York Goes Green

From the EfficiencyMaine.com web site:

Officials at Efficiency Maine have extended a $1,000 bonus offer for Maine homeowners who weatherize their homes to improve energy efficiency and save money. The bonus means Maine homeowners may qualify for up to $5,500 in combined cash incentives and federal tax credits. Homeowners and landlords of all income levels are encouraged to apply by August 31, 2010.

“There’s been a run on energy audits, and we couldn’t be happier,” stated Michael Stoddard, Executive Director of Efficiency Maine. The energy audit is the first step toward installing insulation, air sealing, and heating system upgrades and receipt of a package of rebates and tax credits. Stoddard cited a five-fold increase in program participation since the $1,000 bonus was instituted as a reason to extend the deadline for completing projects to the end of 2010. Stoddard said of extending the deadline, “Customer satisfaction is critically important to Efficiency Maine and we want more customers to have access to this terrific program and to be more comfortable in their energy efficient homes.”

The bonus was initially announced in June as a special offer to supplement existing cash incentives offered through Efficiency Maine’s Home Energy Savings Program. Originally homeowners had to complete the work by August 31. With the extension, customers simply need to sign up online by August 31, 2010, complete an energy audit by September 30, 2010 and complete the work by December 31, 2010 to be eligible for the special $1,000 bonus.

The program is funded by stimulus dollars through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. For more information about the ARRA stimulus funds and home energy-saving programs offered through Efficiency Maine click here.

August 28th, 2010 by wayne | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Are recent worldwide extreme climate events by-products of climate change?

August 23rd, 2010 by wayne | Tags: climate change, global warming, science, video | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

An important presentation will be given on Tuesday, August 24, 2010, at 6:30 in the York Public Library.

The title of the talk is “Maine Wildlife on the Move: Global Climate Change.”

From the Audubon site:

Join Barbara Charry, Maine Audubon Biologist to learn about climate change impacts on Maine’s wildlife and habitat and how Maine citizens can take action to address climate change. Details on current federal climate change legislation as well as efforts in Maine will be provided.

Please put this on your schedule and pass it on to your friends.

August 17th, 2010 by wayne | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hi Everyone,

The August meeting will be next Tuesday, August 10th at the York Public Library at 7pm in the Wheeler room.  We will be talking about the PACE program – and my upcoming presentation to the Planning Board on September 23rd.

Hope to see you there!

Eric

August 1st, 2010 by Eric | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hi Everyone!

I will be making an informational presentation to the York Planning Board about trying to make PACE available to our community on Thursday, September 23rd at 7pm. If you are interested, come to the meeting and show your support!

Hope to see you there!
Eric

August 1st, 2010 by Eric | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Efficiency Maine has been a bit slow to put up information on the new PACE law enacted earlier this year. However, they’ve recently put up a new website with some really useful info. Check it out here: www.efficiencymaine.com/pace

Among the highlights:

• A Stakeholder Process to review and make recommendations about implementation of PACE programs in Maine that will begin in early August;
• Sample documents for towns to use for adopting and starting a PACE program, including the Model Ordinance and an Administration Contract between the municipality and Efficiency Maine and related education materials;
• Rulemakings on consumer underwriting and disclosure and quality assurance that will begin in August; and,
• Communications about PACE programs in Maine and around the country.

August 1st, 2010 by Eric | Tags: PACE | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (3)

Starting on Saturday, Aug. 14, there will be a two-day training session for those who are interested in introducing the Transition Initiative to their community. The complete details are available at the transitionus.org site. Here is an overview:

Training for Transition — Durham, NH

Transition United States (www.transitionus.org) is offering the two-day Training for Transition course as developed by the Transition Network in England (www.transitiontowns.org, www.transitionnetwork.org).  The course is an in-depth experiential introduction to Transition for those considering bringing Transition to their community.  It is recommended for local communities wishing to become an internationally-recognized Transition Initiative.

At the Training for Transition course, you will:

• Explore how the Transition process increases community resilience
• Receive tools for community outreach, education and engagement
• Learn how to summarize the Triple Challenge of Peak Oil, Climate, and Economic Instability in ways that move people to positive action
• Understand and know how to work with obstacles that have prevented our communities from recognizing and positively responding to the challenge of energy transition
• Experience ways that local social and economic community can be created and strengthened
• Learn ways of creating a positive, shared vision for your community’s future
• Receive support for becoming a Transition catalyst in your community
• Connect with others who are helping your region transition to greater stability and security
• Become a part of a rapidly growing positive, inspirational, global movement!

Curriculum:
The course describes how to catalyze, build and facilitate a successful Transition Initiative. It is packed with imaginative and inspiring ways to engage your community, and delves into both the theory and practice of Transition that has worked so well in hundreds of communities in the U.K. and around the world.

Who should attend:
People interested in learning about Transition Towns in greater depth and leaders already creating a Transition Initiative in their community.

Read the rest of the details.

July 29th, 2010 by wayne | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Although perhaps more urgent in urban areas and hotter climates, cool roofs could make a difference in Maine as well. As is often the case, saving energy can also mean saving substantial money for the home owner or business owner. Here is an excerpt from a Department of Energy publication.

Can light-colored rooftops and roads really curb carbon emissions and combat global climate change? The idea has been around for years, but now, a new study by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that is the first to use a global model to study the question has found that implementing cool roofs and cool pavements in cities around the world can not only help cities stay cooler, they can also cool the world, with the potential of canceling the heating effect of up to two years of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.

Because white roofs reflect far more of the sun’s heat than black ones, buildings with white roofs will stay cooler. If the building is air conditioned, less air conditioning will be required, thus saving energy. Even if there is no air conditioning, the heat absorbed by a black roof both heats the space below, making the space less comfortable, and is also carried into the city air by wind—raising the ambient temperature in what is known as the urban heat island effect. Additionally, there’s a third, less familiar way in which a black roof heats the world: it radiates energy directly into the atmosphere, which is then absorbed by the nearest clouds and ends up trapped by the greenhouse effect, contributing to global warming.

Today, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced a series of initiatives at the Department of Energy to more broadly implement cool roof technologies on DOE facilities and buildings across the federal government. As part of the effort to make the federal government more energy efficient, Chu has directed all DOE offices to install cool roofs, whenever cost effective over the lifetime of the roof, when constructing new roofs or replacing old ones at DOE facilities.  Additionally, the Secretary has also issued a letter to the heads of other federal agencies, encouraging them to take similar steps at their facilities.

“Cool roofs are one of the quickest and lowest cost ways we can reduce our global carbon emissions and begin the hard work of slowing climate change,” said Chu.

Read the rest of the press release from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

July 22nd, 2010 by wayne | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

There is mounting evidence that in the construction and renovation of school buildings, attention to energy efficiency and climate control not only saves money but also  helps promote an environment that is more conducive to learning.

The U.S. Green Building Council estimates that attention to green details in schools — notably through energy efficiency and water consumption habits — can save the average school $100,000 annually. That’s the equivalent of being able to hire two new teachers or invest in approximately 200 computers. If every new school construction project or retrofit took green concerns into account moving forward, the impact of energy efficiency alone could save $20 billion over the next decade.

In addition, studies have shown that buildings with better natural lighting leads to improvement in student performance, good indoor air quality improves health, better acoustics increases learning potential, and comfortable indoor temperatures increase occupant satisfaction.

The USGBC has produced a short promotional video highlighting learning in a green school, as told by the students of the Sidwell Friends school.

July 21st, 2010 by wayne | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

In a move that should ultimately conserve energy, allow customers to save money, and reduce future greenhouse gas emissions, Central Maine Power is using a $96 million DOE stimulus grant to deploy 620,000 smart meters to all of its residential and business customers beginning later this summer. Below are excerpts from a press release issued today by Trilliant Incorporated.

Trilliant Incorporated, a leader in delivering Smart Grid solutions that enhance energy efficiency, utility operations and renewable resource integration, today announced that it has completed agreements with Central Maine Power (CMP) to provide a complete Smart Grid communications network and advanced meter infrastructure solution.

CMP was awarded $96M under the Smart Grid Investment Grant program of the U.S. Department of Energy authorized under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. CMP’s service area encompasses roughly the southern third of the state, but accounts for nearly 80% of consumer sales of electricity in Maine. Matching funding from the corporation will bring the total investment to nearly $200M.

CMP expects to complete the installations by early 2012. The system will improve the company’s operations and customer service. It will also enable electricity supply companies and Maine regulators to work toward creating new benefits for consumers such as flexible rate schedules, lower energy costs, and peak demand load-shifting and load-shedding programs.

Read the rest of the press release.

July 15th, 2010 by wayne | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The next York Energy Efficiency Committee meeting is this Tuesday at 7pm at the York Public Library.

We’ll be talking about PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) in more detail – and what it will take to make it a reality here in York. For more information on what PACE is you can go to this website (PACEnow.org) – but in a nutshell, the program is part of a state-funded trust that loans people money to make energy upgrades on their home, and is paid back gradually over an extended period of time in the form of a lien on your property. The advantage is that you can start taking advantage of the energy savings immediately, while paying if off gradually — and without having to come up with a big down payment.

Apparently this program has been in effect in other states in the country to great success. Check out the latest status of the PACE  program in Maine.

We will also be talking about a number of other issues in regards to planning for 2010/2011.

As usual, all are invited join us for our discussion.

July 12th, 2010 by wayne | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment