Green News-Energy Efficiency Pays Best
Lessening Our Dependence on Oil by Leia Sims and Cathy Sims -5/2008-
With heating oil averaging $4.71 a gallon, natural gas rates headed for a 20 to 30 percent rise and electricity bills going up, many homeowners will struggle to pay their utility bills this winter . Some communities are moving aggressively into renewable energy & energy efficiency.
Utah made headlines in July by becoming the first to put most state employees on a four-day week of 10-hour days. About one-third of the state’s 3,000 government buildings are now closed on Fridays, with expected savings on heat and air conditioning to hit $3 million a year. Commuters are also saving on gasoline.
Energy efficiency is happening in all sectors. Behavior is changing rapidly in light of higher prices; SUV and light truck sales have dipped 30-60% (depending on the brand) over the last year. Small car sales are up. Total vehicle miles traveled dipped for the first time since 1979. Yet, in the 1970s after the oil embargo prompted conservation habits for about a decade, U.S. Americans returned to wasteful ways, as oil prices dropped, ignoring past lessons.
The difference this time is that higher prices are prompted mostly by fundamental supply and demand issues. Peak oil production is either already here, or will be sometime between 2010-2015 at the latest. When global peak oil production is reached, prices will be far higher than today’s.
In order to lessen our dependence on oil, and keep our economy moving, energy efficiency is essential. U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman met with the energy ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries, plus China, India and South Korea, to discuss ways to enhance global energy security while simultaneously combating global climate change.
The G8, which includes Canada, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and the US, established the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC). It states that energy efficiency is one of the quickest, greenest and most cost-effective ways to address energy security and climate change while ensuring economic growth.
Bush, and GOP presidential candidate John McCain, and Republicans in Congress have touted drilling as the primary short-term solution to rising energy prices, despite the fact that opening offshore areas to production wouldn’t lower gasoline prices until about 2030 — if it does at all.
Reducing energy consumption through conservation and efficiency is the most cost-effective way to help lower utility bills, increase reliability, and reduce global warming and other air pollutants.
“The business case for energy efficiency is indisputable,” says Stuart Brodsky, from the EPA’s Energy Star program. Green-built buildings have higher prices per square foot but have lower operating costs. Energy Star buildings are selling for an average of $61 more per square foot than conventional buildings. Operating costs are 10-20 percent lower in Energy Star-rated buildings, improving operating income significantly. The study also revealed that green buildings achieve higher rents and have higher occupancies.
Start At Home With Energy Efficiency
Call in an expert that can show you the “biggest bang for your buck” when it comes to paying for upgrades. A specially trained and certified energy star technician can conduct a Comprehensive Home Assessment, which has two phases.
Phase one consists of the technician taking inventory of, and reporting on, the current conditions in your home, including the following:
- Health & safety check (carbon monoxide levels, moisture, and indoor air quality problems)
- Overall comfort level (cold/hot spots, indoor air quality stuffiness/ stale odors)
- Air infiltration rates
- Insulation levels
- Heating and cooling systems
- Domestic hot water system efficiency
- Major appliances
- Lighting
Certified technicians use a number of diagnostic tools during the first phase of your Comprehensive Home Assessment. Some of the tools they use are:
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) Analyzer: important health and safety tool
- Blower Door: measures the air tightness of a home and assists in identifying areas where air leakage is occurring.
Phase two consists of contacting a qualified contractor to receive pricing on the proposed improvement work. They should test carbon monoxide levels and potentially dangerous gases in the home before and after performing energy improvements. Ask for a detailed plan with recommended measures, costs and payback analysis. Many owners use home equity loans to finance the upgrades.
Energy Finance Solutions (EFS) offers low-interest loans ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 for certain energy efficiency upgrades. The process is quick. You can call EFS to find out if you pre-qualify for the loan at 1-888-264-4367. Visit www.energyfinancesolutions.com.
Additional assistance for efficiency upgrades may be available when homeowners meet certain income eligibility requirements. During the last 30 years, the U.S. Dept of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program has provided energy efficiency services to more than 5.6 million low-income families.
By reducing the energy bills of low-income families weatherization liberates these funds for spending on more pressing family issues. On average, weatherization reduces heating bills by 32%. This spending, in turn, spurs low-income communities toward job growth and economic development.
Do You Qualify for Weatherization?
The states, not DOE, keep up-to-date lists of local weatherization agencies. All weatherization services are provided by local agencies. Most are non-profits that employ energy professionals. Some are branches of local governments. See www.waptac.org
Basic Things To Do On Your Own
- Fluorescent bulbs can save you up to $30 per bulb
- Low-flow showerheads use just two gallons of water per minute, instead of five or six
- Change furnace and air conditioner filters regularly
- Unblock and clean ventilation registers
- Seal air leaks around windows with silicone caulk
- Weather-strip around doors
- Hot water heater set at 1200
- Close chimney dampers when not in use!
- Open shades during daytime in winter, shut at night
- Install a digital thermostat – raise the temperature for summer,lower it for winter,
- Dress for the season, even when you’re indoors
By upgrading your home’s energy efficiency, you’ll increase your physical comfort, save energy, reduce your carbon footprint, and lower your monthly utility bills. Your house will increase its value in the marketplace. For every one dollar you save on energy, you increase the market value by $20 according to EPA studies.
So, go green and make green!
Sources: www.energystar.gov
www.ecologicalsystems.biz or www.bized.com
