Title: The Utility of Utility Programs: Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Utility Programs

Date: Monday, February 14, 2011

Time: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM EST

Click here to register!

The webinar will feature renewable energy and energy efficiency experts:

• Richard Harkrader, CEO and Founder of Carolina Solar Energy LLC. Mr. Harkrader will be discussing various types of incentives available for renewable energy projects and options available to tourism businesses when implementing renewable energy systems.  Mr. Harkrader will also be addressing how you can include tax credits and incentives to evaluate the real cost of renewable energy.
• Kevin Franklin, Program Manager for Duke Energy Smart $aver™ Incentive program and Shannon Lingo, Trade Ally Services Manager NC/SC for the Duke Energy Smart $aver™ Incentive Program (WECC). Mr. Franklin and Ms. Lingo will be discussing utility energy efficiency incentive programs. They will cover such topics as why utilities provide these incentives, what type of programs typically are offered by utility programs, and how you can learn more about programs in your area.

Please direct questions to Garrett Ziegler at zieglerg10@students.ecu.edu

Read the rest of this GreenBiz.com article here.

“The grants are designed to assist educational institutions (private and public), churches, charitable organizations, community groups, and all other qualifying NPOs in reducing the costs of buying and installing state-of-the-art light fixtures in their facilities before the end of 2010. Using this ‘green technology’ results in a significant reduction in monthly energy costs, which can have a major impact in lowering an organization’s annual expenses.”

For more information, click here.

Inc.com has a slideshow that gives tips – some easy, some more challenging – on cutting down your energy usage. More tips are also available in the Green Plus How-To Guide. Lastly, Microsoft has additional energy-saving advice in a broader column on cutting costs. And we can’t help but notice that other pieces of advice on Microsoft’s list – such as using web technology to limit business transportation costs or cross-training employees to increase efficacy – are all part of the triple-bottom-line sustainability strategy that Green Plus encourages.

The most thorough way to start is to get an energy audit. They are discussed in the How-To section of the Green Plus website here.  A full energy audit includes blower door testing and infrared thermography, as well as other tests to tell you exactly where your structure has air leakage and recommended next steps for sealing off your building’s envelope.  One of the most common recommendations after an energy audit is wall insulation.  Wall insulation is one of the best ways to save on heating a cooling costs, but it is also one of the most expensive and most laborious tasks at around $6,000.

For buildings more than 5-10 years old, it is a pretty safe bet that the attic and basement should be your focus if you have a tight budget.  More specifically air sealing and attic insulation are sure ways to improve your building’s envelope.

• Air Sealing  – seals where the house frame meets the foundation with caulk and foam. The cost is about $1000-2000 for a small building, and has approximately a 5-year payback period.
• Attic Insulation – while attic insulation is slightly more expensive at $2000+, the attic is where approximately 40% of energy loss occurs. Attic Insulation also has an estimated 5-year payback period.

For handy do-it-yourselfers, the Sierra Club has a new Green Home website with lots of tips on air sealing and weatherproofing here, which are accompanied by videos from the Green Dream Group.  Both of these websites  have more information about air sealing, attic insulation, and many other options to prevent air leakage.
When it comes time to expand, think LEED design.  In the mean time, though, consider all the ways you can tighten the seal on your already existing buildings.

The bottom line is that even the new-and-improved incandescents don’t pack nearly the efficiency of compact fluorescents. Moreover, the price point for the new incandescents is still higher than that of CFLs. So for now, stick with your CFLs and keep an eye on the emerging research.

But what’s interesting to see is the reason for the increased R&D. It stems partly from customer preference, yes – but at the same time, those customers probably would have continued buying incandescents regardless of their environmental impact. The real impetus behind the improved efficiency in incandescents is the legislation that demanded an efficiency level that threatened to doom the incandescent forever. It’s the same philosophy that underlies the Waxman-Markey bill currently in front of the Senate, or the Maine law mandating that manufacturers bear the cost of recycling their customers’ ewaste, or any other governmental intervention in the market in the name of environmental protection. While critics may argue that increased regulation hampers economic activity, it’s certainly evident that regulation does its job in terms of controlling environmental impact. And by increasing the need for R&D and encouraging manufacturers to seek out new markets or improved efficiencies, maybe such regulation can actually have a positive impact on economic activity in the long run.

On Friday, June 26, the House of Representatives passed landmark legislation to begin to address climate change emissions in the US. The bill is comprehensive and covers a new Cap and Trade policy, job creation, energy efficiency standards and investments in renewable energy. The New York Times published an article by the Associated Press which outlines basic questions and answers about the bill.

Now the bill will pass on to the Senate, amidst hurried efforts by many groups to modify it before it reaches the Senate floor. Reactions to the House bill are far-ranging. Environmental economists weighed in in an op-ed piece from the Economics for Equity and the Environment Network, which points out the value of the bill to correct for a market failure by charging companies for polluting, reflecting the true costs to society.

On the other hand, the US Chamber of Commerce weighed in claiming that the costs of the complicated regulatory burden imposed by the bill would hurt citizens and business owners without creating enough jobs to compensate.

The Union of Concerned Scientists was largely satisfied with the bill, as it matched their recommendations closely, such as providing for significant emissions reductions, and flexibility to respond to emerging scientific findings.

Grist reported that some environmental groups such as the Sierra Club are hoping that the Senate bill can be more robust in preventing climate change emissions. The New York Times columnist Revkin questions the bill’s ability to provide leadership to developing nations, where 97% of the growth in climate emissions is projected to take place.

Details about how the bill might affect small business are still emerging. It may make more fiscal sense to pay to upgrade to a renewable energy economy now, rather than waiting for consequences to emerge that make the switch more expensive. For more information on climate change causes and consequences, see the EPA’s website, or wecansolveit.org.

It’s hot. It will get hotter. Air conditioning bills will rise along with the temperature–how can you reduce expenses while keeping comfortable? How can you do your part to reduce climate change emissions?*

• Turn down the AC at night or when employees go home
• Turn the thermostat up to the highest comfortable temperature -even one degree makes a big difference in costs
• Use fans–fans are MUCH more energy efficient than air conditioning, and the breeze makes the air feel a degree or two cooler
• If you work at home, try to do heat-producing activities at night such as baking or laundry
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs–they produce less heat, save energy, and the glow of the new model bulbs is quite lovely
• Keep air conditioner clear of debris such as leaves, replace air filter regularly and keep maintenance up to date
• Allow casual summer dress on Code Red  (VERY hot!) days or all summer
• Consider getting an energy audit to help seal up leaks your office or home

There are new advances on efficient air conditioning in cars reported in the NY Times Green Inc. blog at this link. Our updated How-To guide contains tons of information on energy audits. Here’s more tips about how businesses can save on HVAC costs-click here.

* According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, home air conditioning alone is responsible for 5% of all electricity usage in the US, costs $15 billion annually, and creates 140 million tons of carbon dioxide, a climate change gas.