“Green” Building Materials
VOC’s and other harmful chemicals are not just in the building materials, they are in the furniture and equipment as well. Think what the product you are buying is made of before you purchase it.
Residential Smart Meters
Knowing where your money is going in your energy bill is very useful. Once you know how much you can impact something is when you try to make more of an impact than you have already made. Knowing that keeping your TV on all day when you are gone will cost you $5 will make you turn it off when you leave, instead of just thinking that you are wasting some energy and not knowing how much.
Net Zero Energy Buildings
The most amazing thing about this specific building, to me, is that it was built for $259 per square foot. The average for the area it was built in is $167 per square foot. So this means that for only $92 more per square foot they were able to make an ordinary office complex into an extraordinary one. Yes, this is more than the average, but for this building, construction costs were fixed from the beginning.
Energy Upgrade California Changes
Energy Upgrade California has announced major and exciting changes to their rebate program. Homeowners now receive a $1,500 rebate for projects that have a 15% modeled energy reduction. The original program had a minimum requirement of 20% modeled savings. This opens the door for more projects to qualify for the rebates. You receive an additional [...]
Cost Effective Ways of Saving Energy
Most modern duct systems leak on average 30%, old systems 50% or more. We can bring this down to less than 10%. 50% of fiberglass insulation in each home ends up getting installed with flaws. We can fix the insulation in your attic, and add some where it is missing or lacking. Homes leak 2500cfm on average, while 1500cfm is the accepted standard. Air sealing will bring your home closer to the standard for air quality. These are three things that we can easily test for and fix.
New Rules for Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit
The tax credits known as 25C are extended through 2011, but at a significantly reduced value and with changes made to some of the qualifying equipment standards. The new tax credits begin on January 1, 2011 and last through December 31, 2011. The main difference is an eligible homeowner can claim 10% of the costs [...]
Federal Tax Credit set to expire
Federal tax credits for performing energy upgrades to your home are set to expire December 31st. Nobody knows if the incentives will be renewed or not. If you have been thinking of doing some energy upgrades to your home you may not want to wait. The tax credits are good for up to $1,500. These [...]
Save Money with Thermostat Setbacks
Did you know that properly using a programmable thermostat in your home is one of the easiest ways you can save energy, money, and help fight global warming? A programmable thermostat helps make it easy for you to save by offering four pre-programmed settings to regulate your home’s temperature in both summer and winter – [...]
Updated — ME2 Berkeley City-wide Single Family/Duplex Rebates
On July 6, the City of Berkeley accepted applications for rebates funded by federal stimulus funds for comprehensive energy audits and home performance improvements. Rebates can be used to help offset the cost of qualified energy audits and improvements. The amount of the rebate will be based on the measured improvement in your home’s energy performance. Updates [...]
Home Performance with Energy Star
The Home Performance with Energy Star (HPwES) program was started by the EPA. It is set up to provide consumers with a way to distinguish those contractors that are qualified to perform home performance energy retrofits. The contractors consistently perform work that delivers energy efficiency, comfort, health, safety and durability. They have a deep understanding [...]
