Energy Effieicent Homes- Ways to cut Carbon

Energy Efficient Homes-

Tyler Caruso

In terms of “existing technologies” for reducing Green House Gases- efficient buildings can take out 16.7 million tons/year (30 percent of targeted reductions).

77 percent of NYC’s emissions come from buildings.

Within this 77 percent, almost a third are associated with residential buildings; commerical buildings account for another 22 percent.

In the US annually buildings consume 39% of America's energy and 68% of its electricity. Furthermore, buildings emit 38% of the carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas associated with climate change), 49% of the sulfur dioxide, and 25% of the nitrogen oxides found in the air.”

Alternatives and techniques available:

Major things to look at in a home- heating and cooling systems, lighting and heat water:

Insulation and sealing

* Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) to improve ventilation while saving energy

* Low-VOC adhesives, caulks and paints, and water-based low-VOC sealers

* Natural stone or ceramic tile, concrete or linoleum for flooring

* Exterior grade plywood sealed with a no-VOC sealer for use as structural subfloors.

Energy efficient appliances

* Lighting represents as much as 25 percent of your home's electrical use, so it is a

significant part of your monthly utility bill.

$$$$$-

1- In NYS through the Green Jobs/Green NY Bill that the NY senate passed there are proven ways to implement green retro fits without taking any money out of a city or state budget; by saving homeowners money on their utility bills and using the money homeowners save to repay loans taken out to perform the retrofit. This process creates thousands of jobs that bring money into the local economy.

· NYSERDA will establish a revolving loan program to provide up to $13,000 per residential customer to retrofit a home, and up to $26,000 to retrofit each qualifying business, and also conduct energy audits, program administration and a credit enhancement for critical private sector capital investments.

The program will be funded with revenue raised by the auction of carbon emission credits through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (not taxes). This funding will be used to leverage private and federal investments. The bill allocates $112 million from these auctions to NYSERDA. Auctions of carbon emission credits over the last two years raised $126 million, with an estimated $75 million more expected in the next two auctions this year alone.

· In partnership with the Department of Labor, NYSERDA will also create workforce-training programs throughout the state to ensure that the state’s workforce is highly trained and in place to handle mass-scale retrofitting.

· The program will front the cost of the work, enabling property owners to afford energy efficient retrofits. Although property owners will repay the full cost over time, their total energy usage will be reduced by 30-40%, and the loan payment on their energy bill will be less than what they saved, yielding a net saves to the property owner.

2- Energy Star Federal Tax Credits

Tax credits are available at 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, in 2009 & 2010 (for existing homes only) for:

* Windows and Doors

* Insulation

* Roofs (Metal and Asphalt)

* HVAC

* Water Heaters (non-solar)

* Biomass Stoves

* Tax credits are available at 30% of the cost, with no upper limit through 2016 (for existing homes & new construction) for:

o Geothermal Heat Pumps

o Solar Panels

o Solar Water Heaters

o Small Wind Energy Systems

o Fuel Cells

3- The "Stimulus Bill" (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) provided $300 million to states for consumer rebates on the following ENERGY STAR qualified appliances:

* central air conditioners

* heat pumps (air source and geothermal)

* boilers

* furnaces (oil and gas)

* room air conditioners

* clothes washers

* dishwashers

* refrigerators/freezers

* water heaters

Each state will develop its own rebate program, and has the flexibility to select which appliances to include and what rebate amounts to offer.

4- Consumer can figure out how many years it will take to recover the cost of green renovations.