Last Friday, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 (S. 3177) was formally introduced into the Senate. Importantly, it is a bi-partisan bill: it is sponsored by Senator Bingaman (D-NM) and co-sponsored by Senators Graham (R-SC) and Warner (R-VA). The Senate bill now moves to the Finance Committee for markup and consideration. The Senate bill is attached for reference (bill number not included but this is the most recent version). Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment completed their markup of their Home Star legislation last week and then forwarded it to the full Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration. We expect approval by the Committee and then bill introduction in the House shortly after the April recess, which ends on April 9th.
March 30, 2010
March 25, 2010
Houston Weatherization Is Production Scale Efficiency
By LESLIE EATON
The Wall Street Journal
HOUSTON — President Barack Obama wants to make a million houses a year more energy efficient as part of his goal to create thousands of “green” jobs and reduce U.S. carbon emissions.
But the administration’s push to expand an obscure antipoverty program into a centerpiece of that initiative is stirring debate over the best way to use a flash flood of federal stimulus dollars.
City contractors measure windows for screens that block sunlight and prevent it from heating up the room.
Texas is slated to get $327 million over the next two years to help cut poor families’ utility bills by “weatherizing” their homes. Nonprofit groups affiliated with the federal Weatherization Assistance Program are set to get a big funding boost and say they are up to the task.
But Texas and some other states don’t want simply to supersize existing programs and are also proposing what they say are more efficient ways to use the stimulus money. Indiana and Missouri are asking nonprofit groups to compete for some or all of the funds; Wisconsin plans to use some of its allocation to tackle low-income apartment buildings and is hoping to dedicate $10 million toward replacing appliances.
Texas, for its part, plans to give $94 million directly to cities so they can start their own programs, like a neighborhood-based one the city of Houston now runs. Started in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit energy producers and sent electricity costs soaring, the program picks a low-income neighborhood of old houses and tries to sign up as many homeowners as possible.
Workers then move from house to house, doing a quick evaluation and using measures that can be completed in hours. Issa Dadoush, director of the city’s general-services department, said the typical homeowner’s energy use drops by as much as 20% in the steamy summer months, helping to save, on average, $335 over six months; with the stimulus money, the city says it can weatherize 10,000 homes a year.
“The assembly-line approach gives us more bang for the buck,” Mr. Dadoush said. Houston would get $23.4 million of Texas’s stimulus funds for this program, which is now run by money from taxes and a local utility.
By comparison, Sheltering Arms Senior Services, a Houston charity, would get $22.2 million over two years, way above its funding of $350,000 last year. The charity says it could weatherize as many as 3,500 houses a year, 10 times the current number, under new rules that allow it to spend as much as $6,500 on each house, up from about $3,000.
Sheltering Arms typically performs an “energy audit” that figures out which improvements are the most cost-effective ways to cut energy use. But like other traditional weatherizing groups, it often combines such efforts with major home repairs, using money from a variety of sources such as United Way donations.
So it might repair a damaged roof or foundation in addition to caulking windows and replacing a refrigerator, in a process that can take days and require repeated visits. Customers’ energy savings after such repairs are difficult to quantify, state officials said; customers save an average estimated $413 a year, nationally, after traditional weatherization.
Watchdog groups are warning the flood of stimulus money into weatherization programs could lead to money being lost, wasted, siphoned off or simply left unused. “It’s a prescription for absolute disaster,” said Leslie K. Paige, media director for Citizens Against Government Waste, an antitax group in Washington.
Community agencies say the money will be well-spent. “Everything is at stake in this,” said David Bradley, executive director of the National Community Action Foundation in Washington, which advocates for these groups and for the more-comprehensive weatherization approach.
The U.S. Department of Energy says it is willing to consider nontraditional programs; Gil Sperling, who manages the federal weatherization program, plans to visit Houston soon to see how they city’s effort stacks up.
The benefits — and limitations — of the city’s method could be seen one hot May morning at the home of Alex and Carolina Cisneros in the Kashmere Gardens neighborhood. The little white house leaked about twice as much air as it should have, said Joseph DeLeon, a contractor for the city program. After testing the house, he pinpointed the main source of the problem — cracks between the walls and ceiling in the bathroom.
In less than two hours, he and a colleague weather-sealed doors, caulked around windows and plumbing fixtures and replaced light bulbs. But they couldn’t install insulation; the ceilings weren’t strong enough.
Unlike the nonprofit, which might have tackled a costly ceiling repair, the city program moved on to the next house.
That was good enough for Mr. Cisneros. “It’s cooler already,” he said.
March 23, 2010
Energy Efficiency Analysis at Rocky Mountain Village
Energy auditors and raters are volunteering their services to the Easter Seals Rocky Mountain Village camp in Empire, Colorado Monday and today.
The mountain camp for adults and children with disabilities is a campus of cabins and lodges dating to the mid 20th century and modified with various heating and insulation systems since originally constrtucted for summer use and now used year-round
Organized by Effiiciency First Colorado, the volunteers will do energy analysis and recommend measures to increase camper comfort and safety while reducing operating costs for the charity.
Learn more about Rocky Mountain Village at http://co.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=CODR_Rocky_Mountain_Village
March 22, 2010
Details on Home Star proposal from Efficiency First
Efficiency first’s Jared Asch and Matt Golden held a webinar with Larry Zarker of Building Performance Institute and Daran Wastchak of RESNET for retrofit industry professionals Monday about the proposed Home Star program.
Purpose of Home Star is to create jobs, market transformation, energy independence, lower household energy costs. Not yet law, Home Star is under consideration in congress.
Home Star will address construction industry unemployment, which is now 24.7%, up from 16.7% in Oct. 2009, while construction related manufacturing is operating at less than 62 of capacity.
Policy objectives include
- rapid deployment by leverage of existing systems and infrastructure
- market based will match public dollars to home owner investment
- performance based pathway to market transformation and job creation
- broad support for retail, manufacturing, contracting, labor and environtal groups
Home Star program budget of $6 billion will target 3.3 million homes and stimulate 168,000 jobs. Two tiers - Silver Star, $3.6 billion and Gold Star, 1.8 billion plus $600 million for financing, quality assurance and administration.
Silver Star energy efficiency measures include
- Air sealing
- Attic insulation
- Domestic hot water
- Heating equipment
- Windows and doors
- Duct seal and replacement
- Wall Insulation
- Floor Insulation
- Cooling Equipment
Silver Star funding up to $1500 for individual measures or $3000 total, not to exceed 50% of project cost.
Gold Star is a performance based program with a base incentive of $3000 for achieving 20% efficiency improvement, then $1000 per each 5% additional improvement up to $8000, limited to 50% of project cost.
Gold Star delivery process:
- Energy Assessment
- Retrofit
- Quality Assurance
Home Star Financing will create up to $1.5 billion low interest consumer financing, $200 million for credit support and interest buy-down and work with existing financial products such as PACE, Fannie Mae, on-bill financing, traditional home improvement loans. Financing outcome goal that US families reach immediate cash-flow positive results from Home Star improvements.
Builds on existing energy efficiency and stimulus efforts including ARRA, Recovery Through Retrofit and current efficiency legislation, including American Clean Energy and Security Act, Senate Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, American Clean Energy Leadership Act.
March 19, 2010
Xcel Energy Offers BPI Training for Home Performance Contractors
Xcel Energy will offer discounted training to Colorado home performance contractors participating in Home Performance with Energy Star. The utility will pay 80% of the cost for Insulation and Air Sealing training and 35% of the cost for BPI Building Analyst training through Lightly Treading.
The offer is limited to 24 Insulation/Air Sealing trainees and 12 BPI trainees in Colorado. Training will be offered in Denver and on the Western Slope.
A half day orientation is required to participate in the 5 day BPI class. BPI certification requires a field exam which is not included in the offer, but also available through Lightly Treading.
The offer is limited to contractors already registered with Xcel Home Performance with Energy Star program. Contact Alex Kellogg at Lightly Treading: 303-733-3078 ext. 308, AlexK@LightlyTreading.com to register.
March 18, 2010
Boulder ClimateSmart Two Techs Program Design Underway
A consulting team lead by Cadmus principal Amy Ellsworth is at work on the Two Techs and a Truck Program for Boulder. Over the past week they have been interviewing sustainable development professionals as they gather research to inform the program design.
The program is an effort by the city and county of Boulder to meet climate action goals based on the Kyoto protocol by 2012.
Officials hope to increase “Audit to Action” for residential energy efficiency by targeting neighborhoods with “one-stop shops” for delivery of weatherization, retrofit and solar electric systems.
US Weatherizing principal Brian Brainerd is consulting on a three person team lead by EnergyLogic principal Steve Byers and PACE financing consultant Pat McGuckin to design the implementation strategy for Two Techs. Cadmus will design the overall program.
March 17, 2010
GEO Renewable Energy Rebates to Require Energy Audit
Rebates from the Colorado state energy program will require a walkthrough energy audit by BPI or RESNET certified energy auditor beginning April 19, 2010.
US Weatherizing, a Denver based building performance contractor, is offering special pricing on energy audits by our BPI certified Building Analyst Professional for renewable energy contractors working in metro Denver.
Our complete walk-through energy audit is only $79 after $50 GEO audit rebate. Limited availability, call today. 303-339-0878
March 16, 2010
GEO ARRA Rebate Launch Date Announced
From Colorado Governor’s Energy Office March 16, 2010:
GEO TO LAUNCH REBATE PROGRAM APRIL 19
Consumers to get money back for appliances, solar panels, insulation, home efficiency improvements; Governor’s Energy Office encourages homeowners to plan ahead
Coloradans can soon tap into millions of Recovery Act dollars and take steps to save money, boost the economy and save energy as the Governor’s Energy Office and partners prepare to launch a sweeping, statewide rebate program April 19. This initiative is designed to bring energy efficiency and renewable energy to tens of thousands of Coloradans and will provide nearly 75,000 rebates worth approximately $22 million.
Coloradans will be able to connect easily with opportunities to save dollars and do some good for the economy and the environment by visiting the Recharge Colorado website (also launching April 19) to sign up for rebates on a wide array of appliances, services and equipment that will save energy, reduce energy bills and create jobs for Colorado. The website and rebate program will offer Colorado consumers a service unprecedented in scope - providing comprehensive and localized information about rebates, financial incentives, contractors, energy conservation tips and availability of goods and services across the state.
Items eligible for rebates will include:
- Equipment such as dishwashers, clothes washers, refrigerators, as well as furnaces and hot water heaters.
- Residential energy efficiency measures such as insulation and air sealing, duct sealing, whole-house energy audits and whole-house energy monitors.
- Renewable energy projects, including solar photovoltaic systems, solar hot water systems for homes and businesses and small wind installations.
A complete list is included at the end of this announcement. About one-third of the rebates will be provided for ENERGY STAR appliances, furnaces and hot water heaters. The bulk of the funding for the program is provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Local partners across Colorado provided additional dollars.
”Coloradans are unique and our goal was to develop a rebate program and education campaign that would match the ‘do it yourself’ ethic that is a hallmark of this great state,” said GEO director Tom Plant. “We look forward to providing Coloradans this opportunity to save money, save energy and participate in our New Energy Economy. We invite consumers to discover the wealth of energy-saving information available to them through this one-stop clearinghouse at our soon-to-be-launched Recharge Colorado web site. Connecting people to this information will, in turn, mean more jobs and business for the companies that provide these valuable services.”
Critical consumer information
The GEO expects high consumer interest in all rebates. For ENERGY STAR appliance rebates, the GEO along with its local partners expects brisk consumer action. Those appliances account for about 16,000 of the rebates. In light of that, it’s important for consumers to have realistic expectations and to recognize the limits of the program.
Rebates on kitchen appliances range from $50 to $100 while those for hot water heaters and furnaces range from $200 to $500. These rebates will be reserved on-line on a first-come, first-served basis. The GEO rebates will not be retroactive. This means that products purchased and installed before the GEO launches the program will be ineligible for rebates.
Consumers are reminded that no rebates are guaranteed until all documentation is provided to the GEO. Consumers that are interested in energy efficiency appliances should consider the savings that are immediately available to them through retailer, utility or manufacturer incentives. Many retailers may currently offer sales that exceed what will be available in the rebate program.
Rebates for renewable energy measures, such as solar hot water or solar electric systems, will require a home energy audit before applying. Walkthrough audits that have been conducted after Dec. 31 2006 but before program launch can be accepted. After April 19, however, the audit must be performed by a Building Performance Institute (BPI) or Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) certified auditor. Rebates are available for home energy audits performed after April 19.
Beginning April 19, consumers will be directed to the Recharge Colorado website to apply for and reserve rebates. The rebate check will be issued to the homeowner, for both energy efficiency and renewable energy applications. More detailed information on the rebate application process and rebate criteria will be provided on the GEO website by March 31.
Home appliance rebates
ALL APPLIANCES MUST BE ENERGY STAR RATED.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS EXIST above just Energy Star labeling in some cases
Not all products and services will qualify for a rebate. The GEO strongly encourages consumers to review the rebate materials carefully when considering purchases.
For an appliance that is deemed eligible, the following rebate level will be paid:
Clothes washers $75
Dishwashers $50
*Refrigerators $100 with proof the previous refrigerator was recycled. Proof consists of a receipt from a recycling facility or a receipt from a retailer engaged in an existing recycling agreement with the GEO. A list of retailers will be available in coming weeks.
*Refrigerators $50 with no proof of recycling.
**Furnaces - gas condensing $500
Hot water heater - gas condensing/high performance $200 (minimum efficiency rating available in coming weeks)
Hot water heater - gas tankless $300
Gas boilers - $400
*Refrigerators must be at least 12 cubic feet in size to qualify.
**Furnaces must also be rated at an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) greater or equal to 92 percent
Residential energy efficiency rebates
Insulation and air sealing - 20% of cost up to $400 (will not exceed $600 if combined with an existing local utility rebate taken by the consumer)
Duct sealing - 20% of cost up to $75 (will not exceed $125 if combined with an existing local utility rebate)
Whole-house energy audit - tiered rebate of $25 to $100 depending on cost of audit
Whole-house energy monitor - $50 (will not exceed $100 if combined with an existing local utility rebate)
Renewable energy rebates
Note: Rebates are based on system size, calculated per watt. So no hard dollar figure is provided here.
*Solar photovoltaic - 20 to 30%. In some cases, rebates combined with local incentives will result in a 50 % reduction in costs.
Solar domestic hot water - 30% of the cost
Solar thermal and/or hot water (commercial only - no pools, spas or snowmelt) - approx. 30 % of the cost of the system
Small wind (residential) up to 10 kW - approx. 30% of the cost of the system
Small wind (commercial) - approx. 15 to 20% of the cost of the system
*Xcel and Black Hills Energy customers are excluded due to existing residential photovoltaic rebates offered through those utilities.
# # #
Certified Auditors May Be Left Off GEO Audit List
Energy auditors cerfitifed by RESNET and BPI may not get listed on the Governor’s Energy Office list of certified contractors. GEO staffer Thad Kurowski said BPI has only forwarded company names to GEO, not individual names of certified building analysts. Kurowski said auditors must contact BPI or RESNET to make sure their certification is forwarded to the GEO. “You should start today,” he said.
The Governor’s Energy Office announced today the ARRA rebate program will launch April 19, 2010. The original launch date was planned for March 31, 2010. Work cannot begin until the program has launched or it will not be eligible for rebates.
There is a rebate reservation system to ensure funds availability for consumers. Rebates must be reserved before work begins. Then there is a 45 day window to complete work and additional five days to submit documentation to GEO for rebate.
Energy audits must be performed by a BPI or RESNET certified contractor to be eligible for GEO rebates. The BPI contractor list GEO will use can be found here: http://www.bpi.org/tools_locator.aspx?associateTypeID=CTR
The GEO website will list only contractors from the BPI and RESNET web sites, so if a professional or business is not listed, GEO will not get the information. If you are a certified professional with BPI or RESNET and you are not listed on their web site, you must contact BPI or RESNET to get your certification released to GEO to be qualified to do rebate work.
March 15, 2010
ARRA Rebates Roll Out for Colorado This Week
The Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) will be rolling out the ARRA funded rebate programs this week. Contractors have been invited to a series of webinars this week to detail the program. No work done before March 31 will qualify.
Residential audits will be required for Renewable Energy Rebates on existing homes. Minimum of a basic walkthrough audit is required and walkthrough audits performed since January 2008 will qualify for RE applications if report is available.
Audits performed on or after March 31, 2010 must be performed by a BPI or RESNET certified auditor. Rebates will be available for audits that meet this standard and are performed after the launch date.
Walkthrough Audit Guidelines
Heating & Cooling System Assessment
Furnace Efficiency
Duct Placement/Sealing
Water Heater Assessment Efficiency
Building Shell Assessment
Attic Insulation
Exterior Wall Insulation
Crawl/Basement Insulation
Windows/doors
Appliance Assessment
Refrigerator
Clothes washer
Educational Information Recommended Improvements Report(next steps)
Explanation of Financial Incentives Available
Renewable Energy rebates for commercial existing structures require a minimum ASHRAE Level 1 Audit or ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager required for all RE commercial applicants. Audits performed since January 2008 will be accepted.
Details will be posted here after each webinar.