Tuesday, November 23, 2010
What is a Energy Auditor???
An energy auditor is an individual who inspects and evaluates home energy efficiency levels. As part of this inspection, the energy auditor will measure energy consumption, track heating and cooling loses, and check the operation and efficiency of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Based on the results of the audit, he or she will discuss the benefits of potential energy upgrades and improvements with the homeowner.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The City of Las Vegas is hoping to win big with energy conservation.
Mayor Oscar Goodman Thursday announced the city is teaming up with energy management firm Hara to audit the gaming capital’s power usage.
“Las Vegas is striving to build a more sustainable community by investing in strategies to conserve energy and increase efficiencies,” says Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, who adds, “We expect to save money.”
Source: MGM
CityCenter gas plant
The City of Las Vegas consumes about 180,000 megawatt hours (MwH) of power in 2009. Though that that may seem like a lot, it’s nothing compared to what the casinos use.
In 2009, 62 million MwH of power were consumed in utility NV Energy’s [NVE 13.06 0.07 (+0.54%)] service territory, with their biggest users found in Las Vegas and its shiny Strip. A typical Vegas casino racks up a six-figure power bill on a daily basis.
Goodman says what the city discovers in its energy-use analysis could “definitely” find its way into the city's energy-use policies for all its residents and businesses.
The city already shares conservation ideas with big gaming operations—Harrah’s Entertainment and MGM Mirage [MGM 13.61 0.13 (+0.96%)] — as well as other businesses.
The city government has already taken some steps towards greater energy efficiency, including the conversion of 97 percent of its vehicle fleet to greener fuels and the installation of solar panels on city-owned parking garages.
Vegas’ hedonistic private sector anted up with its own ideas.
MGM Mirage’s massive 18 million-square foot CityCenter complex opened in December 2009 with several environmental innovations, both large and small, including a dedicated 8.5-megawatt, natural-gas-fired power plant to produce enough clean energy to power almost 3,000 typical homes, and small air conditioners built into the bases of slot machine bases to cool guests from the floor up instead of from the ceiling down.
Yet for all The Strip’s over-the-top displays and 24/7 lifestyle, such service-heavy economies, be they cities focused on entertainment or financial services—use far less power per dollar of income generated compared to manufacturing or energy-production states, like Alaska or Louisiana.
In the current economic environment, however, cutting energy consumption, is a growing market, $2 billion to $7 billion by CEO Amit Chatterjee's estimate.
What's more a municipality or company that cuts energy costs gets more green kudos than one that shrinks it carbon footprints.
Hara has made a business of tapping into that green strategy. It's enterprise software and service offerings allow corporate managers—clients include Coca-Cola [KO 59.60 0.04 (+0.07%)], Safeway [SWY 20.69 -0.26 (-1.24%)] and Intuit [INTU 46.915 1.055 (+2.3%)] —to evaluate their energy use in a variety of ways.
“It’s about having an end-to-end process to see where you are,” he says.
For cities like Las Vegas, all this energy being spent in the name of saving energy down the road has important budget ramifications.
It can lead to greater economic development, while taking the strain off if the existing power system.
“It makes more sense than building additional power plants to meet peak demand,” says Monica Miller, director at Ambata Capital Partners, an investment firm specializing in clean energy and sustainability.
“Las Vegas is striving to build a more sustainable community by investing in strategies to conserve energy and increase efficiencies,” says Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, who adds, “We expect to save money.”
Source: MGM
CityCenter gas plant
The City of Las Vegas consumes about 180,000 megawatt hours (MwH) of power in 2009. Though that that may seem like a lot, it’s nothing compared to what the casinos use.
In 2009, 62 million MwH of power were consumed in utility NV Energy’s [NVE 13.06 0.07 (+0.54%)] service territory, with their biggest users found in Las Vegas and its shiny Strip. A typical Vegas casino racks up a six-figure power bill on a daily basis.
Goodman says what the city discovers in its energy-use analysis could “definitely” find its way into the city's energy-use policies for all its residents and businesses.
The city already shares conservation ideas with big gaming operations—Harrah’s Entertainment and MGM Mirage [MGM 13.61 0.13 (+0.96%)] — as well as other businesses.
The city government has already taken some steps towards greater energy efficiency, including the conversion of 97 percent of its vehicle fleet to greener fuels and the installation of solar panels on city-owned parking garages.
Vegas’ hedonistic private sector anted up with its own ideas.
MGM Mirage’s massive 18 million-square foot CityCenter complex opened in December 2009 with several environmental innovations, both large and small, including a dedicated 8.5-megawatt, natural-gas-fired power plant to produce enough clean energy to power almost 3,000 typical homes, and small air conditioners built into the bases of slot machine bases to cool guests from the floor up instead of from the ceiling down.
Yet for all The Strip’s over-the-top displays and 24/7 lifestyle, such service-heavy economies, be they cities focused on entertainment or financial services—use far less power per dollar of income generated compared to manufacturing or energy-production states, like Alaska or Louisiana.
In the current economic environment, however, cutting energy consumption, is a growing market, $2 billion to $7 billion by CEO Amit Chatterjee's estimate.
What's more a municipality or company that cuts energy costs gets more green kudos than one that shrinks it carbon footprints.
Hara has made a business of tapping into that green strategy. It's enterprise software and service offerings allow corporate managers—clients include Coca-Cola [KO 59.60 0.04 (+0.07%)], Safeway [SWY 20.69 -0.26 (-1.24%)] and Intuit [INTU 46.915 1.055 (+2.3%)] —to evaluate their energy use in a variety of ways.
“It’s about having an end-to-end process to see where you are,” he says.
For cities like Las Vegas, all this energy being spent in the name of saving energy down the road has important budget ramifications.
It can lead to greater economic development, while taking the strain off if the existing power system.
“It makes more sense than building additional power plants to meet peak demand,” says Monica Miller, director at Ambata Capital Partners, an investment firm specializing in clean energy and sustainability.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Smart Money Magazine by Lisa Scherzer
Consider an Energy-Efficient Mortgage
Would you sign up for a mortgage that qualifies you for a bigger loan with less income and makes the world a greener place?
You might be able to through an energy-efficient mortgage, or EEM, the government loan granted to borrowers who build or upgrade their homes with energy-efficient features. The problem is most consumers either don’t know about the program, which has been around since the early 1990s, or they aren’t taking advantage of it.
Enter the Obama administration. Hoping to push home buyers and owners to act greener, the president is funneling about $50 million to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to jumpstart the EEM program. In December, he signed the fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill for a number of federal agencies, including HUD, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Labor – all devoted to clean energy efforts.
What does the new funding mean for home buyers and owners? Not much detail has been released yet; HUD and the Department of Energy (DOE) are still determining how best to position this product so more people take advantage of it, a HUD spokesman says.
One thing the department says it is aiming for is a more streamlined process of obtaining an energy-efficient mortgage – both financially and logistically. The existing program is perceived as complicated and inaccessible. Now, HUD and the DOE are trying to come up with an easier-to-access and less expensive model, says Michael Wolfe, executive director of Energy Programs Consortium, a nonprofit policy group, which is pilot testing an Energy Star mortgage program in several states.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Fannie Mae and the Department of Veterans Affairs all have some version of an energy-efficient mortgage. (There are some differences between the various loans, but the basic ideas are the same.)
Read more: Consider an Energy-Efficient Mortgage - Personal Finance - Real Estate - SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/real-estate/should-you-consider-an-energy-efficient-mortgage/#ixzz0wEwKtDMI
Would you sign up for a mortgage that qualifies you for a bigger loan with less income and makes the world a greener place?
You might be able to through an energy-efficient mortgage, or EEM, the government loan granted to borrowers who build or upgrade their homes with energy-efficient features. The problem is most consumers either don’t know about the program, which has been around since the early 1990s, or they aren’t taking advantage of it.
Enter the Obama administration. Hoping to push home buyers and owners to act greener, the president is funneling about $50 million to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to jumpstart the EEM program. In December, he signed the fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill for a number of federal agencies, including HUD, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Labor – all devoted to clean energy efforts.
What does the new funding mean for home buyers and owners? Not much detail has been released yet; HUD and the Department of Energy (DOE) are still determining how best to position this product so more people take advantage of it, a HUD spokesman says.
One thing the department says it is aiming for is a more streamlined process of obtaining an energy-efficient mortgage – both financially and logistically. The existing program is perceived as complicated and inaccessible. Now, HUD and the DOE are trying to come up with an easier-to-access and less expensive model, says Michael Wolfe, executive director of Energy Programs Consortium, a nonprofit policy group, which is pilot testing an Energy Star mortgage program in several states.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Fannie Mae and the Department of Veterans Affairs all have some version of an energy-efficient mortgage. (There are some differences between the various loans, but the basic ideas are the same.)
Read more: Consider an Energy-Efficient Mortgage - Personal Finance - Real Estate - SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/real-estate/should-you-consider-an-energy-efficient-mortgage/#ixzz0wEwKtDMI
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Interesting article in AZ Republic regarding IRS tax credits for solar systems
The article below helps clarify the IRS tax credit for solar systems and it works out to the benefit of the homeowner:
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2010/07/05/20100705arizona-solar-tax-credit-irs-letter.html
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2010/07/05/20100705arizona-solar-tax-credit-irs-letter.html
Monday, July 5, 2010
Go Green Loan
In an effort to help homeowners reduce their energy costs both FHA and VA have established loan programs that allow energy efficient improvements to be financed into a mortgage without requiring any additional qualification. At Affinity Mortgage, we offer the Go Green Loan which takes advantage of these government programs and in conjunction with our business partners we are able to make this a very simple, streamlined process. Our goal is to help homeowners reduce their energy costs, increase the value of their home, and receive all available rebates and credits to help offset the costs of these upgrades.
The Go Green Loan can be used to purchase a home and add energy efficient upgrades so that the new homeowner can begin enjoying energy savings as soon as they move in. The Go Green Loan is also offered as a streamlined refinance for current FHA or VA homeowners that will enable them to make energy efficient upgrades without requiring an appraisal or income documentation. In the case of a refinance, no equity or re-qualification is required. If you have any questions about our Go Green Loan program please contact Mike Wallace at Affinity Mortgage- 480-668-1100.
The Go Green Loan can be used to purchase a home and add energy efficient upgrades so that the new homeowner can begin enjoying energy savings as soon as they move in. The Go Green Loan is also offered as a streamlined refinance for current FHA or VA homeowners that will enable them to make energy efficient upgrades without requiring an appraisal or income documentation. In the case of a refinance, no equity or re-qualification is required. If you have any questions about our Go Green Loan program please contact Mike Wallace at Affinity Mortgage- 480-668-1100.
$99 Energy Audit
APS customers can receive a full comprehensive energy audit including blower door testing, infra-red imaging and duct system testing for $99! In addition to this amazing value we also install a low-flow shower head, three faucet aerators and ten CFL lightbulbs, compliments of APS and the Home Performance with Energy Star program. Rebates and incentives are available for insulation, solar shade screens, air and duct sealing. Call 480-326-9086 to learn more or to schedule an appointment.
SRP customers will have a similar opportunity coming late summer or early fall. Stay tuned.
SRP customers will have a similar opportunity coming late summer or early fall. Stay tuned.
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