domingo, 28 de febrero de 2010
sábado, 27 de febrero de 2010
viernes, 26 de febrero de 2010
Garbage company goes green
Feb. 26, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- MANATEE -- The use of renewable energy will only become commonplace and viable in Florida if businesses embrace it, instead of waiting for government.
That was one of the points state Sen. Mike Bennett told a crowd of about 50 at the dedication Thursday of a solar power-generating system at the Waste Pro facilities at 7921 15th St. E.
"We need companies like Waste Pro to say, 'We'll pay our share,' " Bennett said. "It will be a long time before we get a renewable energy bill through the Legislature in these economic times."
Keith Banasiak, regional vice president of Waste Pro, said he was committed to the project because it was the right thing to do.
"It means a lot to me to be a green garbage company," Banasiak said.
He said he picked the location across from the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport instead of way out in the country because he wanted the company to be part of the community.
The company installed a 5,000-square-foot photovoltaic system on the roof of the building at a cost of about $225,000. It produces 25 kilowatts of electricity.
This is about 80 percent of the facility's electrical needs, Banasiak said, and should show a return on investment in about 18 months.
EcoTechnologies, in Sarasota, installed the system, and its CEO, Peter Laughlin, said he wanted to bring these systems to everyone.
"We're in the Sunshine State," Laughlin said. "We should be doing more of this.
"Waste Pro are creating free power every single day," he said. "This is an example of a company taking a leadership role."
The panels used at Waste Pro were built in Michigan, but, Laughlin said, Florida is missing a big economic opportunity.
He said if there was a funding source, "50,000 jobs would be created overnight, from engineers to installers."
Also, there would be more jobs in manufacturing if Florida leaders would embrace renewable energy.
Laughlin announced at the dedication ceremony the formation of a coalition of industry groups to lobby the Legislature for funding for their plan.
The administration at Manatee Technical Institute has recognized renewable energy is the future, said Maura Howl, spokeswoman for the school.
"We've received a grant to have the students in construction trades build carports with solar panels on the roofs," Howl said. "The students will learn about solar technology from that experience."
She said "green" technology is incorporated into all of the construction trade and manufacturing curricula.
EcoTechnologies employees will instruct the students on solar panel installation, Howl said.
To further follow Waste Pro's motto of "Blue Skies, Green Earth" -- that is why the trucks are painted blue and green -- Banasiak said they have instituted other energy-saving programs.
One is of which is an oil purified system that extends the life of motor oil in the garbage trucks from about 300 hours to about 1,200.
"This is helping to reduce our carbon footprint with cleaner exhaust emissions," Banasiak said, "and using less natural resources."
Newstex ID: KRTB-0027-42383842
Dispute Shows Argentina’s Lack of Oil Exploration
The notion that Argentina could watch as British companies discover sizable oil deposits so close to its shores would be a crushing blow to a country already envious about the huge oil discoveries made in the past three years in neighboring Brazil.
But while the Argentine government has expressed outrage over the prospect, it has made little mention of a glaring absence the British endeavor has highlighted: No oil-drilling rigs are operating in Argentina’s own expansive waters, largely because many oil companies are wary of working in Argentina these days, analysts say.
In the last year alone, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s government has nationalized the country’s largest airline, seized billions of dollars in private pension funds and now is trying to tap more than $6.5 billion in currency reserves to pay long-overdue foreign debt.
Argentina also has a system of export taxes that has kept domestic oil prices low, and that has dissuaded some of the larger oil companies from investing in offshore exploration.
“If you don’t have stable rules and prices that can make offshore investment profitable, then companies are going to go to other geological regions to explore,” said Daniel Montamat, an economist and energy consultant at Montamat y Asociados, an energy consultancy in Buenos Aires.
“There are very few companies exploring the Argentine sea,” he said. “There should be a lot more.”
Since the Falklands dispute flared up again this month, Mrs. Kirchner’s government has accused the British of violating Argentine sovereignty and threatened to make life tough for oil ships passing through Argentine waters. The Argentine foreign minister, Jorge Taiana, met Wednesday with Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, to press Argentina’s case once again that Britain should be forced to sit down and negotiate sovereignty claims.
Argentina’s central complaint is that the British government does not have the right to unilaterally exploit resources in the “disputed” waters around the Falklands without first consulting or obtaining approval from Argentina’s government.
“Britain refuses even to answer the requests by the United Nations to sit down and discuss the issue,” said Lucio García del Solar, an Argentine diplomat. He said that by drilling off the Falklands, the British were in violation of a United Nations resolution requesting that the Argentines and the British refrain from any new resource development without first having a dialogue.
Its neighbors have defended Argentina’s claims. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil criticized the United Nations on Tuesday for not forcing the British to negotiate.
Still, many analysts see the Kirchner government’s motivations as largely political. Mrs. Kirchner has struggled to reverse flagging popularity since a drawn-out conflict with farmers over export taxes. And her husband, Néstor Kirchner, who was president before her and leads the Peronist Party, suffered disappointing results in June’s congressional elections.
“With elections next year and a deteriorating fiscal situation, a call to the flag to defend the islands is part of the campaign to rally the Peronists and elect one of the Kirchners again,” said Riordan Roett, director of the Latin American Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University.
Argentina’s former military junta had a similar aim in 1982 when Lt. Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri provoked a bloody confrontation with Britain. The junta was being criticized for economic mismanagement and human rights abuses and hoped that the recovery of the islands, which were seized by Britain in 1833, would unite Argentines behind it.
That idea backfired when the British sent a fleet to retake the islands and prevailed in a 74-day war that resulted in the deaths of about 900 soldiers and civilians, including 649 Argentines.
The defeat turned many Argentines against the military government, hastening its fall from power. Since then, successive governments have insisted on keeping their sovereignty claims alive, though few expect Argentina’s saber rattling to lead to another military conflict.
Argentina has been producing oil for more than a century but has yet to find anywhere near the billions of barrels of oil that Brazil and its foreign partners have discovered around Rio de Janeiro since 2007.
A consortium of oil companies is scheduled to do seismic studies this year off the coast of southern Argentina and around Buenos Aires. But no rigs have been ordered and no dates for drilling have been set, said Alejandro Albanese, an energy expert at the Institute of Strategic Planning, a Buenos Aires research group.
While oil experts are skeptical that the small British-based company now drilling off the Falklands will find an undersea gusher, the discovery of any sizable reserve would be tough for the Argentines to swallow.
“This is a case of a lost girlfriend,” said Federico Mac Dougall, an economist and political analyst at the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires, referring to the Falklands. “Argentina lost its girlfriend, and now she is going out with somebody else, and together they may very well strike it rich with oil.”
Alexei Barrionuevo reported from Rio de Janeiro, and Charles Newbery from Buenos Aires.
Mexico oil output falls amid delay on reforms
Mexico's oil production continues to fall from year-ago levels as the government struggles to implement hard-fought energy reforms designed to boost exploration.
January crude production was 2.615 million barrels a day, a 2.6 percent decline from 2.685 million in the same month of 2009, state-run oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, known as Pemex, reported Thursday.
The bright side is that January output was the highest level in nine months, though still a significant drop-off from the record annual average of 3.4 million barrels a day in 2004.
The majority of oil reserves in Mexico's waters remain untapped because Pemex lacks technology for exploration.
After a hard-fought battle waged by President Felipe Calderon, Congress passed a bill in 2008 intended to give Pemex more flexibility to make exploration deals with foreign companies. Although significantly watered down to win opposition support, the bill was a landmark in a country where state ownership of oil is enshrined in the constitution and a matter of national pride.
More than a year later, however, Pemex has not sealed any new exploration deals with foreign contractors amid red tape and political resistance.
"They have been so delayed because they are very complex, very difficult," Pemex board member Fluvio Ruiz said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It's a very sensitive topic for this country."
Ruiz said it will likely take until the end of the year to finalize any new deals. He said Pemex has been implementing complicated changes mandated by the reform bill, including overhauling Pemex's corporate board to include outside experts.
Meanwhile, international oil companies are cashing in on major discoveries on the U.S. side of the Gulf of Mexico.
McMoRan Exploration Co. and Energy XXI Ltd. shares soared in January after they announced a major discovery. In September, British Petroleum said it had tapped into billions of barrels of oil after digging the world's deepest oil well in the area.
Mexico's government relies on oil revenues for about a third of its budget. Falling production is jeopardizing government programs and hurting the country's credit ratings as it struggles to pull out of one of its worst economic recession in decades.
Mexico is a top oil supplier to the United States, but experts say the country could lose its standing as a major exporter within five years and wind up importing crude if it does not find more oil.
"Everyone is just waiting to see whether or not this legal reform is going to mean anything," said Michelle Michot Foss, head of the Center for Energy Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. "They've been moving very, very slowly."
Pemex estimates Mexico has 30 billion barrels of reserves beneath deep waters on its side of the Gulf. The company has earmarked more than 34 billion pesos ($2.6 billion) for exploration in mature fields and shallow water this year, a 13 percent increase over 2009.
Pemex has drilled about a dozen wells, compared to hundreds of deep-water platforms on the U.S. side.
The Mexican Constitution bars most outside involvement in Pemex, although the company contracts services from some private businesses. The reforms loosen the barriers by allowing Pemex to pay outside contractors a "bonus" -- not a percentage cut -- for any oil they find.
The country's protective attitude toward its oil dates to March 18, 1938, when President Lazaro Cardenas kicked out American and European oil companies that refused to comply with union wage demands while reaping oil profits.
Politics could still get in the way of new contracts.
One leftist lawmaker has proposed creating an independent committee to review all contracts under the new system.
"We don't sell our oil! We defend it!" dozens of leftist legislators chanted during a session of Congress last week.
jueves, 25 de febrero de 2010
miércoles, 24 de febrero de 2010
martes, 23 de febrero de 2010
lunes, 22 de febrero de 2010
domingo, 21 de febrero de 2010
viernes, 19 de febrero de 2010
GT Solar Receives $20M Order - Renewable Energy World
GT Solar Receives $20M Order - Renewable Energy World: "GT Solar and Jiangxi Sornid Hi-Tech have signed a new contract totaling more than $20 million for GT Solar's GT-DSS450 ingot growth furnaces and ancillary equipment and services. The order was booked in GT Solar's current fourth fiscal quarter and revenue is expected to be recognized in subsequent periods."
jueves, 18 de febrero de 2010
miércoles, 17 de febrero de 2010
martes, 16 de febrero de 2010
Open House to Energy Efficiency
On Monday, February 15, 2010, representatives from Kent Homes provided a guided tour of the house and all its energy-efficient features to local and provincial government officials, as well as representatives from Efficiency NB.
"The energy efficiency of home construction has steadily improved in the past 40 years, but Evergreen Homes is taking energy efficiency and sustainability to a new level," said Wayne Power, Vice President of Kent Homes. "Our Evergreen Homes are built for durability, comfort, air quality, and both water and energy efficiency, putting our homes in the top 10 percent of the most energy-efficient homes built in New Brunswick since the introduction of the Efficiency NB New Homes Program."
The Kent Homes Evergreen Series are inspired by GE's ecomagination(SM) and built to the requirements of the MASCO Environments for Living(R) Certified Green program and combine three great brands to deliver a first-of-its-kind solution to Atlantic Canadian and New England homeowners.
The Environment for Living Certified Green Program, which is performance-based, applies standards in energy efficiency, resource/material efficiency, water efficiency, and indoor environmental quality. Requirements include the use of energy-efficient lighting and appliances, environment-friendly paint products, low flow plumbing fixtures and high efficiency toilets. The building science requirements of the program help optimize the home's "envelope" by incorporating standards for tight construction, fresh air ventilation, improved thermal systems, correctly sized heating and cooling systems, interior moisture management, indoor environmental quality, and combustion safety.
"The Evergreen Home is a welcome addition to the overall effort to reduce our consumption of energy," said Energy Minister Jack Keir. "Building an energy-efficient new home is a sound investment. It increases the value of the home, and it lowers energy and operating costs," Keir said.
Independent energy efficiency testing of the home on February 3rd confirmed the high efficiency rating of the Evergreen home.
"The EnerGuide rating of 86 is impressive. In fact, to qualify for incentives through our New Homes Program, homes must be built to at least an EnerGuide 80 rating. This is considered excellent for any new home," said Elizabeth Weir, President and Chief Executive Officer of Efficiency NB. "A rating of 86 means the Evergreen home will use 58% less energy than most similar-sized new homes built in New Brunswick today and that could mean saving up to $1400 annually on energy costs for homes that use electricity for heating."
"As we continue to work toward our goal of being a self-sufficient province by 2026, the development of environment-friendly products that support a green economy will be very important," said Environment Minister Rick Miles. "The Evergreen Home is another example of Kent Homes' leadership in meeting, and often surpassing, environmental standards and striving to be a leader in their industry when it comes to the environment. The construction of Evergreen Homes in New Brunswick will certainly be a benefit as we strive to reach the goals set out in the New Brunswick Climate Change Action Plan."
In fact, the Evergreen Home at 177 Rouse Street, uses significantly less energy than energy-efficient homes with an EnerGuide rating of 80. In comparison, the Evergreen Home with an 86 rating consumes 47 percent less energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 5.3 tonnes annually.
At the heart of Evergreen by Kent Homes(TM) is GE's SmartCommand Enviro Monitor, an easy-to-use interactive touchscreen wall panel that integrates green, comfortable, and secure living through a home network. It provides the homeowner with current and historical feedback on electricity and indoor water consumption. It also tracks the real-time reduction in the home's emissions as compared to an average new home. The SmartCommand Enviro Monitor also provides controls for programmable thermostats, security system, and intercom/audio systems.
"Our company is committed to the environmental, economic, and social well being of the communities where we live and work, as well as providing products that reduce our environmental footprint," said Jim Irving, President of J.D. Irving, Limited. "We appreciate the support of Efficiency New Brunswick (ENB) during construction of this first home. ENB's advice and expertise has helped achieve a home with one of the highest levels of energy efficiency in New Brunswick today."
"Our strategy is to add value for our customers by offering leading-edge designs and options," said Wayne Power. "There's been a major shift in consumer buying patterns in North America. Consumers are demanding greener products and construction techniques. Our existing low-waste and efficient indoor manufacturing platform, combined with GE and Masco Home Services' technology and design standards, will enable us to deliver world-class sustainable homes unlike anyone else in our region."
Financial Incentives for Evergreen Home Buyers
- Efficiency NB offers grants of up to $3000 to homeowners with EnerGuide
ratings of 80 or higher and a bonus of $250 for using Energy Star(TM)
appliances and lighting fixtures.
- Canada Mortgage and Housing offers a 10% refund on mortgage loan
insurance premium ( NS, NB, and PEI).
- Enbridge Gas (NB) offers a $3000 rebate for customers who choose
natural gas.
- Conserve NS offers $500 rebate for EnerGuide rating of 80 or higher.
- Heritage Gas ( NS) offers up to $2000 for natural gas hook up.
About Kent Homes
Kent Homes is Atlantic Canada's largest modular home builder. We've been building quality structures since 1958 as part of the J.D. Irving, Limited group of businesses. Kent Homes construction employs a team of up to 300 at modern facilities in Bouctouche, New Brunswick and Debert, Nova Scotia. For more information, visit the company's website at www.kenthomes.com
About Efficiency NB
Efficiency NB offers sound advice and practical solutions to help New Brunswickers use energy more efficiently, make better energy choices, manage energy expenses, and lessen the impact of energy use on the environment. For more information, visit the website at www.efficiencynb.ca
/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/
Newstex ID: PRN-0001-42082017
Energy efficiency - silent gun in clean technology arsenal
US has cut a third of energy use through simple measures, visiting US expert says.
Energy efficiency is doing more to power the economy in the US than any other fuel mainstay including coal, says Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan.
Callahan is in Israel this week for the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Conference as a guest of the Israel Energy Forum.
When policymakers look at the basket of renewable energies at their disposal, energy efficiency is the most potent for the least cost, Kateri told The Jerusalem Post in Tel Aviv on Sunday.
Without the energy efficiency measures implemented thus far, the US would use 50 percent more than it does now, she pointed out. “And the US is the biggest energy consumer in the world.”
Those savings were achieved through relatively straightforward regulations and incentives, not some complex process, Callahan said.
She pointed to appliance standards, building codes, and vehicle fuel economy standards as three methods which have proven effective in the US.
The next steps in the US include phasing out incandescent lighting in favor of energy efficient lightbulbs and increasing fuel economy standards even more to reduce usage by another 7%, she said. Carbon emissions will be reduced by 9%.
While 9% may not seem like much, it is actually equivalent to the total emissions of South Korea – the ninth largest emitter on the planet.
“Fifteen to 20% of utility bills go towards lighting,” she added.
Appliance standards dictate which appliances can be sold in the US as well as prohibit the sale of inefficient ones. The Energystar program, which tells the consumer if the product is efficient or not, has been in place in the US since the early 90s and has achieved tremendous success, according to Callahan. Appliances with Energystar certification are on average 30% more efficient than those not on the list, she added.
Similar appliance standards have existed in Israel for awhile and a new set to cover more appliances was passed recently.
One of the Alliance’s goals is to encourage net zero energy capable buildings to be the code requirement by 2030 in the US. This means buildings would produce as much of their own energy as possible – through solar panels, wind turbines, or other sources, she explained.
“Homes and buildings in the US use as much electricity as India and Japan’s economies combined,” she said, illustrating the importance of building codes.
While it is easy to demonstrate why energy efficiency is critical in the US, the average Israeli is unaware how critical it is here.
The Israel Electric Corporation quietly panics every time it gets too hot or too cold for fear of brownouts or blackouts. Electricity reserves are hovering at 2%. That basically means if more than one or two generators go down at a time, then the electricity goes out.
But the government is having a hard time conveying to the public the electricity crisis. Experts wryly say there’s no Lake Kinneret to demonstrate how low the safety margin is. Some even say the electricity crisis is worse than the water crisis as demand continues to rise by about 4% every year.
The Israeli government recently passed a decision to reduce demand by 20% by 2020. However, some of the crucial accompanying legislation still lags, like creating an energy efficiency fund from a portion of the electricity tariff. Electricity prices went down even though that’s not good for reducing demand partly because there is no law on the books to create such a fund. If it had existed, prices might have been lowered somewhat, but not by the 10% they will drop on Monday.
Callahan said the most effective way to sell energy efficiency is through economic benefits. The government and the utility companies have been very active in the US in encouraging efficiency through tax breaks, tax rebates and refunds, Callahan said.
“Out of the $80 billion the Obama administration has pledged towards clean technologies, $26 billion has been tagged for energy efficiency,” she said to highlight how serious the US viewed energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency also costs three times less to implement than any other energy cost, she added.
“In the US, efficiency costs 1 to 3 cents per kilowatt hour. Coal costs 10 cents per kilowatt hour,” she said.
Israel Energy Forum head Yael Cohen Paran said she thought coal in Israel was a bit cheaper, about 3-5 cents per kilowatt hour.
Callahan predicted that the next big push would be to examine smart development of cities and suburbs, taking into account energy efficiency. Right now in the US, NGOs and academics have begun to explore the notion of urban versus rural benefits but it is not yet mainstream.
Founded in 1977, the Alliance to Save Energy is a non-profit coalition of business, government, environmental and consumer leaders.
lunes, 15 de febrero de 2010
sábado, 13 de febrero de 2010
viernes, 12 de febrero de 2010
10 Great ‘Green’ Home Improvements for 2010
| Feb 12, 2010 | U.S. News & World Report | ||
| 10 Great ‘Green’ Home Improvements for 2010 By Luke Mullins 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, but I even called my local utility and had their auditor 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 weatherstripping—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, visit this site. 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 underinsulated," 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. [See Tips for Selling a Home in the Off-Season.] 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. | |||
jueves, 11 de febrero de 2010
miércoles, 10 de febrero de 2010
martes, 9 de febrero de 2010
lunes, 8 de febrero de 2010
sábado, 6 de febrero de 2010
viernes, 5 de febrero de 2010
jueves, 4 de febrero de 2010
miércoles, 3 de febrero de 2010
lunes, 1 de febrero de 2010
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)
Entradas
