U r b a n T r e k k e r

Arlington Community Energy Plan

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Arlington is leading the way to progressive change in community energy plan. This is probably the first community energy plan in Virginia aimed to get everyone from the community to participate in setting the direction for the future of the county's energy use.

The community energy plan is part of the initiative from Energy Planning and Management. 

Arlington County is embarking on a community energy planning process to address the  burdens and opportunities of energy supply, delivery, and use in our community.  Energy planning and management is needed to minimize the economic costs and environmental harm from energy use.  Smart energy planning can produce opportunities for economic growth and sustainability.

The process of developing the Community Energy Plan is divided into two elements:

1. Community dialogue, where Arlington will host 2 community town hall meetings in 2010 and want participation from the community to share their thoughts on energy challenges and opportunities for the community.
2. Community Sustainability Task Force. This is where County Board Chairman, Jay Fisette, convened a group of local energy and business leaders to form this task force.

Got voice? 

Come to their energy townhall meeting, which is going to be held on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 2-5pm at Washington Lee High School Commons Room, 1301 N. Stafford Road, Arlington, VA 22201. The info for the invite to the townhall meeting is here.

Going Green? Here are the 10 Tax Breaks for 2010

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Looking to fix up your house? Here are the 10 tax breaks for going green, via Forbes.

1. If you fix up your house. $1,500 off your tax bill - a 30% credit for the first $5,000 you spend in 2009 or 2010 for improvements to your house energy efficiency. (for further reading: Energy Efficiency Home and Vehicle Tax Credits)
2. Buy a new refrigerator. States are rolling out $300 million worth of rebates for home owners who replaced their clunker apps with new energy-efficient models. (check out Department of Energy approved Energy Efficiency Rebates)
3. Get hot water from the sun. Solar hot water system to heat your shower or radiators (not hot tub or pool) qualify for a 30% federal credit with no dollar cap. 
4. Install a solar energy system. Uncle Sam will give you a tax credit equal to 30% of the price of a solar system you install to generate electricity in your home. For a $60,000 system, that's a whopping $18,000 off your taxes.
5. Take the bus. Bus, train, subway, and van-pool commuters can now get equal tax benefits with those who drive solo to work an pay to park. (up to pre-tax $230 for employers sponsor plans).
6. Buy a Ford hybrid. Taxpayers stuck paying the AMT can finally claim the credit for hybrid cars purchased in 2009 or 2010, but only if they buy Ford motor hybrids. (FYI: Honda and Toyota no longer qualify). Check out Alliance to Save Energy for Vehicle Tax Credits for more info.
7. Plug In a Chevy Volt... slated later for showrooms in November with projected price of $40,000, qualifies for federal tax credit of $7,500. Nissan Leaf coming out in December, should also qualify for the credit.
8. Bike to work. A new law lets your employer reimburse you $20 a month for bicyle commuting as tax-free fringe benefits. Can't take both with train, it's one of the other.
9. Dig for heat. Uncle Sam will give you a tax credit for 30% of the cost of geothermal heat pump system that feeds off the warmth in the ground to heat your home.
10. Put a windmill in your yard. A basic residential windmill runs $40,000, but you can get a federal tax credit equal to a full 30% of your windmill cost.

More on tax tips "How to Save Money on Going Green" and watch video on 'Tax Tips for 2010.'

For further reading you can check out few sites:

• Alliance to Save Energy: Energy Efficiency Home and Vehicle Tax Credits 
• Energy Savers Rebates, Tax Credits, Financing: Approved Energy Efficient Appliance Rebates
• Virginia Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program
• Maryland: Residential Incentives and FY 2010 Comprehensive Program Guide
• Green DC: Energy Star Appliance Rebates
• DSIRE: Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

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at Great Energy Efficiency Day 2010

I attended Great Energy Efficiency Day 2010, hosted by Alliance to Save Energy, last week. There's no question that energy efficiency is the low hanging fruit, and it's going to be the next big thing (trust me..) - especially with cash-for-caulkers programs like Home Star (residential properties retrofit) and Building Star (commercial retrofit)  - that will be part of the mix. (we'll explain more about this in another post).

There is a correlation between housing market, construction industry (and workers), study that shows that 96% of manufacturers for basic retrofit for homes and commercial is All-American business, the economy and jobs.

Anyway, while there, I had the opportunity to interview three distinguished individuals. Interview is below.

• Dr. Marilyn Brown, Professor of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who is nominated by President Obama for one of the two vacant seats on the nine-member Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors. She’s been involved with getting the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance going.
  
• Andy Holzhauser, with GCEA talks about his organization plan to outreach targeted neighborhoods to get the retrofit program going.
  
• And Faren Dancer, who is the current chair of the Santa Fe Green Building Council. Faren just completed the Emerald Home, HERS-2, the pilot for Santa Fe’s new building codes.
  

There's more to this story, here.

at Great Energy Efficiency Day 2010 from Dewita Soeharjono on Vimeo.

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A DC Homeowner Story on Weatherization

There's a non profit organization in DC, DC Project doing Weatherize DC, making its stride into homes energy efficiencies through weatherization. Weatherize DC is working towards its goal to weatherize 200 homes by March 2010.

This is the story of one of the homeowners, Judy Herbert, who participated in the program.

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Obama's 'Cash for Caulkers' boosts energy efficiency

In the past Obama has also tried to bring some star quality to the prosaic subject of home weatherization. Last December, he actually went so far as to call insulation “sexy":

"I know the idea may not be glamorous,'' the president said, alluding to a recent round-table talk. "Someone said insulation is not very sexy. ... I disagree. ... Here's what's sexy about it: saving money.”

But abstract ideas just aren’t as persuasive as firsthand, real-life experience. So I decided to chat with someone who has actually spent the money to properly weatherize his home and is now a walking, talking advertisement for it.

Meet Robert Matto of RPM Energy Solutions. At Sheep Dog Hollow, the home we’re trying to renovate in as green and economical manner, he is our designated HERS rater.

HERS stands for Home Energy Rating Systems, and HERS raters are certified energy-efficiency experts whose job it is to test the energy efficiency of a home, suggest improvements – such as more insulation and better sealed windows – and then give the house a score or rating.

If you want to take advantage of most federal and state tax credits, rebates ,and special mortgages aimed at increasing home efficiency, you need a HERS rater.

via www.csmonitor.com

Loudoun County Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy

I had the opportunity to talk to Andrea McGimsey, Supervisor for Potomac District in Loudoun County about the county energy strategy to reduce its energy consumption to remain competitive economically, over the weekend at a Sierra Club workshop.

   

County is laying the groundwork for its economic future with the overall economic development goals "to always have reliable and affordable energy, be energy efficient, and have reduced greenhouse gases."

• By 2040, the local employment is expected to grow to 305,000 jobs from 140,000 jobs in 2007. 
• Population is expected to grow to 458,000 from 270,000 over time that will require adding 75,000 new homes to the current 100,000 and adding 73 million s.f. on non-residential buildings to the existing 69 million s.f. 
• Most development will be to the east in the county, and will be clustered around metro stations (yes, they will have metro stations) schedule to open in 2016.

Read the full report here and here.

$300 Million Cash for Appliances, $12+ Mill. for DC, MD, VA

If you are in the market for new'energy efficient' appliances, check this out. The Department of Energy recently allocated $300 million for cash for its Energy Star rated appliances. The funding is part of the Recovery package.

The states that already have the program in place, via Christian Science Monitor.

The program will start in several states over the next few months, with New York State’s program kicking off Friday. Eight states – Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin – have already launched their programs. Other states will launch in coming months, many around Earth Day in April.

What's in the bag for the Greater Washington DC.

• District of Columbia receives $568,000. Program expected to start in April 2010.
• Maryland receives $5,405,000. Rebates expected to start in March 2010.
• Virginia receives $7,445,000. Program expected to start in April 2010.

 
 

Links to the states rebate program websites: DC rebate, Maryland rebate program, VIrginia rebate program.

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Ice Dams can Damage Your Roofs.. and More

Since we're still in the storm mode (at least for the time being), you might want to pay attention to those ice dams. Because of the heavy loads, it can potentially damaged your roofs, especially if you live in a Dutch Colonial homes. 

An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. Figure 1 shows a cross section of a home with an ice dam.

Figure 1. Cross section of a one-and-a-half story house with an ice dam.

Via University of Minnesota Extension. 

  

Giant hanging icicles hanging from the eave is an indication of poorly insulated attic with many attic bypasses. So that means, adding insulation in the attic would help remedy this. As a bonus, attic insulation can also help reduce your energy bills.

From Don Lipman, Capital Weather Gang writer (who have lived in Dutch Colonial home for many years), this advice comes handy. "After a storm like the one we just had, the best thing you can do, if at all possible without risking injury, is to remove the snow from the dormers. In general, it's best to limit snow and ice build-up on every roof because, to some extent, they're all vulnerable, particularly the flatter ones and those with more than one layer of shingles."

EPA Launched Water Sense New Homes

If Energy Star new homes is for new homes that follows the guidelines for energy efficiency. The WaterSense labeled homes is EPA's answer to reducing water consumption. Homes build according to EPA's specs use less water. And with installing Energy Star appliances, these homes get to consume twenty percent less water than a typical homes. According to EPA, the WaterSense homes save about 10,000 gallons of water every year. Translate that to the money you would save annually (not counting the use of less water, thus save the environment).

Via EPA.

WaterSense labeled new homes are designed to reduce residential water use indoors, as well as outdoors, compared to typical new homes—allowing you and your family to enjoy all the comforts of home while using less water and energy, and spending less money on utility bills.

WaterSense labeled new homes help families save an average of 10,000 gallons of water and at least $100 on utility costs each year by including WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures, an efficient hot water delivery system, water-efficient landscape design, and other water- and energy-efficient features.

We may have to wait (awhile) before we see new WaterSense labeled homes build for this area. Mind you...there's been 'only' one built in Northern Virginia, so far. However, for those who are interested in going forward. Go for it. It pays to save water. The incentive is there.

Smart Home Program and The Nats Stadium: Eco Aquarium, EcoBuild

About a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend two Eco Aquarium sessions at EcoBuild, a 3 day conference in DC for the built professionals. Eco Aquarium is about presentations from people/ professionals, who have been there. It's kinda learning from the experts. The sessions provide very interesting insights to problems, challenges, and things learn into various 'green' projects.

The two sessions were about Smart Home Program, a project from Duke University and the Nats stadium being the first green ballpark in the U.S. that happens to be in our backyard. The Smart Home Program is a live-in lab at Duke, where students participate in an opportunity for bring innovative technology for residential industry. It took a couple of years to build the smart home, which is a 6,000 square feet research lab. Jim Gaston, who is the leader for this project, says that they had groundbreaking in 2005, but then realized that they had no money to financed the project. So, the students spent a year in 2006 to do fundraising. Construction then begins in 2007 and completed in the same year. The SH project earns a LEED Platinum. 

  

image: via SHP (more pics, here)

Some of the features you can find in the smart home. Via Smart Home Program.

• There are 5 double bedrooms in the home (4 on the top and 1 on the bottom).
• They are designated by their compass location. For example, the room on the north face on the east side is called Northeast Bedroom.
• Each bedroom is approximately 250 square feet and comes furnished with a 2 of the following: 3/4 loft,desk and chari, bookshelf, dresser, and wardrobe.
• A 2-person lab counter is provided in each room with a window view as extra working space for projects.

They have some pretty fascinating products/ projects in the works. Currently, the SH Program have few students working on a few projects. For example, there is a student working on the future of home wireless technology, where one day you can put your gadgets like laptop, cell phone, etc. on the table and re-charge your gadgets. You can read more about the program, here. 

Building the stadium for the Nats, created different challenges. Anika Landrenau, Architect with HOK, talks about the challenges they faced and things they learn in the process. Though the Nats is the first green stadium, LEED Silver, in the U.S., because they deal with different parties with different interests - the stadium owner and DC government - HOK didn't tell contractors that they're building towards LEED certification. The idea was to create a sustainable site where it's a Transit Oriented Development, involved in a voluntary cleanup project in a brownfield site with an intricate 30 acres separate sewer and storm. It provides alternative transportation where there are no public parking. People would take metro the the site. Now, they have to pay people to park. 

Some of the things discussed were the challenges faced in storm water management, water efficiency strategies to reach annual water savings of 30% over EPACT, where the baseline of water use according to EPACT requirement is 9.6 million gallon per year. Materials use for the projects include 20% building from recycle content, 35% building materials from around the region.

Oh one more thing, DC government is pretty strict about storm water management..