Helping the Environment and Your Funds by Cathy Sims of Ecological Systems -9/2011-
America’s primary and secondary schools now spend $6 billion on energy to power their buildings, down from $8 billion three years ago. The $6 billion price is still more than what schools spent on textbooks and computers combined, in 2010, according to the US Department of Energy.
We can do better. The fact is the least efficient schools are using three times more energy than the best energy performers. ENERGY STAR labeled schools cost forty cents per square foot less to operate than the average performers.
Nationwide, the US uses twice as much energy per building, including homes, than the European Union does.
Substantial benefits, including environmental, economic and educational, are gained by implementing and investing in energy efficiency in schools, offices and homes.
Energy Smart Schools: Resources You Can Use
Many K-12 schools now take advantage of state and federal solar and energy efficiency programs that offer information, technical assistance and financial incentives to get more energy efficient, safer, healthier and more productive for students, faculty and administrators.
Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, Washington won ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. Evergreen Public Schools is the fifth largest school district in the State of Washington, serving more than 26,000 students in 35 schools. They are receiving ENERGY STAR recognition for making swift improvements in energy performance in a short time period while educating students and staff about the importance of energy efficiency. Here’s how they did it:
- Implemented an energy management plan, saving $723,000 in only 9 months.
- Reduced energy use by 20 percent from a 2008-2009 baseline.
- Benchmarked and measured program success through tools such as EPA’s Portfolio Manager, Utility Manager Pro, and on-site demand meters and software.
- Incentivized district-wide participation in energy management activities through competition, such as the most innovative ideas to conserve energy.
- Communicated values of energy management to staff and students through in-person presentations and meetings.
- Decatur County Community Schools achieved 50% improvement in energy efficiency. The district has been able to improve energy efficiency through a combination of improved operations, maintenance, and technology upgrades including the installation of motion sensors, modifying indoor and outdoor lighting and HVAC schedules, upgrading gym lighting, and removing non-essential appliances.
Find out about your state’s solar and energy efficiency programs and grants.
If you’re in central or northern California, PG&E offers its Bright Ideas Grant Program that provides learning opportunities for students and teachers while creating energy and money saving programs for school campuses. 2011 Applications – Deadline for Spring Submission is September 20, 2011 – Online application
Who Should Apply: Credentialed teachers, professors, instructors, principals, deans, department heads, district administrators and facilities managers may apply to receive a $1000, $2,500, $5000, or $10,000 grant to promote environmental stewardship in any of the five following categories:
Educational Solar Projects: Successful submissions will include innovative classroom and extracurricular projects that explore generation of electricity from solar.
Youth Energy and Environmental Programs: Includes energy efficiency, recycling, composting, water reclamation and/or gardening programs and clubs that serve as learning and leadership opportunities for students, faculty, and community.
Renewable Energy or Science Related Field Trips: Includes transportation, admission, or expenses associated with field trips that excite students about science, energy, careers in energy and the environment.
Green Your School Projects: Includes energy efficiency upgrades, energy monitoring systems, and communication tools that will promote energy education and smart energy use at the school and community.
Professional Development/Service Learning Projects/ Workforce Development Programs: For projects that expand teachers’ knowledge about renewable energy, energy resources and/or the future of the energy industry, or to address workforce development in the growing renewable and efficiency industry.
National Resources
The National Energy Education Development Project (NEED.org) is dedicated to promoting an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs. The NEED Project’s educator network includes over 65,000 classrooms nationwide who use NEED’s annually up-dated curriculum materials.
The Rainforest Alliance helps students of all ages understand the role that each one plays in biodiversity conservation. They provide educational materials for kids and teachers about fundamental environmental issues and how to take action that will help protect our planet.
Home Energy Audits
An energy audit is the first step to determining what upgrades make the most sense for your building; it is a comprehensive method for benchmarking the current energy consumption in a building and determining the recommendations for reducing that usage.
As Leia Sims, a Building Performance Institute certified professional and part owner of Bright Alternatives, explained, “Energy auditors use a whole-building approach, which means we are not just looking at your windows or doors or HVAC system; we fully examine and test all systems in the building as they interact with each other. An energy audit is a fundamental tool in any energy-efficiency plan.
During the audit, specialists can pinpoint where your house is losing energy. Audits also determine the efficiency of your home’s heating and cooling systems. An audit may show you ways to conserve hot water and electricity.
“Our biggest challenge is explaining to a homeowner why they need to replace a boiler that they could use for 10 more years,” advises Angus McDougald, Sims partner. “After we show them the numbers and prove that in the long run, it will cost more to operate the older one, they get it.” Many state incentives help to offset the price. NJ’s Clean Energy Program called Home Performance with Energy Star offers a 50% rebate up to $4,000 and a $10,000, 0% loan. These incentives enable homeowners to save money from day one.
You can perform a simple energy audit yourself before the energy professional arrives to carry out a more thorough one.
Locating Air Leaks
First, make a list of obvious air leaks (drafts). The potential energy savings from reducing drafts in a home may range from 5 to 40% per year, and the home will be much more comfortable afterward. The professional energy auditor will bring a blower door, testing equipment, which will find major leaks and pinpoint smaller ones.
Plug and caulk holes or penetrations for faucets, pipes, electric outlets, and wiring. Look for cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation, and siding, and seal them with appropriate material.
Check the exterior caulking around doors and windows, and see whether exterior storm and primary doors seal tightly.
When sealing any home, you must always be aware of the danger of indoor air pollution and combustion appliance “backdrafts.” Backdrafting is when the various combustion appliances and exhaust fans in the home compete for air. An exhaust fan may pull the combustion gases back into the living space. This can create a dangerous and unhealthy situation in the home. Having a professional energy auditor do a worst-case depressurization test could be a life-savor, as well as an energy saver.
In homes where a fuel is burned (i.e., natural gas, fuel oil, propane, or wood) for heating, be certain the appliance has an adequate air supply. Generally, one square inch of vent opening is required for each 1,000 Btu of appliance input heat. When in doubt, contact your utility company, energy professional, or ventilation contractor.
Insulation
Most homes are not properly insulated. Todays energy star standard is R-60. It’s important to have an energy professional check and do proper air-sealing before adding the insulation for the best performance.
If the attic hatch is located above a conditioned space, check to see if it is at least as heavily insulated as the attic, is weather stripped, and closes tightly. Make sure attic vents are not blocked by insulation. Checking a wall’s insulation level is more difficult. It’s best to have a thermographic inspection by an energy auditor to determine the level.
If your basement is unheated, check for insulation under the living area flooring. Generally an R-value of 25 is the recommended minimum level of insulation. If the basement is heated, the foundation walls should be insulated to at least R-19. Your water heater, hot water pipes, and furnace ducts should all be insulated.
Heating/Cooling Equipment
If you have a forced-air furnace, check your filters and replace them, generally, about every six months, especially during periods of high usage. Have a professional check and clean your equipment once a year.
If the unit is more than 15 years old, consider replacing it with a newer, energy-efficient unit, but make sure you have a professional energy audit that can save you on the size of the newer unit, and recommend the most efficient, state-of-the-art unit that is most cost-effective. Insulate any ducts or pipes that travel through unheated spaces.
Lighting
On average, lighting accounts for about 30-40% of an electric bill. Examine the wattage size of the light bulbs and use compact fluorescent lamps. They use 75% less energy. There are energy efficient rebate programs in most states for retrofitting old T12 fixtures and magnetic ballasts with T8 fixtures and new electronic ballasts or LED lights that save even more energy.
Find out what incentives might be available in your state by going to http://www.dsireusa.org and click on your state.
This website usually has the latest state and federal incentives. If you are in NJ be sure and check out http://www.brightalt.com
Solar is cheaper to get than not
How many times have you driven by a home with solar panels and wondered if they were right for you? The amount of energy and money you will save will actually make you profitable at the end of the day.
If you look at average residential retail electricity rates and average solar photovoltaic (PV) prices, solar is at grid parity now even without incentives in many states. Here’s the math:
Average home burns 900 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month at delivered cost of about 15 cents per kWh means an electric bill of $132 per month.
To offset 900 kWh per month you’d need a PV array of 5.5 kW in places like California. At today’s competitive pricing ($5 per watt) that’s $27,500. Straight-line amortization of that over the 25-year life span of the modules and the system costs $92 per month. You’re already making money without accounting for tax credits or utility inflation.
“It makes sense if you look at it as a ratepayer,” says Ted Sullivan, senior analyst at Lux Research.
The cost-benefit analysis depends on local issues, like the rates utilities charge, the extra cost of using energy at peak demand times and the amount of sun in the region.
Most sites in the US can generate a good return on investment for installing PV.
While the solar sector is still young, the economic viability of solar PV is proving itself, analysts say, and with some government assistance at this crucial stage, it could provide much needed economic and job growth.
“Creating a vibrant solar PV industry in the US can be done but thus far has not been,” says a Deutsche Bank report. “The US can either wait for solar PV electricity costs to decline [further] and then chase an industry established elsewhere, or lead with the development of a [domestic] solar PV industry.”
Concerned about the initial investment? You can use your home equity to invest in the value of your home by installing solar systems. Many solar installation companies can help you make the best decision for your home. They will show you solar works at your site as well as current tax credits, incentives and savings.
Now’s the time to learn about something that can save you money!
For more information please contact Ecological Systems at 732-681-5296.
New Study Shows Offshore Wind Resource far superior for affordable energy and jobs than offshore oil
Oceana, a non-profit scientific research and activist group in Washington DC, recently released its report entitled Untapped Wealth: Offshore Wind Can Deliver Cleaner, More Affordable Energy and More Jobs Than Offshore Oil. This detailed analysis shows that focusing US investments on clean energy like offshore wind would be more cost-effective than offshore oil and gas development. And it would create more jobs and be far safer for the environment.
For the Atlantic coast, an area targeted for expansion of oil and gas activities, offshore wind can generate nearly 30% more electricity than offshore oil and gas resources combined, and would cost about $36 billion less than offshore oil and gas production combined.
The researchers used conservative assumptions for offshore wind and generous assumptions for offshore oil and natural gas and still found that by investing in offshore wind on the East Coast, rather than offshore oil and gas, the US would get more energy for less money while protecting our oceans.
They found that many of the East Coast states like New Jersey, for example, have enough wind capacity potential to produce the vast majority of its electricity generation.
If developed even modestly, offshore wind energy could supply almost half of the East Coast’s current electricity generation – while creating thousands of jobs, stabilizing electric costs, cutting fossil fuel consumption and reducing harmful air emissions. The cost to the consumer would be significantly less for electricity produced from the wind.
Offshore oil and gas drilling are major risks to industries such as fishing and tourism, as well as to the ocean’s ecosystems as we have seen in the Gulf of Mexico. Investing in offshore wind is a more cost-effective approach to generating energy from the oceans.
Oceana’s report notes that developing “all of the above” only increases the costs and delivery times for both wind and oil and gas, and they strongly recommend that the United States begin the transition away from offshore fossil fuel development by taking the following steps:
✮ Eliminate federal subsidies for fossil fuels and redirect these funds to renewable energies and energy efficiency programs.
✮ Stop all new offshore oil and gas drilling to prevent future spills and minimize competition for resources and expertise that will slow the development of offshore wind energy.
✮ Require leasing of installation vessels for offshore wind turbine construction be given priority so that it is not impeded by offshore oil and natural gas development.
Renewable energy projects and manufacturers are more likely to proceed if there are consistent, predictable signals from governments and private markets to stimulate investments.
Recommendations to create a consistent and predictable environment for offshore wind energy include:
✮ Increase and make permanent the tax credit for investment in advanced energy property outlined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009. This legislation extends the 30 percent credit for investment in qualified property used in a qualified advanced energy manufacturing but ends in 2012.
✮ Increase and make permanent the Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program for opening, expanding or modernizing facilities to manufacture offshore wind turbine components and extend this program to turbine installation vessel manufacturing.
✮ Use policy mechanisms that increase demand for and supply of renewable energies, such as a robust Renewable Electricity Standard or Feed-in Tariffs, Production and Investment Tax Credits, Loan Guarantee programs for renewable energy projects and technology manufacturers and training programs.
✮ Accelerate the electrification of the transportation fleet through incentives to automobile manufacturers and purchasers and by building the infrastructure such as charging stations to allow maximal use of this new technology.
Oceana’s teams of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates are working on specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life. Global in scope, Oceana has campaigners based in North America, Europe and South and Central America. More than 400,000 members and e-activists in over 150 countries have already joined Oceana. For more information, please visit www.Oceana.org.
Renewable Energy Education
Stay Informed and educate yourself about Energy Efficiency and Solar by attending local workshops including the annual Solar Power International 2011, in Dallas , Texas from October 17-20. This amazing convention gets better every year with new innovative resources and products for (Fund & Edutain Guide staff has attended the last 4 years).
This eye-opening convention is filled with state-of-the-art exhibits and technology including informative workshops, world leaders and speakers and JOBS in the energy efficiency and solar arena. This is a great event for a class trip. Find out more: www.solarpowerinternational.com
