  This would help them troll for new customers.

BGE has offered to provide extensive customer data, Case said.

But that action could have big privacy implications, Nazarian said. Regulations have recently been approved that would allow utilities to share detailed information – but only with customer consent, he said.

"Choice is alive and supported," with a handful of companies marketing to consumers, Nazarian said.  "People could sign up with them right now and save money."

But he added: "They’re not doing that in great numbers."

Suppliers often testify in PSC hearings that certain steps, such as providing customer data, would entice more suppliers to enter this market, which would drive down prices. But many suppliers have not committed to offering service in Maryland, the chairman said.

Companies like WGES do their own customer outreach, Gibbons said, including direct mail and door-to-door canvassing of neighborhoods.

Having utility customer lists would facilitate that as well as customer sign-ups at events like festivals where customers are unlikely to know their utility account numbers.  Addressing concerns about privacy, Gibbons said, "There’s nothing else you could do with that information."

"Right now there’s a lot of savings to be had," she said. "It puts them at a disadvantage not to be able to take advantage of the savings."

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

By Luke Mullins , On Thursday February 11, 2010, 12:47 pm EST

While the debate over climate change rages on, energy-efficient features have become a key attraction for today’s home buyers.  The National Association of Realtors’ 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that nearly 90 percent of buyers considered heating and cooling bills important, and more than 70 percent wanted high-efficiency appliances.  "One of the things that we as advocates of energy efficiency have been encouraged by is a change in home buyers’ and homeowners’ attitudes towards energy efficiency," says Kateri Callahan, the president of the Alliance to Save Energy.

And why not? Energy-efficient home features help lower your bills while reducing your carbon footprint.  On top of that, Uncle Sam is now handing out tax credits worth up to $1,500 when you purchase certain energy-efficient home products.  But if you’re planning on going green, you had better get moving, says Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports.  "All the tax credits expire at the end of 2010," she says. "So this is the year to do a lot of those things because Uncle Sam is going to help you pay for it."  To assist consumers who are considering making these upgrades, U.S. News spoke with a number of experts to compile a list of 10 Great Green Home Improvements for 2010.

1. Energy-efficiency audit: Before you can make your home more energy efficient, you need to know where you currently stand.  A so-called energy audit, in which an energy professional inspects your home to determine where efficiencies can be created, is a great way for homeowners to figure out which parts of their property need attention. "That is the very first step that any homeowner should take," says Karen Thull of the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance.  "[An energy-efficiency audit] is a great way to kind of measure where there are inefficiencies."  Homeowners can contact their energy company or a contractor about conducting an energy audit, which may be free in some cases.  "I’m an energy guy, I called my local energy auditor to come out [to inspect my house]," says Randy Martin, the former director of energy-efficiency services at the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities.

2. Seal it up: Ensuring that your home is tightly sealed is a key component of energy efficiency.  "You can talk about the future of the smart home and all of that," says Meg Matt, the president and CEO of the Association of Energy Services Professionals.  "But it really does come back to the basics of sealing what I call ‘the leaky house.’  " Plugging up the leaks that allow cold air to slip into your house–and drive up your heating bills–is an important first step. Such leaks are often found near doors and windows, but they can also spring up in your basement or attic. Certain materials used to seal these leaks–such as caulk, spray foam, or weather-stripping–can qualify for federal tax credits.  "It’s something that homeowners can do easily," Thull says. "And there are a lot of different products out there that are able to do [it]." For more specific information on eligibility and the tax benefits associated with different products.

3. Insulate upstairs: Adding insulation can help keep your home comfortable year-round.  "It turns out that about half of the homes in the United States are under-insulated," Callahan says.  "If your home was built before about 1980, you should really look at it to see if you have got the proper level of insulation."  For those adding insulation, Callahan recommends starting with an easily accessible part of the house, such as the attic.  "In the attic spaces, a lot of times, the insulation over a period of years will reduce down to maybe 3 or 4 inches where you are supposed to have like 10 inches of insulation," says Paul Zuch, the president of Capital Improvements.  "A lot of the insulation companies promote going in and blowing an additional 10 inches of insulation in your attic.  That really helps." Certain insulation products can qualify for federal tax credits.

4. Seal the ducts: Ducts carry hot or cold air to different parts of homes with forced-air heating and cooling systems.  But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that roughly a fifth of this air escapes through leaks. To address this headache, consumers can use duct sealant to repair leaks in exposed ducts, like those in an attic or basement. Kuperszmid Lehrman recommends that homeowners have their ducts insulated as well.  "If they don’t have insulation, you should add the insulation," she says. "And because that is going to be a project where you are going to need to do it in places that are going to be hard to reach, that’s probably a project where you are going to want to hire somebody."

5. Programmable thermostat: Another way to cut down on energy costs is a programmable thermostat, Callahan says.  These devices–which can be found for less than $30–help prevent homeowners from wasting energy.  For example, a homeowner could use this device to program the downstairs heat to lower by 15 degrees at 11 p.m., when the family is in bed, and return to its normal temperature at 6 a.m.  "A programmable thermostat allows you to set back the temperature pretty significantly when you are not in the home or if you are asleep," Callahan says.  "They save about 10 percent on your heating bills and your cooling bills in the summer–so they pay for themselves literally in a matter of months."

6. Energy-efficient windows: Replacing old, leaky windows with higher-efficiency models can also make your home greener.  Zuch recommends that consumers buy wood windows instead of aluminum-framed models, which can allow hot or cold air to pass through more readily. "Wood windows are great because wood is a natural insulator," Zuch says. "It just doesn’t allow heat and cold to move through the frame."  Energy-efficient windows typically have two panes of glass filled with a gas that works to slow down the heat that passes through it, Zuch says.  Qualified energy-efficient windows are eligible for a federal tax credit, but installation costs are not included.

7. Energy-efficient doors: Certain higher-efficiency door models also can qualify for a tax break from Uncle Sam.  When looking for energy efficiency, avoid hollow metal doors, Kuperszmid Lehrman says.  "Any kind of hollow door is going to be terrible because the air is going to infiltrate right through," she says.  Instead, look for a door of insulated steel, fiberglass, or wood.  If you’d prefer that a portion of the door be glass, look for energy-efficient components. "If you are going to go for glass, you want to make sure that you get the same sort of insulating features that you would look for in a window."

8. Add storm windows: Storm windows can be a lower-cost alternative to a full-blown window replacement project.  "Storm windows are a very inexpensive way to increase the energy efficiency of your current windows," Kuperszmid Lehrman says.  But she cautions that the project makes financial sense only if a homeowner’s current windows are in good condition, since rotting or leaky windows would need to be replaced sooner or later anyway.  "If your interior windows are in good shape, then [installing storm windows is] a quick way to increase your energy efficiency without going through the expense and the mess of ripping out your current windows," she says. Certain storm windows and doors can qualify for a federal tax credit, but installation costs are not included.

9. Energy-efficient heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system: Replacing an outdated heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system with more energy-efficient models can also lower your monthly energy bills.  But because the project can be quite expensive, Kuperszmid Lehrman suggests that homeowners take this step only as a last resort.  Before considering this project, it’s essential to make sure your home is as well sealed and insulated as possible.  "If you upgrade your HVAC system but your house is still leaking, you still are going to use an enormous amount of energy," she said.  Only homeowners who have properly sealed homes but old and unreliable heating and cooling equipment should invest in a new HVAC system, Kuperszmid Lehrman says. "I wouldn’t call somebody to replace your heating system in the dead of winter," she says. "I would do some research and then call them when people aren’t calling them for the emergency calls."  Certain heating and cooling products can qualify for federal tax credits.

10. High-efficiency water heaters: These can drive down home energy costs as well.  "Water heating makes up anywhere from 15 to 25 percent of the annual energy usage in a home," says Steve Koep of Marathon Water Heaters.  High-efficiency water heaters conserve energy by keeping water hot for longer than traditional water heaters.  "You start saving money on a monthly basis, and that technology will generally pay for itself in anywhere from three to five years," Koep says. Certain water heaters can qualify for federal tax credits.

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

Efficiency First Chair Matt Golden makes the case for residential energy retrofit incentives

In a commentary published today on Forbes.com (the online presence of Forbes Magazine), Efficiency First Chair Matt Golden outlines the essential economic arguments in favor of using direct consumer incentives to spur growth in the home energy retrofit industry.  Golden argues that with unemployment in the construction sector pushing 25 percent, we have a historic opportunity to put that unused capacity to work making homes more efficient and reducing energy costs for American consumers.

“Home Star is designed to stimulate private investment in home energy improvements and channel millions of dollars in new business to local contractors,” Golden writes.  “The work is hands-on, site-specific labor that cannot be outsourced overseas, and employs skills that any experienced construction worker or HVAC installer can acquire with minimal training.  Furthermore, the sheet metal, insulation, caulking and other materials used in home energy remodeling are overwhelmingly produced by American mills and factories, another sector of our economy with tremendous underutilized capacity”

Golden goes on to cite several examples of positive growth and investment in the Home Performance industry, and he concludes by saying that HOME STAR “will facilitate a hybrid solution in which the public and private sectors work together to support a prosperous free market for energy retrofitting services that deliver measurable and predictable energy savings, and help our nation’s economy get back on track.”

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HOME STAR legislation still in the works as Senators unveil the first in a series of bipartisan job-creation bills

Today the senior Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee (Max Baucus of Montana and Charles Grassley of Iowa) unveiled the first in a series of job-creation bills currently under development on Capitol Hill.  Congressional leaders have indicated that three to five more job bills will be released after the Presidents’ Day recess, including legislation authorizing the proposed HOME STAR retrofit incentive program.

Efficiency First continues to be actively engaged in the legislative process, and is working closely with members of the House and Senate to assure inclusion of the HOME STAR language in subsequent legislation.

In a joint statement issued along with the draft bill released today, Senators Grassley and Baucus called for legislators on both sides of the aisle to move forward in spirit of cooperation.  “We want the bipartisan character of the discussions that led to this draft package to remain as the package is considered,” the statement said.

The proposed legislation creates or extends a number of tax breaks designed to encourage hiring of unemployed workers and retention of existing employees.  The bill also allocates funds for various labor-intensive infrastructure projects, provides relief for private pensions, and extends the Patriot Act for one year.

http://www.proenergymd.com

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous

Last month, Tami and Randy Wilson of Harrisburg, Pa., may well have become the first homeowners to ever sell a carbon credit they’d generated at home.  The family saved one metric ton of carbon by reducing their energy use and installing solar panels on their roof.

The deal, which garnered the Wilsons $17.20, was brokered by My Emissions Exchange, a carbon-credit aggregator in White Plains, and the credit was sold to Molten Metal Equipment Innovations, an equipment manufacturer in nearby Ohio, which bought it to offset its own emissions.

My Emissions Exchange, which earns a commission on the brokerage of the carbon credits, said it hopes to enroll a million households in its emissions reduction program.  Roughly 1,800 homeowners have registered since the company’s debut in September 2009.

“What we’re trying to do is to get enough people so we have a steady stream of credits,” said Paul Herrgesell, the company’s project manager.

Homes account for about one-sixth of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and are notorious energy hogs.  So the market might be ripe for such household-based emissions reductions schemes, said Mick Womersley, a climate policy expert at Unity College, in Unity, Me.

“If you can demonstrate verification, there’s certainly institutions and companies that want to buy these credits,” Mr. Womersley said.

In 2006, Mr. Womersley helped broker a deal in which Maine’s housing authority, Maine Housing, sold carbon reductions achieved through energy-efficiency retrofitting in the state’s low-income housing stock to Unity College to offset the college’s travel emissions.

Myemissionsexchange.com works by getting renters and owners — as well as any large building or small business that is billed through a single meter — to enter their utility and heating bills into its Web-enabled database.  Participants must upload or mail in their bills for verification.

“On the voluntary carbon market, the issue of quality is an important one,” Mr. Herrgesell said.  Current energy use and emissions are measured against those of the previous 12 months.

The voluntary carbon market topped $704 million in 2008, and just how much of a role individual households can play in it remains an open question.

Already, homeowners with solar panels play a small, but increasingly active part in markets for renewable energy credits in states like New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

“The number of homeowners in our program is growing exponentially,” said Michael Winka, the director of the Office of Clean Energy at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, which oversees homeowner sales of solar renewable energy credits in the state.  “The typical homeowner can make more than $3,200 a year,” Mr. Winka said.

The average participant at My Emissions Exchange, by comparison, is expected to earn just $40 to $60 a year.

But Mr. Herrgesell said the money saved from reduced energy use — $500 to $600 for some participants — is a strong incentive, despite the time required to enter data and upload utility bills to the company’s Web site.

And Mr. Womersley of Unity College said he thought even that is a minor hurdle for some potential participants. “I wouldn’t underestimate how much time young people are prepared to spend doing geeky stuff on computers,” he said.

Posted via email from proenergy’s posterous