Low income housing projects are getting assistance for an energy makeover, thanks to Serious Materials, a green building materials manufacturer. Recently, Serious Materials launched a new line of energy efficient windows , SeriousWindows WAP Series,as replacement windows for WAP projects. These windows have been projected to save a household 12 times as much as any other energy measure taken to reduce these costs.
The Recovery Act has boosted our nation’s weatherization program, whose funding has grown to more than $5.5 billion for the next three years. Replacing windows in WAP projects is just one of the many ways this funding will be used to improve energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings nationwide.
Windows represent a $20 billion market in the U.S., and about 5 percent of all the energy in American literally goes right out of them, Serious Materials CEO Kevin Surace is fond of saying (Green Buildings2009). Serious Materials has been recognized by President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for its hardworking efforts towards achieving a greener nation and a more stable national economy. Serious Materials has helped reopen window factories in Chicago area and continue to do so.
“If I wanted to be refrigerated, I would be a quart of milk,” is Barbara Brotmans’ take on air conditioning overdose we give ourselves. It’s summer time and air conditioners are essential to getting us through the day, keeping the rooms we dwell in cool. Nevertheless is it really necessary to keep the air conditioning on so high that we have to wear layers of clothes while we take the train to work or even at home during these scorchingly hot summer months? It’s very simple to just turn the thermostat up a few notches which works better for the environment and your wallet. Click on the link below to Barbara Brotman’s article for more information.
The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 was passed by the House of Representatives on Friday, June 26th 2009. This bill would provide and implement many cost effective energy efficiency regulations upon our nation that will address the economic and global warming concerns we are faced with today.
The President of the Natural Resources Defense Council calls the bill a ‘dramatic breakthrough for America’s future. (Galbraith NY Times)’ The bill was narrowly passed by the House, 219 to 212 votes the first step towards reconstructing how energy is being used in our nation and improving the environment we live in which is facing global warming threats. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the provisions in the bill can save consumers approximately 7 percent of their energy bills by the year 2020.
One thing the bill emphasized was provisions for building codes so that new constructions of new commercial and residential homes will be energy efficient from the ground up instead of by just having energy star appliances/technologies throughout the buildings.
This bill is the foundation for future actions that may become necessary to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions produced by our nation and subsequently other developed nations will follow our example to do the same. You can make your contribution to lower greenhouse gas emissions by having your climate control unit cleaned and maintained so it works at is optimal efficiency in your home, running on less energy and keeping your environment green.
Energy consumed in a home is one of the most important factors when considering the home’s design and performance. Finding ways to conserve our energy use on a daily basis has become more significant over the years than choosing materials or considering energy sources when looking at improving our homes energy efficiency.
Energy conservation can be achieved in two ways according to Allen Zimmerman, professor of engineering technology at Ohio State University. Mr. Zimmerman suggests that by reducing our energy supplied to us from National Grid, Key span and others, and by reducing the end point use of this energy by the use of appliances, computers, high energy equipment in the home, we can better conserve energy use right at home.
Professor Zimmerman has outlined in Home Energy magazine how homeowners and others alike can measure the actual energy use in your residence by using calculated indicators to measure the thermal energy, electrical energy and total energy performance of a home. Using a home electrical energy index (HHEI) and/or a home heating index (HHI) can help you calculate the energy usage of your home. Residential housing, which accounts for approximately 20% of the total energy consumption in the United States, can use the home energy index (HEI) as an indicator of how energy is being used in that residence.
Nevertheless, incorporating efforts to improve energy does not automatically provide instant savings. Although the efficiency of residential building shells, space-conditioning equipment, lamps and appliances has improved significantly over the years, our constant development of new technologies which adds to our energy usage keeps this issue on the table. Home Energy Magazine has reported that the total residential energy consumed in the United States is increasing at a rate that’s expected to continue indefinitely. More emphasis needs to be placed on the second form of energy conservation- reducing the amount of energy used in the home.
There are numerous things that homeowners can begin practicing to reduce the total energy consumption in their home. Adjusting thermostats (lower in the winter and higher in the summer); turning off lamps in rooms less frequently used; lowering the temperature setting on a water heater; turn off electrical equipment completely when not in use and space conditioning only occupied rooms. All of these measures can help to reduce the overall energy consumption of a home depending on the lifestyle of its occupants. These measures taken alongside using calculations from the indicators like HHI and HEI can help conserve the energy we use and contribute towards a greener planet.
Now more than ever is the time to start transforming the energy industry. In the New York area, AirNow is a company of reliable technicians highly trained and certified to diagnose service space conditioning units for residential and commercial use. Make an appointment with a technician to learn how you can conserve on energy usage in your home, get rebates from LIPA and of course, make sure your space conditioning system is working at its peak efficiency.
On June 17th, the Environmental News Service (ENS) reported that the European Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to implement new higher energy-efficient specifications for computers and related technologies under the EU-US Energy Star Programme.
Most popular brands of desktop computers are already meeting the Energy Star requirements. These new specifications will also target game consoles, integrated computer systems, notebook and tablet PCs, desktop-derived servers and workstations. Some imaging equipment that’s also targeted are scanners, printers, copiers, fax machines and mailing machines.
Mid-range and large servers in addition to thin clients, blade PCs, handheld and personal digital assistants (PDA’s) have not been included in the Energy Star Programme. However, there is speculation towards including servers and large data storage equipment to the EU-US Energy Star program.
This past May, the EPA announced the first Energy Star requirements for computer servers intended to protect our environment and increase our energy savings. On average, computer servers that earn the Energy Star label will be 30 percent more energy efficient than standard servers.
The new criteria becomes effective July 1st, 2009 with anticipated electricity savings of approximately 22 terawatt hours (TWh) which is equivalent to one billion kilowatt hours during the next 4-6 years in the European Union. This amount of electricity is relatively the amount of annual electrical consumption of the Irish nation.
You can also help increase energy efficiency starting with your home or office by maintaining clean heating and cooling systems. In Long Island, NY, Air Now has highly skilled technicians ready to check and clean your system. Call today to schedule an appointment at (516)-746-1935.
I keep hearing green collar jobs are the wave of the future. The kind of employment that will only grow and as President Obama likes to say, “can’t be outsourced.” This month, BP closed a solar-cell factory in Madrid, laying off 480 workers. Spain is the country that President Obama cites as his role model for the Green Jobs Revolution.
So what’s going on in Spain? A study that was released last month by researchers at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos demonstrate that each job created in Spain’s renewables industry costs as much as 2.2 jobs elsewhere in the economy. These lost jobs have a real impact, particularly when employment rolls are shrinking elsewhere.
The government subsidized jobs in Spain’s solar, wind and hydroelectric power industries to the tune of $30 billion, and that figure only includes the extra cost to energy consumers being forced by the government to buy renewable energy at prices several times higher than market rates for conventional power. The 30 billion doesn’t include direct subsidies, such as grants, to build solar farms.
In 2004 Spain’s socialist government guaranteed a huge return on any investment in solar, wind or hydro. It was done by requiring electricity distributers to buy all renewable energy produced in the country at prices that have been 10 times higher than market rates. The government set a regulated price for solar power of 575% of market rates for small producers and “only” 300% for larger ones. The results were a series of inefficient solar farms small enough to get the higher subsidy. Builders, real estate companies, hotel groups and truck manufacturers got in on the action.
In 2007 the government tweaked the subsidy schedule, yet the mandated prices were still so generous that 85% of all solar-powered generating capacity due by 2010 was already in place.
To rein in the market, Madrid passed another law that sharply reduced incentives to build new solar capacity. In the past, two-thirds of the roughly 50,000 jobs created in renewables have been in construction, manufacturing and installation. Because the previous growth can’t be maintained, about 15,000 solar job losses in just a few months has occurred.
Spain’s policy shows that green dreams like renewable energy are achievable only through massive transfers of money from productive sectors to those seeking to get rich quick thanks to government mandates. The few jobs created greatly depend on maintaining impossible levels of growth. As we enter this green era, Washington will have to keep printing greenbacks to pay for these green jobs or a lot of people will find themselves out of work in a field that’s shrinking.
The area that should have sustainability is designing or retrofitting a building to use less energy to begin with. This requires a lot of planning to obtain LEED certification and then it requires a solid service provided to up-keep the equipment and be able to prove that the equipment is performing at peak efficiency. That’s the type of service we perform in the New York area.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. It was an unprecedented effort to jump start the economy, create millions of jobs and address long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century.
The Recovery Act is an extraordinary response to a crisis that we haven’t seen since the Great Depression. The Recovery Act addresses our nation’s infrastructure, enhances energy independence and other measures.
Here is a small breakdown of the funds:
Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy………$16.8 Billion
Back to the original question.. show me the money!
The Department of Energy has been given new resources and responsibilities to oversee and distribute the funds through grants and loans. You can check on the progress often by going to http://www.recovery.gov. You can monitor the efforts of other federal agencies also. The Department of Energy states “they will carry out their duties with the highest level of speed, transparency and accountability.”
At Herricks Mechanical, we are part of the local Weatherization programs and in talking to these agencies, they have been given the grant and loan amounts they will receive from the 2009 Recovery Act. Typically they are looking at over a 100% increase in funding. The funds are available locally as of July 1, 2009. You still have time to get involved. It’s not too late!
President Obama has set clear goals for this bill, creating or protecting jobs over the next 2 years, and reducing our dependence on oil. The hope is that the jobs created can’t be outsourced. It will take a collaboration of scientists, governments, architects, engineers, contractors and many others. We will succeed, and we are looking to become part of your team.
Together, we can build, clean, secure, energy efficient buildings and have a prosperous healthy future in construction here in New York.
The 7th wonder of the world, built during the Great Depression, an icon of the New York City skyline, the Empire State Building is undergoing a major retrofit to become an example of an environmental revitalization.
After 8 months of modeling and analysis, it is estimated that this new retrofit will save 38% of the building’s energy and $4.4 million annually.
Your project probably isn’t as large as this, but you will still need a team approach to saving money and utilities.
Herricks Mechanical can not take on a job as large as the Empire State Building Retrofit. We can be your small business partner in helping you save money and becoming energy efficient.
Traders look to U.S. bank results this week for signs the severe recession may have bottomed and oil slips below $50.00 a barrel. So who is going to look to reduce energy consumption?
Right here in the big apple at 7 World Trade Center, 18 representatives from the nations largest commercial real estate companies and officers from building owners and manager’s associations (BOMA) have launched an initiative to reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint of commercial buildings.
You would think that with oil slipping below $50.00 a barrel that the last thing anyone wants is to go green, but the financial benefits are clearly growing. Energy efficient buildings are higher income producing properties than non efficient buildings.
Here in New York, when the economy was booming, developers were putting up buildings as quickly as they could since they were going to make money on them no matter what. Now, with the slower economy, they’re beginning to step back and look at greening because energy is important and energy is dollars.
Not every energy measure adds up to savings. Clearly you need to partner with firms to find out what technology is working, but also what doesn’t work. A new organization, Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance (CREEA) has been formed and is facilitated by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE). Their mission is to promote technology that will reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of the commercial real estate market. CREEA offers opportunities for investors, real estate companies, developers, tenants and contractors to collaborate on strategies to advance energy efficiency in commercial buildings. Here at Herricks Mechanical I am trying to address one major concern and that is where do you turn for skilled technicians to service the equipment?
There is a lack of skilled technicians to service equipment and make sure it’s built and running correctly. At Herricks Mechanical, all of our technicians have to go to school for five years before they can troubleshoot or test equipment and be considered a journeyman. Schooling doesn’t stop after the five years either. They have to keep up with new technology and certifications. When you have a technician that services your equipment, how do you know it’s running at peak efficiency? If your current service provider isn’t testing your building and showing you ways to lower your operating costs, specifically your energy utility bill, you need a new service provider. At Herricks Mechanical I can show you the connection between work being done and saving money. So call us today at (516) 746-1935.
Sales are down. The markets are on a roller coaster ride. Trimming your budget is a necessary evil for the survival of your business.
So how do you find ways to operate your business more efficiently? Cutting maintenance of your air conditioner is not a smart move. You will experience breakdowns when it is the hottest and the repairs will be more expensive, your employees will have to bare high heat and be very uncomfortable. When that happens you can forget about productivity. Don’t think of cutting back on service to save money and ride out the storm because you will be doing more harm than good.
This bring up an interesting point. How do you know your current service provider is delivering the proper service you requested? He walked in with tools disappears and comes back awhile later with a work ticket for you to sign. Did he go to sleep in the back room? Did he test anything? There is a way to check if your system is running at peak efficiency. No one is performing this testing. The reason is they don’t want you to know how lousy of a job they have been doing.
I’m not afraid. My technicians are highly trained. They have to go to school for five years to become a journeyman, and the education doesn’t end there. I know if they are doing the proper service I pay for third party verification. I will first have my technician tune-up your system then have a third party verification test done. You will get a printed report from an engineering firm outlining if your system is running at peak performance or if it has any deficiency’s .
Don’t you want to know if your getting what you paid for? Herricks Mechanical is the only company in New York that performs this service. Call Today for details 516 248-1177.
Energy consumed in a home is one of the most important factors when considering the home’s design and performance. Finding ways to conserve our energy use on a daily basis has become more significant over the years than choosing materials or considering energy sources when looking at improving our homes energy efficiency.