by Shana Fong on June 30, 2010
Berkeley’s ME2 Program (Money for Energy Efficiency) program provides up to $5,000 in rebates to qualifying homeowners in single-family residences and duplexes. Rebates go up to $8,500 in conjunction with a PG&E program (PG&E’s Comprehensive Residential Retrofit Pilot Program).
How Does the ME2 Program Work?
- You must get a home energy audit to qualify for the rebates
- Since the program is sponsored by the city of Berkeley, you must own a single-family home or duplex in the city and meet certain income guidelines. You must be up-to-date on your taxes and liens.
- Recurve will help you apply for the ME2 rebate program which is available based on a lottery system based on applications received during a 2 week period (July 6- 20). People who will get the rebates will be selected at random from the pool of applicants after July 20th at midnight
- Special financing is available through Recurve – if you want to finance the net (after rebate) cost of your home improvements
When is the ME2 Program Available?
Sign up for a home energy audit now. The ME2 Program is taking applications for the lottery July 6 – 20, 2010. It’s likely the money will run out during these 2 weeks, but if it doesn’t, they’ll accept applications on a first come, first serve basis after the 20th. The PG&E Pilot Program will have money available for a longer timeframe.
Full details here: http://www.recurve.com/what-we-do/financing/berkeley1/
by Shana Fong on June 24, 2010
Eight percent of American homes now have pools, which waste more energy than all the nation’s ENERGY STAR homes are saving!
Swimming pools are typically the first- or second-largest single energy user in homes that have them. California’s 1.35 million residential pools use the entire electrical output of a medium-sized power plant.
Energy Facts
- Evaporation is the biggest source of heat loss from hot tubs and pools. When only 5 gallons of water evaporate from a hot tub, the remaining 500 gallons chill by 1°F., then must be re-heated.
- American swimming pools contain enough water to cover the city of San Francisco with a layer of water about seven feet deep. About 30% of that water is heated, requiring as much natural gas as a city of 6 million normally uses.
- For every hour it’s in use, an average pool heater consumes three times as much energy as a home furnace.
- Pool blankets (insulating sheets that float on the water surface) reduce the energy consumption of pool heaters by 40%-70%.
- Pool pumps use about the same amount of energy in an hour as window unit air conditioners.
Simple Ways to Save Energy
- Cover your spa or hot tub. Use a well-insulated cover with an R-value rating of 12 and foam insulation that is at least 2 inches thick. It’ll prevent heat loss and evaporation.
- Cover your pool with a floating pool blanket whenever you’re not swimming.
- Install a highly efficient two-speed or variable speed pool pump and use the low speed as much as possible. This can cut your pool-pumping energy consumption, and the related costs, in half.
- Resist buying a pool pump bigger than you need; it will cost more to buy and operate than a properly sized one.
- Put a timer on your pool pump – most run longer than needed to keep pools clean.
Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.
by Shana Fong on June 21, 2010
Lighting accounts for 10% of all electricity consumed in the United States. Over half of that electricity is used in business and manufacturing.
Flicking a light switch is a simple motion. You do it dozens of times a day without thinking. It’s time to give it some thought. According to the World Resources Institute, the production of energy for lighting accounts for 10% of all the emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. From 5% to 10% of your residential energy bill goes to paying for lighting. So it’s important to conserve energy by lighting right.
Energy Facts
- Are “long-life” incandescent bulbs better for the environment? No. They’re actually less efficient than the regular ones, and can easily cost more in extra energy than they save on replacement bulbs.
- It’s a trick: “Energy-saving” incandescent bulbs usually save energy simply because they put out less light than their regular counterparts. Check out the “lumens” rating on the package for the amount of light emitted.
- Believe it or not: Dust on a light bulb or dirt on a glass fixture can reduce the light it gives off and make it seem that you need a brighter, higher-wattage light.
- Even the paint color you choose can affect your energy use. The more light the walls reflect, the greater the chance that the light can be “recycled” by striking the wall, bouncing off, and still illuminating the room. A lighter wall can lead to a 25% energy reduction.
- Opening curtains during the day will save lighting energy. Direct sunlight is 100 times brighter than the light from a strong reading lamp.
- It used to be a good idea to leave fluorescent lights on if you were just going to be out of the room for a few minutes. But new fluorescents last longer even when switched on and off frequently.
Simple Ways to Save Energy
- When you leave a room, turn off the lights. People commonly think it takes more energy to turn a light back on than it does to leave it on. But that’s not true.
- Use only as much wattage as you need. Why waste energy with extra light? If you think you can get away with a lower-wattage bulb, try it out and see if it still seems bright enough.
- Dust the bulbs and get the dead moths out of the fixture before you try a higher-watt bulb.
- Use fewer bulbs in multi-bulb fixtures. Most people don’t realize that one strong bulb is more efficient than several weaker ones. For example: A single 100-watt bulb uses the same amount of energy as four 25-watt bulbs, but gives off about twice as much light. And it uses less energy than two 60-watt bulbs, but yields approximately the same light. Note: for safety’s sake, put a burned-out bulb in any empty sockets.
Save Energy with Light Switches
- If any lights in your house are frequently left on when they shouldn’t be – in the garage or basement, for instance – you can install a timer to shut them off automatically. The timer plugs into the wall and the lamp plugs into the timer – simple!
- Light timers are available at most hardware stores. If you’re a competent do-it-yourselfer, you can install them easily.
- You can install dimmer switches wherever you need bright light only occasionally. If it’s an energy-saving dimmer switch (check it out when you buy it), you’ll have the option of using less energy on lighting at other times.
Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.
by Shana Fong on June 15, 2010
Americans purchase about 16 million fans each year. In the heat of summer, fans can be a good alternative to energy-sucking air conditioners.
Energy Facts
- Ceiling fans consume as little energy as a 60-watt bulb – which is about 98% less energy than most central air conditioners use.
- Ceiling fans are often used instead of air conditioning. But it’s not necessarily one or the other. Fans produce air currents that carry heat away from the skin, so even air conditioned rooms feel cooler when one is running.
- Many ceiling fans save energy in winter as well as summer. The secret: Their motors run in “reverse.” This pushes warm air caught near the ceiling down to where you can feel it. Set the fan on low speed so it pushes room air up against the ceiling, forcing warm air slowly down the walls to the floor.
- How much difference can that make? Some rooms in your house can be 15° warmer at the ceiling than at the floor. A well-placed ceiling fan can reduce this difference to only 3°.
- Remember: fans only save energy or make you feel cooler if you are in the room, so remember to turn them off when you aren’t using them.
Simple Ways to Save Energy
- If you’re shopping for a ceiling fan: Purchase an ENERGY STAR-rated unit. You’ll find them at home improvement centers. Look for a fan that’s reversible and has more than one speed. Check to make sure the blades are angled at least 10°.
- If you’re thinking about where to install one:Rooms with the highest ceilings are the best candidates. But make sure the blades are between seven and nine feet above the floor.
- Match the fan to the room. For rooms 12 feet by 12 feet or less, you can use a 36 or 42-inch fan. For rooms up to 12 feet by 18 feet, use a 48 or 52-inch fan. For bigger rooms, you may need more fans.
Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.
by Shana Fong on June 8, 2010
An acre of lawn needs 1.3 million gallons of water a year to stay green and healthy. Here are some tips on how be water-wise without sacrificing your grass.
Energy Facts:
- During the summer, the majority of household water is used for keeping yards green.
- Even in places where water doesn’t have to be moved long distances from source to tap, a significant amount of energy is required to treat and process it before it enters the water main.s
Simple Ways to Save Energy:
- Use a push mower instead of a power motor to save energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 pounds a year.
- Set your mower blades so they cut grass about 2-3 inches tall. Mowing it shorter dries out the soil faster and increases water use.
- Let grass clippings turn into mulch. During dry periods, cut the grass high and leave the clippings on the lawn to keep it from drying out – thus reducing the amount of water your lawn needs.
- Most lawns need about 1 inch of water a week once they’re established. Apply it slowly so the water doesn’t run off.
- Here’s how to tell how long it takes to apply an inch of water: Set two or three cans out on the lawn and turn on the sprinkler. Check every few minutes to see how long it takes to land an inch in each can. Average the times for the cans, and that’s the length of time to water.
Watering Smart
- Water early in the morning or very late afternoon to cut down on how much water evaporates before it reaches the roots.
- Try drip irrigation for shrubs and garden plants. It’s a way of putting the water in small, steady amounts right to the soil around the plant you’re watering.
- When you re-landscape, group together the plants that need similar amounts of water. That way, you can avoid overwatering one just to irrigate another.
Going Native
- Consider plants for your yard that are already adjusted to local conditions and don’t require extra water or attention. These are usually plants that are native to your area.
- Think about shrubs, succulents, and trees as a substitute for some of your lawn. Nothing requires more water than a lawn.
- When you’re ready to reseed or resod your lawn, look for grasses that require less water to thrive.
- Check your local government website for information about water conserving plants. These plants are also called “drought tolerant,” and the practice of landscaping to conserve water is called “xeriscaping.”
Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.
by Shana Fong on June 7, 2010
June is upon us, and for many that means starting to use our air conditioning units regularly. On an average summer day, Americans provide enough cold air to produce 16 trillion ice cubes. Check out these cool tricks to stop the cost of keeping cool from making you sweat.
Energy Facts:
- To cool your house efficiently, your air conditioner has to be cool itself. Try to keep it in the shade. An air conditioner exposed to direct sunlight will use up to 5% more energy than a shaded one.
- Air conditioners located on the north side of houses generally use less energy than those on the south or west sides, where it’s sunnier.
- If your air conditioner’s already in the sun, you can build a simple wooden shade screen for it. (But don’t block the air flow.)
Simple Ways to Save Energy:
- If you’ve got central air conditioning: Don’t close your vents. Closing too many of them actually reduces operating efficiency. Instead, reduce the air flow to unused rooms by partially closing the registers. Whenever possible, leave the room door partly open to keep the system operating efficiently.
- Turn the air conditioner off when you leave the house for several hours or more.
- A thermostat’s not a throttle, so don’t switch your air conditioner to a colder setting when you turn it on. It won’t cool the room any faster, but it will waste energy when you forget to turn it back up.
- Put a timer on your room air conditioner, or use a programmable thermostat on your central air conditioner. You don’t need to leave your air conditioner on all day to have a cool house when you get home. Hardware stores sell timers that will automatically start your air conditioner shortly before you get home. You may never notice the difference… until you see the savings on your electric bill.
- Keep the heat out. Minimize the amount of heat entering your home from outside by closing shades and curtains on hot days – sunlight coming through windows can account for 20% of your air conditioning bill. And don’t leave windows and doors open while your air conditioner is running.
- Set the thermostat as high as possible.
Caring for Coils:
You can save energy by taking care of air conditioner coils, just like your refrigerator coils. They won’t work efficiently unless the fins that cover the coils are clean and straight. So check them out every spring.
- If the fins are bent, you can carefully straighten them out with a plastic spatula. Or call a service person to repair them.
- If they’re dusty, dirty, or clogged with old leaves, you can vacuum them with your household vacuum cleaner. If the attachment on the vacuum won’t fit between the coils, blow the dirt away instead.
Don’t Forget the Filter
Air conditioners are equipped with filters to protect their fan blades, motors, and other internal parts. Replace or clean dirty filters. Dirty air filters are the #1 cause of air conditioning service calls. But filters are easy to replace and you can do it yourself. Put in a new one every month during the summer. Be sure all hardware is replaced and securely re-attached.
You may want to consider a permanent filter that you can wash instead of replacing. Some permanent filters restrict air flow too much for some units, so check first with a Recurve representative or another qualified technician.
Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.
