Staging an Event? See What You Can Learn from Green Initiative at the U.S. Open

Staging an Event? See What You Can Learn from Green Initiative at the U.S. Open

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GE's NET ZERO HOMES

Story from the Commercial Record

If massive Norwalk conglomerate GE gets its way, by 2015 all homes will generate as much power as they consume, thanks to residential wind power, next generation solar technology and smart power management, among other technologies.

GE said by 2015 it intends to develop a turn-key product portfolio that will empower both new homebuilders and existing homeowners to build or modify so-called "zero net energy homes."

The GE net zero energy home offerings will be comprised of three major groups within the company's product portfolio: energy efficient products, energy management products and energy generation/storage products.

Energy efficient products include GE Energy Star-qualified appliances and lighting products.

Energy management products will enable consumers to manage their costs and energy consumption while helping reduce utility demand peaks, thereby reducing the need for more power generation. In a statement, GE said it plans to be the first manufacturer to offer a full suite of demand response appliances that will work with utility smart meters to help shed load from the grid, while helping consumers save money during peak demand usage and pricing times.

Lastly, the company's GE Energy unit plans to incorporate products like solar PV, advanced energy storage, next generation thin film solar and small wind generators to help homes generate their own power independent of the grid.

"We have a long, trusted relationship with consumers, strong presence with homebuilders, demand response appliance technology and the extremely critical smart grid technology leadership of GE Energy that makes the GE net zero energy home an exciting prospect for our future growth," said GE Consumer & Industrial President and CEO James Campbell.

Protect Our Local Wetlands

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Fairfield County, Connecticut has some of the most inspiring natural lanscapes an artist could ever desire to paint. From coastal vistas to splendor in the grass, the land we are stewards of provides amazing beauty. Our wetlands are an asset not only to our eyes, but to the very planet we depend on for survival.

Please take a moment to learn more about wetlands in this video from BobVila.com

Watch this at Bob Vila

$15.4 Million for Going GREEN

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu today announced more than $204 million in Recovery Act funding to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in ten states. Connecticut was one of the states receiving the funding. Under DOE's State Energy Program (SEP), states have proposed statewide plans that prioritize energy savings, create or retain jobs, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Connecticut will use its $15.4 million in SEP funding to create or protect jobs and save energy with several projects, including in-home energy audits and the deployment of a variety of technologies, such as alternative-fuel vehicles. In one project, Recovery Act funds will enable more residents to take advantage of inexpensive in-home energy audits designed to reduce energy bills and encourage energy efficiency. For each home, a specialist will perform an energy assessment, find and professionally seal critical leaks and drafts, replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps, provide and install water conservation devices, and check insulation and appliances.

The state will also use funding to support four Clean Cities coalitions—Greater New Haven, Clean Cities of Southwestern Connecticut, Norwich Clean Cities and Capital Clean Cities—to support their efforts to facilitate the adoption of alternate fuels and petroleum-reducing technologies in Connecticut.

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive an additional $19 million, for a total of $38 million.

CLICK HERE to read full press release

Up On The Roof

Image by pnwra via Flickr

Green roofs are everywhere these days. What, you've never heard of a "green" roof? I am not talking about a new trend in shingles or mold growing where it should not be. Green roofs are actually, well, gardens on your roof. A green roof reduces the amount of heat on the roof from the sun. This reduces heat in the building as well as the heat the structure generates which creates a "heat island" warming the surrounding air.

There are additional benefits, other than being a great insulator, to having a green roof. It conserves energy used by home heating and cooling. They help clean storm water so the runoff doesn't pollute our oceans, lakes and streams. They abate the heat that roofs generate and warm the local community and green roofs help to improve air quality.

Check out the video below for more Green Roof information.

"Secret Benefits" from Energy Conservation

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I often use the analogy of the car buying process to help explain how I believe one should look at the greener home buying process. Like a car, a home has an effect on the air we breath. Like a car, a home has energy-consumption and maintenance costs that continue through the life of your ownership. These costs should be factored in a buying decision.

However, reducing energy-use cost in a home is much easier these days than in a car. Most of us don’t have the knowledge and resources to redesign our existing cars engine to have greater fuel efficiency. We also find it difficult to reduce our consumption of auto fuel after we work to eliminate unnecessary trips and plan our errands more efficiently.

The easy, low cost changes we can make in our homes can reduce our monthly bottom line and help our planet in numerous ways. I recently read a white paper entitled The "Secret Benefits" From Energy Conservation and it added another dimension to my car/home analogy.

The authors state that "It is logical that a car driven 25% less each year will last longer. The same is true for most energy-consuming equipment, such as lights, motors and even digital equipment......It doesn't matter how energy-efficient an organization is, there are savings from turning equipment "off" when it is not needed." Like a car, "It's not the age....it's the mileage"

Once can reduce their utility budgets by conserving energy. By reducing equipment operation, the need for replacement is reduced. When equipment runs fewer hours, maintenance costs are reduced. By reducing energy-consumption one is also buffering themselves from sudden fuel cost spikes and suprise increase in utility bills.

The secret it out!

Click the link below to read the white paper referenced above.
http://www.instituteofgreenprofessionals.org/associations/9228/files/SecretBenefitsfromEnergyConservation-2008.pdf

Downsizing is in, Greensizing is BETTER

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Recently, the Today Show on NBC ran this video about the trend to downsize your home. While I do think the trend is an important one to note,I would also add a mention of GREENSIZING your home. Greensizing is all about the 3 R's of the green movement. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

It doesn't take long to go through your home and reduce the clutter, reuse what you find and recycle (donate, sell, give away) things that you no longer need. If you throw things away, remember to recycle that which can be recycled in your community! Every bit helps the cause....