Tag Archives: Retrofit

State of Alaska energy plan not popular with some lawmakers

From the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on Wednesday, January 28, 2009:

A document submitted as a state energy plan falls short of its mark, while renewable energy projects submitted for funding might go too far, legislators said.

Members of the House Energy Committee, including Rep. Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks, were critical of the Alaska Energy Authority’s state energy plan as director Steve Haagenson detailed the more than 240-page volume during a hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Rep. Bryce Edgmon, a Democrat from Dillingham and committee co-chairman, said calling the report an energy plan was something of a misnomer. Instead, the report seemed a “first step” toward a state energy plan, he said.

Click here to read the whole article.

One Green Year

From www.thegreenguide.com (sponsored by the National Geographic Society), retrieved on Monday, January 26, 2009. A day-by-day guide to “greening” your life:

You could decide to lose weight—again—or this year you could resolve to lighten the load you leave on the planet. To help, we’ve outlined a series of small changes that add up to big results and divvied them up by time frame—tasks you can complete today, in the next week, during the next month and over the course of the next year. Breaking your efforts into smaller, more manageable tasks isn’t a cop-out: By following this plan, each small step adds up to changes that will benefit the health of the planet—and, yes, even your own health—immediately and in years to come.

Click here to see the whole guide.

USGBC offers Obama green building suggestions

From usgbc.org, retrieved on Wednesday, January 14, 2009:

In ongoing talks with the transition’s energy and environment team since November, the U.S. Green Building Council has advanced vital green building policy priorities that will simultaneously create millions of green-collar jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and advance proven opportunities to deliver greener, more energy-efficient buildings.

Already, the President-Elect issued a recent commitment to make the U.S. a global leader in green, energy-efficient government facilities, calling for an overhaul of 75% of federal buildings in an effort to save $2 billion through energy efficiency alone. On schools, the President-Elect has said repeatedly that green school funding will be another priority in the economic package.

Click here to read the whole update.

Obama's "green jobs" plan — retrofitting homes to be a major component

From the LA Times on Sunday, January 4, 2009:

Jones said Obama’s proposal to weatherize homes would pay for itself through energy savings while putting legions of unemployed construction workers back on the job. A $100-billion investment in a green recovery could create 2 million jobs within two years, a good chunk of them in retrofitting, according to a recent University of Massachusetts study.

Click here to read the whole article.

More homeowners weatherizing homes to save on energy

From the New York Times on Monday, December 29, 2008:

Call it CSI: Thermal Police — energy experts armed with mostly low-tech tools but strong sleuthing skills, finding flaws that let the air inside a house go through a full exchange with the outdoors twice an hour, instead of once every two or three hours.

Correct those flaws, and heating and cooling costs are typically cut by 20 percent to 30 percent, a saving of more than $1,000 annually in some households. In addition, carbon dioxide emissions and the strain on the national electric and gas systems are reduced.

About 140,000 houses will be weatherized with public help this year, a total that President-elect Barack Obama has promised to raise to one million, to reduce energy consumption and cut energy costs for households and taxpayers, who often absorb those costs for the poor. This would represent a historic shift in emphasis for the federal and state governments, reducing poor people’s energy bills instead of helping to pay them.

Click here to read the whole story.

Home Improvement Options in Fairbanks

BY Susan Keltner, Portal On Retrofits Training And Loans
Energy Focus: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner December 18th, 2008, Section A3

Have you decided on a New Year’s resolution yet? Here’s an idea: resolve to make your home more energy efficient in 2009. It’ll save you money, make your home more comfortable and more valuable. Afraid you’ll lose motivation by the time spring rolls around? Not a problem. Now is actually a great time to start planning improvements. Continue reading →

Green homebuilding jobs may grow first

From Builder 2008, on October 21, 2008:

Efforts to make buildings more energy-efficient will create millions of new jobs, researchers surmised, and will also have a greening effect on the job responsibilities of an estimated 111 million people worldwide who already work in construction. High-performance projects and upgrades could generate up to 3.5 million additional green jobs in Europe and the United States alone, the report concluded.

These findings dovetail with new research by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which forecasts that American green jobs will grow fivefold over the next three decades, from 750,000 currently to more than 4.2 million by 2038.

Click here to read the whole article.

"Weatherproofing" your home becomes popular

From the New York Times, on Friday, November 7, 2008:

Last month, Senator Barack Obama became — as far as we know — the first nominee to urge Americans to “weatherize your home” in a presidential debate.

With winter coming and Mr. Obama headed to the White House, it may be a good time to do just that.

The low-hanging fruit in weatherization, experts say, is sealing and caulking air outlets — especially on old homes. “The biggest bang for the buck, as people say, is really aggressively and rigorously plugging all those holes,” said Richard Renner, founder of Richard Renner Architects, a New England firm.

Click here to read the whole article.

 

Tool for choosing efficient windows

Created by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of Minnesota, “The Efficient Windows Collaborative” website offers “unbiased information on the benefits of energy-efficient windows, descriptions of how they work, and recommendations for their selection and use.”

Click here for the website.

Ferguson G125BE Blueflame Boiler Certification

Title: Ferguson G125BE Blueflame Boiler Certification
Location: Associated General Contractors, 3750 Bonita Street, Fairbanks
Description: FOR CERTIFIED INSTALLERS ONLY. Electric Boiler (sizing and piping controls and wiring); G125BE System (introduction and installation); Logamatic Control Troubleshooting, Servicing, Product Review. Call 907.456.1234 for information and reservations.
Date: 2008-10-22