To print this page properly - use Print icon located on the page.
Please note that JavaScript has to be enabled.
spacer.gif
logo_bgbg_2.png
   fm,dbnldfjknbjdf

Join Now!

Industry News

<< first  < prev   1   2   3   4   5   ...   next >  last >> 
  • 10-Mar-10 08:34 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    The US Administration’s recently announced residential and commercial retrofit programmes and boosts to energy efficient manufacturing will create 333,000 jobs this year, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

    Last week, President Barack Obama unveiled the ‘HOMESTAR’ incentive plan to encourage home owners install energy saving products like insulation and energy efficient windows and cooling systems.

    The products covered by the HOMESTAR programme are mainly manufactured in the US and will require local fitters. This programme alone will create around 126,000 jobs in 2010 and 36,000 jobs next year, estimates the ACEEE.

    A similar programme aimed at the commercial sector – ‘BUILDING STAR’ – which will offer businesses rebates of up to 30% on improvements to lighting, insulation and energy management, could create a further 130,000 jobs in 2010 and 57,000 jobs in 2011.

    Meanwhile, the Administration’s $4 billion boost to manufacturers producing energy efficiency and clean energy products could create 77,000 jobs in 2010 and then 91,000 jobs in 2011, says the ACEEE.

    “Energy efficiency improvements are labour intensive,” says ACEEE executive director Steven Nadel. “These estimates of job creation are probably conservative.”

    Although the ACEEE analysis indicates that job creation will tail off to around 184,000 next year as the programmes wind down, Nadel says that small numbers of jobs will continue to be created as energy bill savings free up disposable income to boost other parts of the economy.

    For further information:
    www.aceee.org/
    www.aceee.org/energy/national/potential_leg.htm

  • 10-Mar-10 08:31 | Meagan Forney (administrator)

    The state legislature on Tuesday finalized HB 1001 to increase the state’s renewable energy standard to 30 percent by 2020, an increase of 10% from the current bill.

    One of the lead legislative supporters of the bill, Rep. Max Tyler, wrote in Sunday’s Denver Post, “There’s new energy in town, and it’s powering a boom that will make Colorado a leader in recovering from this financial downturn. This clean renewable energy will grow Colorado’s economy and lead to a brighter future.”

    Colorado was one of the first states to adopt a renewable energy standard at all, committing in 2004 to get 10 percent of their electricity from renewables by 2015 and increasing that to 20 percent by 2020 in 2006. This latest measure puts the state right behind California, who has the highest standard at 33 percent by 2020.

    The bill also requires utilities to get 3 percent of their electricity from distributed sources like rooftop solar and other smaller wind and solar installations in order to give a boost to local renewable energy and construction companies. According to the bill’s backers, that requirement alone will be responsible for 1 GW of clean energy, save 6.8 billion gallons of water and reduce emissions by 30 million tons of CO2 a year.

    Once Gov Ritter puts his signature to HB 1001, Colorado will be the second only to California in the percentage of energy that utilities are required to provide from wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal sources. California’s stipulates that 33% of utility-delivered energy originate with renewables, including several large hydroelectric plants that are not on the table here in Colorado.

    As we’ve previously reported in Colorado Energy News, Vote Solar, a San Francisco-based advocate for solar energy, has published a study predicting that the renewable-energy requirement would create more than 23,500 solar energy jobs in Colorado over the next decade, if a certain level of solar power is installed over that period of time.

    Back in 2004, a lifetime ago in the clean energy world, Colorado voters approved Amendment 37 which required Xcel to provide 10 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2015.  That was the start of the state-mandated percentage of energy sourced from renewables, even though at the time Xcel opposed the measure. Ritter championed increasing the percentage in 2007 to the current 20%.



    Article printed from Colorado Energy News: http://coloradoenergynews.com

    URL to article: http://coloradoenergynews.com/2010/03/legislature-nears-final-approval-for-increasing-renewable-energy-requirement/

  • 09-Mar-10 15:56 | Meagan Forney (administrator)

    Reported by Staff from Colorado Energy News: http://coloradoenergynews.com

    Picture yourself heading westbound on I-70  for a day of skiing; only imagine it is two or three years in the future. No, you won’t see a high-speed train racing along side, that is years down the road, if ever.  You may, however,  be able to see dozens of wind turbines quietly rotating on the hilltops in the vicinity of Idaho Springs to Georgetown.

    This scenario may become a reality, if a Littleton-based company gets its way. Clear Creek Power, LLC hopes to place 40 turbines in the area, which the company says will generate up to 100 megawatts of renewable energy.

    The average wind speed on the mountain ridges of Arapaho National Forest is an impressive 21 miles per hour. ““These are Class 6 or 7 winds, some of the best in the country, ” said James Thomas, project administrator and business development team leader for the developer.

    Several Clear Creek Power workers have spent the last three years performing various tests in the location, in addition to researching the potential impact of such a project on plants and animals in the area. They’ve also  analyzed what it would take to upgrade the roads required to move the large turbine machinery, and most importantly for the project, conferred with investors about financing.

    The estimated cost of the “Highland Park Wind Energy Facility” is in the neighborhood of $190 million to $230 million; and Clear Creek Power has approached utilities about buying the power.

    The company says the going is slow. In addition to conducting three years worth of tests, it is also dealing with a myriad of federal requirements for energy projects on public lands, and some of the regulations are changing, according to Thomas.

    The land which Clear Creek Power wants to utilize is under the auspices of the Forest Service, and it lacks rules governing clean energy projects, although new rules are expected soon. For now, the developer is working with BLM-crafted policies that deal  on a limited basis with the development of renewables on BLM land.

    The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires that 10,000 megawatts of solar, wind and geothermal projects be approved on public lands by 2015. The BLM has said it expects to have 2,800 megawatts of renewable-power plants online by Sept. 30, the end of the federal 2010 fiscal year.

    Traditional extraction industries operating on public lands in the U.S. have been regulated for years, but the rules governing renewable energy development is still a work in progress.

    “There are much stricter and much more thorough environmental regulations and protections on federal land than would be on non federal land,” Steven Hall, spokesman for the BLM’s Colorado office, told the Denver Business Journal. At the start of this year, Hall’s office established a small team to review renewable-energy applications on BLM land in Colorado.

    In addition, other major factors that will impact future renewable energy projects on public lands are the ability to get the power from the remote wind or solar source to power plants and ultimately, consumers. Upgrading the U.S. electrical transmission grid is the proverbial “elephant in the room” as federal, state and local jurisdictions battle over citing authority. Until that and other issues are worked out, many of the new renewable energy projects may be delayed or, in some cases, abandoned for good.

    The San Luis Valley is a case in point. The area is one of 24 tracts included in the Solar Energy Study Area unveiled by Secretary Salazar last year, but solar development on the 20,000 acres may not occur anytime soon, even though it has the potential to generate 4,182 megawatts of power. First Solar of Tempe, Arizona had applied for a permit to build a power plant in the area, but has since pulled it without providing a specific explanation as to why. No other developer is in the picture, at least right now.

    URL to article: http://coloradoenergynews.com/2010/03/wind-turbine-development-sought-along-stretch-of-i-70/

  • 09-Mar-10 08:43 | Meagan Forney (administrator)

    The University of Colorado Real Estate Center and the U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter today are beginning a pilot program to prepare CU Real Estate Center students to take the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Green Associate exam.

    An experienced LEED accredited professional who has trained hundreds of green building practitioners in Colorado will teach the course, which lasts six weeks. Students receive a copy of the latest version of USGBC Colorado's internationally acclaimed "LEED Professional Accreditation Study Guide and Practice Exam." The guide provides valuable information, tools and practice exams for the Green Building Certification Institute's new LEED 2009 Green Associate and LEED Building Design and Construction credentials.

    The CU Real Estate Center, located within the Leeds School of Business, emphasizes sustainable real estate and development practices, according to Susan Watts, executive director of the CU Real Estate Center.

    "Being LEED certified is a significant plus for our students," said Watts. "Our goal is to prepare graduates to assume positions within the broad field of real estate with an emphasis on sustainable practices."

    Brad Weinig, a first-year MBA student in the real estate track, took the lead to make the pilot class a reality.

    "We are excited to incorporate LEED accreditation into our curriculum," Weinig said. "Many of us chose to study here because we want to be leaders in sustainable development and this partnership with USGBC will help us to accomplish that goal."

    USGBC Colorado published its first study guide in 2002 as the result of a successful partnership between the organization and author Timothy Moore of Whole Systems Design. The guide has gained an international following thanks to its reputation as the best study guide for LEED AP candidates.

    "USGBC Colorado has helped literally thousands of green building professionals gain their LEED credentials," said Deb Kleinman, executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council Colorado. "We are excited to pilot this exam prep course with CU-Boulder as we continue to work with the green building community around the world to train professionals and to transform our built environment."

    USGBC Colorado's mission is to advance and promote sustainable planning, design, construction and operation of the built environment through education, improving industry guidelines, policy, advocacy, and information and resource sharing.

    The CU Real Estate Center offers a real estate curriculum at the graduate and undergraduate levels that prepares students to be leaders in the real estate industry. The center fosters the partnership between the university and the CU Real Estate Council to create dynamic and relevant dialogue to further land use related research and develop meaningful internships for students with job placement opportunities as the ultimate goal.

    The new USGBC Colorado LEED Professional Accreditation Study Guide and Practice Exam for LEED 2009 Building Design and Construction is available for purchase. Discounts are available for members of USGBC Chapters, USGBC National Member Companies and bulk purchases.

    For more information on the program visit www.usgbccolorado.org, or call Sarah Michaels at 303-454-3393.

    Contact

    Susan Hebel Watts, Leeds School of Business, 303-492-8966
    susan.watts@colorado.edu
    Jessica Pascoe, USGBC Colorado, 303-454-3392
    jpascoe@usgbccolorado.org
  • 08-Mar-10 13:42 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    Installers say gardens may hurt market for rooftop solar
    By Laura Snider Camera Staff Writer  - Originally Posted on Boulder Daily Camera

    Local solar installers are concerned that a new bill designed to allow "community solar gardens" in Colorado would hurt small solar companies and diminish financial support for rooftop solar arrays.

    Community solar gardens would allow people who cannot install photovoltaic panels on their rooftops -- including condo owners, renters and homeowners with shady roofs -- to buy a share of a larger solar array that's not located on their properties. The electricity generated in the solar garden would show up as a credit on the energy bills of people who buy shares.

    "The concept that I wanted was to create the opportunity to own a share of a solar garden that would function in every way as if it was rooftop solar, so the people would know that they actually owned the electrons being generated from those solar panels in the solar gardens," said state Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, who introduced the solar gardens bill into the House last month.

    Eriks Brolis, co-owner of Namaste Solar in Boulder, said local solar companies aren't opposed to the idea of solar gardens, but they worry that some of the intricacies of the bill's language might create competition for funds between solar gardens and rooftop solar.

    "We're continuing to work with Representative Levy to ensure that the opportunity for folks to install solar on their own homes isn't reduced by these new opportunities," he said. "We want to make sure the new market doesn't replace the existing ones for customers."

    At issue is the way solar gardens would be categorized -- as "retail" instead of "wholesale" power. The state requires Xcel Energy to get a certain portion of its electricity from renewable energy. That standard will likely be 30 percent by 2020, thanks to a bill that was also introduced into the Colorado Legislature this spring and passed through both the House and the Senate as of Friday. This new renewable energy portfolio standard now only needs to be signed by the governor.

    Of that 30 percent, 3 percent must come from solar projects that tie directly into the grid, which includes rooftop solar, ground-mounted panels and any other solar arrays that don't require a new transmission system to be built to deliver the power.

    Half of that 3 percent -- or 1.5 percent of all Xcel Energy's electricity production for its Colorado customers -- must come from "retail" solar, which means that it's connected to the customer's utility meter. The other 1.5 percent must come from "wholesale" solar, or solar projects that are smaller than 30 megawatts and which don't fit into the retail designation.

    Putting solar gardens in the "retail" category will squeeze rooftop solar because both types of customers will be competing for the rebates available for that 1.5 percent of Xcel's energy supply.

    If passed, Levy's bill will allow community solar gardens to be up to 2 megawatts in size, the equivalent of about 400 average rooftop installations, and local solar installers say that those big projects are likely to be built by much larger companies that aren't local. Up to 6 megawatts of solar gardens could be built each year, according to the bill.

    "There's a limited number of projects that have to go forward in order for the utility to meet compliance," Brolis said. "And if they have that ability to meet that compliance with half a dozen projects as opposed to 1,200 (rooftop installations), there's concern that that's the route that they would take."

    Levy said she's heard the concerns of Brolis and other members of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association, or CoSEIA, that the bill will cut into their market share, but she's not convinced that the bill should be changed.

    "The bill reflects a very delicate balancing process," Levy said. "We tried to make something that will actually be workable so that we can implement it, and that requires Xcel to support it."

    Levy said the bill also has built-in protections for smaller solar companies. For example, during the first two years that the bill is in effect, half of the 6 megawatts allowed for community solar gardens must come from gardens that are 500 kilowatts or smaller -- a size that she believes many local installers are equipped to build.

    She also says that designating the gardens as "wholesale" will defeat the spirit of the bill because "wholesale" power cannot show up on a customer's bill as a credit, and therefore, the gardens won't simulate rooftop arrays.

    "I've considered the proposals that CoSEIA has presented, and I don't find any of them workable," Levy said. "But I'm still very much open to exploring new proposals."

    Contact Camera Staff Writer Laura Snider at 303-473-1327 or sniderl@dailycamera.com.

  • 08-Mar-10 13:39 | Meagan Forney (administrator)

    Rules could force landlords to make energy efficiency upgrades

    Take a survey about the proposed SmartRegs project at bouldercolorado.gov/smartregs.

    Boulder is on a mission to find out how the public feels about proposed rules that could soon change the city's rental housing codes and require landlords to make energy-efficiency upgrades to their rental properties.

    Beginning Monday, an online survey will ask Boulder residents for feedback about the city's planned SmartRegs project.

    The survey asks people to weigh in on technical changes to the city's rental codes, how increased fees to check rental licenses would affect people and whether allowing inspectors to arrange random property inspections would increase or decrease efficiency. It also asks whether people approve of a proposal to add a complaint-based enforcement system for rental licenses.

    The survey, which will be available at bouldercolorado.gov/smartregs through March 18, is part of a public outreach campaign. A second survey focused specifically on proposed energy efficiency requirements will be released in April.

    The city's overall goal is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions coming from homes by 94,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2012. About 57 percent of the city's housing stock is made up of rental units, but convincing landlords to make investments that they won't necessarily see a return on has been difficult.

    SmartRegs could mean landlords have to replace old furnaces, add insulation and install new appliances.

    The results of both surveys will help inform a draft proposal being presented to the Boulder Planning Board on April 22. The City Council is scheduled to take up the first reading of the proposal on May 4.

    Sheila Horton, executive director of the Boulder Area Rental Housing Association, a nonprofit group that represents the interests of about 9,000 renters and landlords, said she continues to question why the city is targeting the rental housing industry.

    "The total gas and electric usage, when you look at all of residential ... is only 17 to 18 percent," she said. "If rental housing is half of that, we're talking about 9 or 10 percent of the total usage.

    "It just doesn't make any sense that we would be starting with our sector," she said.

    Contact Camera Staff Writer Heath Urie at 303-473-1328 or urieh@dailycamera.com.


    Read more: Boulder wants feedback on SmartRegs - Boulder Daily Camera http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_14522179?source=most_viewed#ixzz0hcTPa0da
  • 04-Mar-10 08:48 | Meagan Forney (administrator)


    Camera staff report Originally Posted on Boulder Daily Camera

    The Boulder County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve another round of changes to the county's green building codes.

    The new changes will give people a second option for meeting the BuildSmart code, which went into effect in May 2008. The original rules required everyone who was building a new house or an addition to meet a set energy-efficiency target.

    Homeowners could, for the most part, choose what energy-efficient measures they wanted to install, as long as the final goal was met.

    The new rules will give most new homeowners a second, "prescriptive" option for meeting the BuildSmart standards, which will work more like a checklist. If all the upgrades are checked off, the homeowner will be in compliance, regardless of the structure's final energy efficiency rating.

    This is the third set of changes to BuildSmart that have been approved over the last two years.

    For more information on BuildSmart, visit www.bouldercounty.org/lu/buildsmart.

    Read more: Boulder County passes third set of BuildSmart changes - Boulder Daily Camera
  • 02-Mar-10 08:53 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    Originally Posted at BCBR: By Business Report Staff
    BOULDER - Flatirons Bank has been awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, gold certification for the commercial interiors of it new bank located at 1095 Canyon Blvd. in downtown Boulder.

    The U.S. Green Building Council's certification is the national benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance sustainable buildings.

    "We designed our downtown Boulder facility to be a physical representation of our bank's commitment to sustainability," said Mark Yost, chairman of the bank. "It is tangible evidence of our overall business practices that embrace high-performance standards in every way - from banking services and products to facilities and day-to-day operations."

    The bank's interior, designed by Boulder-based Eric Smith Associates PC and Boulder-based Communication Arts Inc., was constructed entirely with recycled, rapidly renewable or repurposed materials; hand-crafted decors made by local artisans; energy-efficient lighting; Greenguard certified furniture, fabrics and carpet and Energy Star rated appliances. Local Drystack Sandstone was used to create a feature wall and wind energy supplies a portion of the bank's required power.

    In keeping with its energy-conscious mission, Flatirons Bank officers also drive fuel-efficient Ford Escape Hybrids, which meet strict low-emissions standards and offer eco-friendly interiors.

    Flatirons Bank currently has $102 million in assets and is opening a branch office at Main and Fourth Avenue in Longmont in April, subject to regulatory approval.
  • 22-Feb-10 15:48 | Meagan Forney (administrator)

    By Heather Clancy/smartplanet 

    Instead of going it alone, states across the nation will now be able to share energy efficiency ideas more formally through the State Energy Efficiency (SEE) Action Network (aka SEE Action Network). 

    The idea is to help drive “maximum” improvements in all sorts of places — from homes to industry — over the next decade. Pretty much everyone is convinced that the first step to clean energy is cutting usage and addressing efficiency needs upfront. This, in turn, saves money, which can be invested back into alternative and renewable energy options for the future.

    SEE Action Network is a joint project of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is meant to provide both policy and best practices support, as states move to encourage consumers and businesses to drive higher levels of energy efficiency. Among the first priorities for the network, which is the focus of its initial workgroups, are:

    1. Providing best practices and national “protocols” for residential energy efficiency programs
    2. Developing an idea exchange for the financing part of the equation
    3. Offering alternatives for measurement and verification of reductions or energy-efficiency goals
    4. Disseminating information about the impact of energy efficiency — in other words, answering the common question, “Why should I care about this?”
    5. New insights on the impact of information on customer decisions

    The network, which will have its first meeting next month, will follow the ambitious goals set out in the  National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency , which has a 2025 target deadline in mind for making quantum leaps in energy efficiency across the country. The goals range from public policy wish lists, such as strong state policies that are support of energy efficient practices, to those that encourage industry to get on board, such as an update to utility billing systems that provide consumers and businesses with much more granular information about energy usage.

    The new SEE Action Executive Group will meet for the first time in early March. A number of working groups will continue to meet throughout the year to deliver results on specific goals.


    Article printed from Colorado Energy News: http://coloradoenergynews.com

    URL to article: http://coloradoenergynews.com/2010/02/states-collaborate-on-energy-efficiency/

  • 22-Feb-10 12:11 | Meagan Forney (administrator)

    Home improvements that won't tax you


    By Karen Mitchell
    Special to The Denver Post

    Julie Herman sits next to a new high-efficiency furnace in her newly insulated crawl space in Louisville. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

    That new imported gelato maker is loads of fun. So is the larger-than-life plasma HDTV you recently installed.

    Alas, these home purchases made dents in your wallet but they will not affect your 2009 tax returns. There are, however, myriad energy-focused home improvements that do qualify for rebates and tax credits.

    Residential energy credits for 2009 belong on Form 5695, says Kathleen Wallenburg with H&R Block in Longmont.

    "Credit 1, the residential energy efficient property credit, is for tax years 2009 through 2016," she says. "This credit is for qualified residential alternative energy equipment. The credit, for 30 percent of the cost of equipment, includes labor costs for on-site preparation, assembly, installation, piping and wiring for equipment."

    What's more, she says, "there is no dollar-amount limitation" for this credit, which is for the taxpayer's main residence.

    "This can be a house, houseboat, mobile home, cooperative apartment, condominium, or a manufactured home that conforms to the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards," Wallenburg says.

    So what is alternative energy equipment? It includes qualified solar electric property, qualified solar water heating property, qualified fuel-cell property (this does not include fuel cells used for swimming pools or hot tubs), qualified small wind-energy property, and qualified geothermal heat pump property.

    Credit 2, the non-business energy property credit, applies to tax years 2009-2010. "This credit applies to improvements such as adding insulation, energy-efficient exterior windows, and energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning systems," Wallenburg notes. "The credit is 30 percent of the cost for a maximum limit of $1,500. For example, if a taxpayer used $1,000 of the credit on their 2009 tax return, then there is only $500 of credit left for their 2010 tax return."

    The IRS has made it easier for taxpayers to consider doing some energy- efficient changes in homes this year. Just be sure you see the "Energy Star" symbol on any new equipment, Wallenburg says.

    Here comes the sun

    If you installed a solar electric system in your home during 2009, you can anticipate the accompanying federal tax credit of 30 percent. "A tax credit is much better than a tax deduction because it's a straight dollar-for-dollar credit," says Dan Yechout with Namaste Solar. "Rebates through Xcel Energy typically reduce the upfront cost of a solar system by 40 to 50 percent, making the out-of-pocket cost of an average system about $15,000.

    "The vast majority of homes in the metro Denver area are in Xcel Energy electric territory and are eligible for the rebate, which is based on the amount of energy the system will produce," he says. "The homeowner can then apply the 30 percent federal tax credit to the after-rebate system cost, bringing the bottom line to about $10,000-$11,000."

    These incentives may enable homeowners to go beyond switching from coal or gas- powered electricity to solar.

    "If you finance the system with a bank loan or Boulder County ClimateSmart loan, what you're doing is paying off that loan instead of paying the utility company," Yechout says. "Your net monthly payments are about the same, but you're getting clean power, and at the end of the loan, you own the system, and it's all free electricity at that point" Yechout says.

    Even before the loan or system is paid off, solar customers often start using a lot less electricity, Yechout notes. "They become conscious of usage and they want that meter to start turning backward."

    Municipal role model

    The Boulder County ClimateSmart loan offers homeowners and businesses an innovative way to finance energy-efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems and to connect to accessible information about energy rebates and incentives.

    "The ClimateSmart loan program provides direct financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements made to Boulder County rental properties, as well as for primary residences," says Ann Livingston, Boulder County Sustainability Coordinator. "The loan shows up as a special assessment on the homeowner's property tax bill, although technically it is not a property tax. Similar programs to ours are being looked at by other cities and counties in Colorado and across the nation."

    ClimateSmart loans are payable over a 15-year period, and the interest is tax deductible. If the house is sold, this special assessment stays with the property unless seller and buyer negotiate otherwise — a major difference between ClimateSmart and private-sector loans, Livingston says.

    "There is a $75 application fee," she says, "but aside from that, homeowners can borrow the full costs of improvements including solar PV insulation, windows, and other measures. The only rebates or tax incentives that we will not cover with the ClimateSmart loan are the Xcel Solar*Rewards incentives. Homeowners served by Xcel Energy can gain a significant amount in renewable energy credits and rebates to help pay for solar PV systems, and not all utilities offer that."

    When Julie Herman knew the time had come to make some energy improvements in her family's 1960s Louisville home, she went with a ClimateSmart loan. Herman, executive director of the Boulder Green Building Guild, and a planner and landscape architect, insulated her attic and crawl space, and installed a tankless hot water heater and new windows, gaining rebates and tax credits.

    "It's important to prioritize; every house is different," Herman says. "Have an energy audit done first to understand what makes sense. Depending on the house, new windows alone don't pay you back in energy savings, so you don't want to limit yourself to installing new windows if the walls are poorly insulated. Make sure your building envelope is well-insulated, including the attic, basement and crawl space."

    New insulation may not be the sexiest energy-efficient upgrade, but it's one that really counts.

    "Nobody will notice when you have your house well-insulated," she says. "You won't be able to show off, but you won't have to wear a down coat when you lower the thermostat."


    Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_14436399#ixzz0gIGqo6Yg
<< first  < prev   1   2   3   4   5   ...   next >  last >> 
 

facebook_logo.jpg




BGBG Sustainable Cities Sponsors:






BGBG Eco-Community Sponsors:




 Boulder Green Building Guild • 1720 15th St • Boulder, CO 80302 • 303-447-0901 • info@bgbg.org
© 2009 - Boulder Green Building Guild
 Website Photography By:
DanOConnorLogo.jpg


Spider Me
  1. Boulder Green Building Guild, High Performance Homes, New Construction, Remodel, Addition, Colorado, Trade Association, Builder's Association, Commercial Construction, Residential Construction, Resource Conservation, Abatement, Air conditioning, Appliances, Appraiser, Architecture, Asphalt, Builder, Buildig Supplies, Building Science, Cabinetry, Carpenter, Carpets/rugs, Chimney Service, Concrete, Decks, Deconstruction, Delivery , Design/Build, Designers, Dry wall, Eco-Tourism, Educator, Electrician, Energy Audits, Energy Efficiency, Energy Modeler, Energy Ratings, Engineers, Equipment Rental, Evaporative Coolers, Excavating, Finishing, Fire Mitigation, Floor Coverings, Floors, Foundation, Furniture, Glass, Glazing, Government Agency, Greenhouses, Gutters and Downspouts, HERS, Handyman, Heating and Cooling, Home Entertainment, Inspectors, Insulated Concrete Forms, Insulation, Insurance, Interior Designer, Interior products, Landscape Architecture, Landscape Design, Landscape Install, Lawyer, Lender, Lighting, Lumber, Marketing, Masonry, Mechanical Trades, Media, Metal work, Modular Homes, Non-Profit, P.V., Painter, Plasterer, Produce, Food, Realtor, Recycled Products, Recycling Services, Restoration, Roofer, Solar Power, Solar Thermal, Structurally Insulated Panels, Sustainable Materials, Tile, Water Wells, Weatherization and Insulation, Wind Power, Window Coverings, Windows, Doors, Net Zero Energy Homes, ZEH, Carbon Neutral, Zero Impact, Green Building, Sustainable, Sustainability, Construction, High, Performance, Home, House, Remodel, Upgrade, Efficient, Efficiency, Energy, Bills, Utility, Cheap, Save, Money, Insulation, Windows, Doors, Boulder, Denver, Longmont, Built Tight Ventilate Right, Energy Star, Boulder County, Green Points, Build Smart, Boulder County, City of Boulder, Colorado