New Report Evaluates No-First-Cost Financing Strategies for Saving Energy
CalCEF Innovations, a branch of the California Clean Energy Fund, recently released its second white paper in its Energy Efficiency series: “Energy Efficiency Paying the Way: New Financing Solutions Remove First-Cost Hurdles.” The paper uses case studies to evaluate newly deployed no-first-cost financing options available to businesses and other entities looking to make energy-saving improvements. Intended for policy-makers, regulators, and private sector firms, the paper analyzes six programs including (among others):
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE): Government programs, such as the highlighted Palm Desert, CA initiative, offer property owners 20-year loans for Energy Efficiency that are repaid through property tax assessments.
On-bill Financing: Loans for energy efficiency can be re-paid through the customer’s regular utility bill. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) offers on-bill financing.
These programs help customers overcome the initial financial barriers to otherwise cost-efficient upgrades. Paul Frankel, managing director of CalCEF Innovations explains, “We’ve uncovered a critical gap in the energy efficiency sector, where the deployment of retrofits is not at pace with the large potential for profits—both economical and environmental—due to a perceived cost-prohibitive barrier to entry. Energy efficiency can pay back three or four times on its investment in a relatively short time frame when strategic financing and aggregated deployment strategies are implemented.”
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced recently that on January 1, 2011, California will adopt the nation’s first ever mandatory Green Building Standards Code (CALGREEN) to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact in new California buildings. Under CALGREEN, every new building constructed in California will be required to reduce water consumption by 20 percent, divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills and install low pollutant-emitting materials, in addition to other requirements. The regulations also call for mandatory inspections of energy systems such as heating, air conditioning, and mechanical equipment for nonresidential buildings over 10,000 square feet to ensure maximum efficiency. The California Air Resources Board estimates that the mandatory provisions will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 million metric tons by 2020.
CALGREEN also includes more stringent voluntary provisions to encourage local communities to take further action to green their buildings and improve energy efficiency.
Many of the mandatory provisions in the code are already part of the statewide building code, making verification of CALGREEN an easy transition for local building inspectors. Additionally, building owners will enjoy the benefit of being able to label their facilities as CALGREEN compliant upon passing inspection, without using costly third-party certification programs.
Weatherizing for Winter from Preservation Magazine
Preservation magazine presents a few timely tips for winter energy efficiency. These are especially relevant for slightly older homes. You can check out more videos with tips and DIY instructions here.
Book Round-Up: 6 Great Reads to Help You Save Energy and Go Green
“The Carbon-Free Home” is one of many books with tips to help you maximize your energy savings.
As you prepare for a new, even more energy-efficient year, read over our quick list of books that can help get you there. Check out the material below and let these handy guides help you with your upgrades all year long.
“The Carbon-Free Home” by Stephen and Rebekah Hren. A well-thought out explanation of how to make your house carbon-free from people who have done it. Includes thirty-six projects and a description of project length, cost, energy saved, and skills you need.
Acterra Accepting Applications for Its 2010 Business Environmental Awards
The non-profit organization Acterra is accepting applications for its 2010 Business Environmental Awards. The awards recognize San Francisco Bay Area businesses and organizations for outstanding environmental leadership.
The awards are open to any private or public business entity, division or facility located in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara or Santa Cruz counties. Awards are given in the following categories: Acterra Award for Sustainability; Commute and Transportation; Environmental Enterprise; Environmental and Sustainability Education; Pollution Prevention/Resource Conservation; and Sustainable Built Environment.
To apply: Applications are available for download at www.acterra.org/bea and the application deadline is January 22, 2010.
ICLEI USA Releases Sustainability Tookit for Cities and Counties
ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability USA, recently released a comprehensive Sustainability Planning Toolkit to provide step-by-step guidance for cities, towns and counties looking to develop a sustainability plan. The toolkit is modeled after New York City’s highly successful PlaNYC guide and contains best practice examples, checklists, templates, and guidelines.
“Our toolkit is a roadmap to guide any local government, big or small, through the process of creating a sustainability plan,” said Don Knapp of ICLEI USA.
The guide is premised on five “milestone” tasks:
Conduct a sustainability assessment
Establish sustainability goals
Develop a local sustainability plan
Implement policies and measures
Evaluate progress and report results
“Our toolkit shows local government staff how to create a plan that won’t just sit on a shelf, but will become an integral part of government operations,” says Knapp.
The complete toolkit is available only to local governments that are ICLEI members.
In a unanimous 5-0 vote, the California Energy Commission (CEC) recently approved the nation’s first energy efficiency standards for televisions. The standards will be implemented in 2011 and will make new TVs sold in California the most energy efficient TVs in the nation.
After ten years, the Commission expects the regulations to save $8.1 billion in energy costs and save enough to power 864,000 single-family homes. Pacific Gas & Electric estimates that the standards will cut CO2 emissions by 3 million tons over a decade.
“The real winners of these new TV energy efficiencies are California consumers who will be saving billions of dollars and conserving energy while preserving their choice to buy any size or type of TV. Californians buy four million televisions each year and they deserve the most energy efficient models available,” said Energy Commission Chairman Karen Douglas.
The standards mandate that new TVs must consume 33% less electricity by 2011 and 49% less by 2013, but will only affect TVs with screens 58 inches or smaller. For example, a 42-inch screen would consume 183 watts or less by 2011 and 115 watts or less by 2013. Stores will not be prohibited from selling existing stock of older televisions after the standards go into effect.
Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality: Getting the Best of Both
(Illustration: U.S. EPA)
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ENERGY STAR, weatherization not only helps homeowners save energy and money, but can also provide an avenue to improving indoor air quality. When combined with proper mechanical ventilation, energy efficiency improvements can control where air enters and exits the home and can help prevent mold growth by reducing condensation. Control is particularly important. In a leaky home, outdoor air can enter the house intermittently through cracks, unsealed joints, or penetrations. Dependent upon the weather there may be too much leakage, resulting in a drafty house or too little ventilation, resulting in stuffy air. Leakage also means that the air coming into your home may be filtered through dirty, dusty areas.
When sealing up leaks and upgrading your home’s efficiency, paying attention to indoor air quality is crucial. If performed improperly, weatherization can have negative impacts on occupant health, so it is important to read up on indoor air quality tips. You may also consider hiring a professional to assess your home. When done correctly efficiency improvements have the potential to save energy and improve air quality. Mechanical ventilation in a well-insulated, well-sealed house can exhaust pollutants and bring in outdoor air in a planned way, limiting the intake of unwanted pollutants. This makes a house both comfortable and energy efficient.
Dedicated to fighting climate change and empowering youth, the Bay Area’s Rising Sun Energy Center recently released a new video about their programs to improve energy efficiency in local communities.
The group provides low-to-no-cost retrofit services to Bay Area households, with a focus on under-resourced communities. To perform the retrofits, Rising Sun trains young people, as well as adults who face barriers to employment, preparing them for jobs in the green market.
Strategic Energy Innovations Receives Award for Energy Saving Progams
SEI helps empower schools, businesses and other groups to save energy and promote a healthy environment. (Photo: SEI)
Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI), a nonprofit organization centered in Marin, was recently awarded Marin Economic Commission’s 11th Annual Award of Excellence for Environmental Values and Resources for four of its K-12 programs. The programs, which number among a variety of services offered by SEI, promote energy efficiency and renewable energy while also educating students about environmental issues. Here is a brief description of the winning programs:
Awareness for Communities about the Environment (ACE): SEI’s ACE Program helps local businesses achieve long-term energy savings by providing no-cost energy consultation services and by shuttling businesses into free or reduced-cost retrofits. The program also incorporates an educational component, training local high school students to conduct energy audits, develop energy recommendations, and assist local businesses in accessing retrofits
Dixie School District’s ‘Go Solar’ Initiative: After a presentation by SEI with students to the Dixie School Board, the Dixie School District has decided to pursue their ‘Go Solar’ initiative to solarize the District’s four schools and administrative building. SEI and partners will help rollout the Go Solar effort across the District.
High-School Energy Efficiency Certificate: In conjunction with several partners, SEI has designed a high-school certificate in energy efficiency and renewable energy, giving students the tools to understand climate change and address the crisis. The goal of the program is to help interested students pursue green careers while instilling environmental values and knowledge.
Protect Your Climate (PYC) Curriculum: PYC, a 16-unit program designed for 4th and 5th graders, encourages students to inquire into why we need to protect our environment, and how to do so. The program has not only helped youth understand climate change, but has also helped Marin residences realize substantial money and energy savings through PYC’s school campaigns.
