"Cash for Appliances" is Official

Article from Earth-911

Consumers in the market to upgrade their old junkers, starting with cars and now including refrigerators and the like, are in luck this year as federal stimulus dollars are being appropriated to encourage the purchase of energy efficient staples around our homes.

“Cash for Appliances” will utilize nearly $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund a rebate program that encourages consumers to purchase ENERGY STAR-certified appliances. Unlike its “Clunkers” predecessor, turning in an old model is not required – although we highly recommend recycling as an option for your washed up washers and dryers.

Some ENERGY STAR-certified models of appliances can save you more than half on your annual electricity costs to run them.

“Appliances consume a huge amount of our electricity, so there’s enormous potential to both save energy and save families money every month,” said Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu earlier this year. “These rebates will help families make the transition to more efficient appliances, making purchases that will directly stimulate the economy and create jobs.”

Availability for these energy-efficient appliances is abundant. In 2008 alone, 55 percent of major household appliances manufactured were ENERGY STAR-certified. Cash for Appliances would also potentially help boost the sagging sales for these products, as the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers reports shipments are down 15 percent this year. This was after a 10 percent drop in 2008.

For the greatest potential energy savings, the DOE recommends programs focus on appliances, heating and cooling equipment and water heaters. The rebates’ worth and time lines for receiving them will be determined by individual states and territories, so every program will be a bit different.

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CCPS Superintendent Issues Directive to Schools to Conserve Energy

Marcus J. Newsome, Ed.D., Superintendent of the Chesterfield County School District, issued a memo to all of the schools outlining measures he expects the schools to take in order to conserve energy.

• Turn off computers, monitors and lights at the end of the day.
• Turn off audiovisual equipment in training and conference rooms, as well as classrooms, when not in use.
• Set up computers to power down when not in use.
• Unplug mobile phone chargers anytime that you are not using them.
• Reduce the number of electrical devices at your desk or work station or in your classroom.
• Clear space in front of air duct supply and return grills to ensure that heating and air conditioning equipment isn't obstructed.

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Open Forum: Energy Audit

One of the more ambitious activities the WES Green Club is hoping to perform is an energy audit of the school. But what is an "energy audit" and how does it work? The purpose of an energy audit is to evaluate the ways the school uses energy (lighting, computers, heating, cooling, etc) and determine how much energy is actually used. This information can then be used to come up with ideas on how to reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiency.

We would like the student members of the Green Club to play an active role in the energy audit. With some adult supervision, the students can assist in surveying the school and record the number of light fixtures and computers in each room. Using some basic math, the students can estimate how much energy (and $$$) the school is consuming.

The group can then brain storm ideas for ways the school can reduce energy consumption. Students will use their math skills to calculate how much energy (and $$$) can be saved if the school implements any of these measures.

So that's the basic idea of what the Green Club wants to accomplish with the Energy Audit. The survey itself can likely be completed during a single day. Preparation and evaluation of the energy audit will occur on different days. We're looking for input from teachers, parents, and teacher alike to help us make this activity a success. Here are some items that we would like your input on:

• When would be the best time to perform the energy audit survey? Could it be done on a weekend? For how long could the school be made available to us?

• We will need volunteers to assist the students gather information. The students can be broken up into small groups and paired with an adult. Each group can be assigned a portion of the school. Please e-mail the Green Club and let us know if you are interested in volunteering.

• The energy audit will be even more successful if we can interview school staff members to learn about energy usage habits at the school. It might be fun to have the students conduct these interviews.

• The students can help prepare a report that summarizes the results of the energy audit, and the results will be posted on this blog. Perhaps the students can present their findings to the rest of the Green Club or even present their findings to the school board.

Feel free to leave comments and give input on these ideas by clicking on COMMENTS at the end of this post. The Green Club is really excited about performing an energy audit because of the learning experience it creates for the students and the potential it has for reducing energy consumption at Woolridge Elementary School.

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Open Forum: Reduce Energy Consumption

The purpose of this post is to be an open discussion of ideas to help reduce energy consumption at Woolridge Elementary School. I have posted some ideas and questions and would appreciate your feedback. Please click on "Comments" at the end of the post to participate.

Lighting

1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Does CCPS make CFLs available to replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs as they burn out? Would it be practical to replace the bulbs more proactively?
2. Replace older fluorescent bulbs with more efficient bulbs. It appears that many of the light bulbs throughout the school are T12. Replacing these bulbs with T8 bulbs with high efficiency ballast can provide energy savings over 40%. These light bulbs also give off less heat so the HVAC system doesn't have to work as hard. Click HERE to see more detailed information. Would CCPS be willing to make the small investment to upgrade the ballasts to allow use of the more efficient T8 light bulbs?
3. Provide light switch stickers to remind people to turn the lights off when leaving the room. Studies have shown that light switch stickers can reduce energy consumption and typically have a pay back period of only a few months. Would WES or CCPS be willing to purchase light switch stickers for the classrooms and other rooms?

Computers/Electronics

1. Adjust settings on computer to power off computer monitors and hard drives.

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President Signs into Law Financial Rescue Package with Long-Awaited Extensions of Vital Energy Tax Incentives

President Bush signed into law a $700 billion financial rescue bill that also includes $17 billion in energy tax incentives, including extensions of several provisions that have already expired or were set to expire at year's end. Among other energy provisions, the new law contains several tax incentives that promise to advance greener, more energy-efficient buildings, including:

• A 1-year extension of the tax credit for the production of energy from wind, and a two-year extension of the credit for energy production from other renewable sources, such as geothermal.
• An 8-year extension of the tax credits for investment in commercial and residential solar projects, including the removal of the $2,000 cap on investments in residential solar electric installations, and the addition of small wind energy and geothermal heat pump projects as qualifying installations for tax credits.
• A 5-year extension of the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings;
• A 1-year extension of the tax credit for the construction of new energy-efficient homes
• A 1-year extension of the tax credit for qualified energy-efficiency upgrades to existing homes.
• An extension through 2010 of the tax credit for the manufacture of energy-efficient appliances.
• A 3-year extension of the authority for state and localities to issue tax-exempt bonds for green building and sustainable design projects.

For a summary of the tax provisions in the new law, click here.

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