- New York residents eligible for cash rebates to replace essential appliances damaged by Hurricanes Irene or Lee –
Parts of upstate New York were devasted by Hurricanes Irene and Lee which significant damage to many residents’ homes and properties – including their necessary appliances and equipment. Effective this week (Monday, September 19, 2011), Governor Andrew Cuomo launched an $8 million appliance rebate program to help those who sustained damages to their appliances and household equipment. This program is one of the many in place to help those affected by the storms recover as quickly as possible.
“Thanks to this program, homeowners in NY can make some good of a bad situation,” said Anthony Johnson, owner of A. Johnson Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, a Saratoga Springs-based company and GreenHomes America partner specializing in home energy assessments and upgrades. “These generous rebates not only save you money now, but with more energy-efficient appliances you’ll continue to save for the life of the appliance.”
Candidates qualify by being a New York state resident and purchasing eligible ENERGY STAR® or high efficiency appliances to replace those damaged by the natural disasters. Eligible products include refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers, dehumidifiers, furnaces, broilers and some water heaters. Rebates are substantial and range from $100 for a dehumidifier to $2,500 for a boiler. Purchases must be made on or after August 29, 2011 for those impacted by Irene and September 9, 2011 for those impacted by Lee. The U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program (SEP) provided the funds to be used for the program and rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until they are exhausted.
“Many new appliances, like those with an ENERGY STAR® rating, are around 30 percent more efficient than older models,” adds Johnson. “If you replace three or four appliances with these more efficient models, that’s like eliminating an entire appliance from your energy bill.”
Those who wish to apply for the rebate can do so in one of two ways, either by filling out an application form on the rebate program website or calling the program hotline to fill out necessary information over the phone. One rebate per appliance is allowed and purchases must be made before applying.
For more information on this rebate program, please visit http://www.nysappliancerebates.com/ or call the program hotline at 1-877-NY-SMART. Contact us in Central New York or the Saratoga-Capital District area to see how this might be leveraged as part of a broader home improvement to increase comfort and save energy. (Doubly important for those who has with oil as oil prices remain very high.)
Nights are getting cooler. Heating season is on the way. And folks across the Northeast and Upper Midwest who heat their homes with oil are facing significantly—painfully—higher prices this winter.
For example, according to NYSERDA prices for fuel oil in the state average $3.83 per gallon, a 33% increase over last year. In Maine, we see comparable prices. And the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts the national average to rise further in October.
An 80 cent per gallon increase translates to an additional $800 dollars in heating costs for a home that burns 1,000 gallons per year. That’s a real dent in the family finances.
This highlights the risk in play home heating oil roulette. There’s huge volatility and uncertainty from unrest in the Middle East, natural disasters like hurricanes, market forces in India and China, or many more factors.
Homeowners are not helpless, though. You can make choices. You can’t control world energy prices. But you can make your home more efficient so that the price hikes don’t hobble you.
You know how. Start with a good assessment. Seal the leaks in your home and ducts. Improve your insulation. And look at more efficient equipment, windows, lighting, etc. We can help you figure out what makes the most sense for you and your home and tailor your project to take advantage of state and utility rebate and incentive programs. But you’ve got to pick up the phone and start the ball rolling. Or pick up your checkbook and send another payment to your fuel company or utility for the money you’re wasting.
The folks at Replacement Windows for Dummies (.com) recently asked me a few questions about replacement windows–check out the article.
As those of you who’ve spoken with our Advisors or seen the replacement window video know, we like windows. New windows can increase comfort, reduce drafts, reduce UV fading, and more. They are NOT a miracule energy-saver, though. If it’s energy savings you’re after, don’t get sucked into the hype. Get a good home energy assessment and find out what you really need.
I’m not convinced that the steps NASCAR is taking–as discussed in this NYTimes article “Gentlemen, Start Conserving“–really mean the oval track is green. But it does point to something we already know. Saving energy, producing energy, and even recycling, often make good business sense. At the end of the day, do you really want to burn money if you don’t have to?
It’s Monday morning, and I get to glance at some of the feedback from our customers—and we have a lot of them! It’s heartwarming. We put in long hours here trying to live up to our ideals, and it’s nice to see that it pays off. Indeed, it’s why it’s worth it. And seeing the results and the happy customers is a great way to start my week.
From San Diego, Charles H. recently said that his house sounds much more sound proof, it doesn’t sound hollow inside anymore with his hardwood floors, he also said that in the recent heat wave his air conditioner only came on a few times. He listened to his neighbor’s air conditioner cycle on and off all night.
Bob C. said that his house has been maintaining a nice temperature of about 72 – 74 degrees without running either the heater or the air conditioner, everything that we promised that home performance would do for him happened.
Across the country in Syracuse, Ben B., whose project we just finished said, “ The crews never left a scrap, or screw, or piece of cardboard “ and “The crews were always professional, and cared about what they were doing “.
Thanks to our customers for giving us the opportunity. And thanks to all the GreenHomes employees and partners for delivering!
A few weeks ago, I showed an example of the Nissan Leaf charging stations that our sister company, Linc Lighting & Electrical, is installing in California. That’s cool. And it’s even more exciting when we’re able to look at the whole house while we’re there, and boost the energy-efficiency to help offset the car’s electricity us. [And the Energy Upgrade California incentives are a financial boost!]
Looking down the street and around the corner, there may be even more interesting possibilities integrating Home/Car/Electricity. For example, Nissan has unveiled and is testing a new system allowing the car to supply electricity to the house. This has applications from off-peak (and lower rate) power storage to emergency back-up power. We’ll have to wait and see how this pans out. Roll this in with smart meters, renewable generation, and community-scale projects, and things get even more interesting. And that is what is keeping the elves in our Energy Hub workshop busy!
Meanwhile, one thing we know for certain, focusing on efficiency first makes sense! And at home you get to do this by making your home more comfortable, durable, and healthier.
Last month, the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE announced an extension of the ENERGY STAR program which will recognize the most energy-efficiency products. The ENERGY STAR “Most Efficient” pilot will ID those models that are in the top 5% for efficiency in their categories.
Now, it’s even easier to find the most energy-efficient refrigerators, clothes washers, televisions, etc.! This makes it even harder to justify buying a hog. And wehn comparing apples to apples, “Most Efficient” will pay long term dividends. Simple, smart, easy. Gotta like it.
With the new light bulb regulations hitting the 100-watt bulbs in January (lower-wattage bulbs will be phased in later over the next few years), Bob Tedeschi has a good article in the NY Times about different light bulb options, and based his his preferences, what works where.
There’s no need to panic–we won’t be living in the dark!
[And a long-term follow-up--still love those CREE CR6 for recessed lighting, LED or otherwise. It's just darned good!]
The times they are a changin’. And the cars they are a chargin’!
Our sister company, Linc Lighting & Electrical, has installed the first electric vehicle (EV) charging stations of their kind in downtown Laguna Beach, California, as part of City’s wider effort to implement an array of climate protection measures. The EV charging stations were officially unveiled at a June 21 press event conducted by the Laguna Beach City Council and attended by my colleagues at The Linc Group.
An EV charging station in Laguna Beach--A state-of-the-art Coulomb system installed by Linc Lighting & Electrical
“We are proud to be a part of this sustainability initiative in partnership with the City of Laguna Beach,” said Ken Sapp, vice president of Linc EnergyHub. “The Linc Group is strongly committed to providing superior, sustainable services to all of our clients across all of our service areas, including IT, electrical, lighting, controls and HVAC. We also are pleased to have the opportunity to work once again with Coulomb Technologies to help deliver leading sustainability solutions.”
LLE is also installing charging stations for Nissan Leaf purchases and supporting business locations.
I’m particularly excited by the in-home installs. We have the ability, with our GreenHomes Partner locations in San Diego, Fresno, and Hayward to work hand-in- hand with LLE, not just with charging stations, but to look at the whole house and find ways to save energy–offseting the electrical consumption of the car! That’s a huge deal. And the Energy Upgrade California incentives help pay for the home improvements. Less gas, less smog, lower utility bills, and money back! It’s a quadruple win!
You don’t have to buy an electric vehicle to start saving in your home and taking advantage of the cash back rebates. And the funny thing is, the improvements make sense even without the rebates. You wind up with a more comfortable, healthier home with lower utility bills. Good stuff!
With the monster heat wave we’ve been having, a question that has come up several times this week—how can I add central air if I have a hot water heating system (and thus don’t have ducts to move the air)?
Minisplit air-conditioning is recognizable by it's slimmer--and quieter--outdoor condensing unit.
The good news is that there is a great answer—ductless minisplits. And mini-splits have some big advantages going for them.
Mini-splits are some of the most efficient systems available, and you know we’re a fan of efficiency.
Mini-splits come in smaller sizes, better matching cooling “loads” in the house. And as you’ve heard me say, when it comes to A/C, bigger is NOT better.
Not only do they come in smaller sized, but they can also modulate the amount of heating or cooling by varying the refrigerant flow to dial is the amount of cooler you need now, not just what you need on the worst day (see bigger is not better, above).
With no ducts, there is no duct leakage.
They are really quiet!
The indoor units, while different than a simple grill, can usually be unobtrusively tucked away, like in this hallway, for instance.
Mini-split systems have a different design aesthetic, and some people don’t look the way the look. However, it’s often possible to tuck them in an unobtrusive location where they’re barely noticed. And there are options like a “ceiling cassette” with is mounted above the ceiling with just a grill visible. Ducted mini-splits are another option. The allow you to hide the unit, in a soffit for example, and use short ducts for the return and supply air. With the ducted systems, you can allow feed multiple rooms from a hallway, for example.
A mini-split system is often more expensive than bolting on A/C to an existing warm air furnace and duct system. But it is usually less expensive than adding A/C and ductwork if you have a hot water system already. And because of the smaller sizes available, mini-splits are often a better choice for a more efficient home—one where we’ve air-sealed, insulated, swapped out lighting and appliances for more efficient models, and upgraded windows.
So, if you’ve got hot water heating, whether it’s baseboard, radiators, and in-floor radiant, don’t sweat it. Ask us if a mini-split might be a great cooling solution for you.
Candidates qualify by being a New York state resident and purchasing eligible ENERGY STAR® or high efficiency appliances to replace those damaged by the natural disasters. Eligible products include refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers, dehumidifiers, furnaces, broilers and some water heaters. Rebates are substantial and range from $100 for a dehumidifier to $2,500 for a boiler. Purchases must be made on or after August 29, 2011 for those impacted by Irene and September 9, 2011 for those impacted by Lee. The U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program (SEP) provided the funds to be used for the program and rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until they are exhausted.
