Getting to know the 'Cash for Caulker' program

The California Energy Commission and the Building Performance Institute are among the organizations sponsoring a webinar about the proposed federal Home Star incentive program.

The event, dubbed "Cash for Caulkers" because of its similarity to Cash for Clunkers, is from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday. Click here to register.

The proposed program -- with estimates as high as $6 billion -- would give homeowners incentives by way of low-cost loans, rebates and tax breaks to pay for weatherization and energy-efficiency retrofits. It recently passed the U.S. House and was sent to the Senate.

The title of the webinar is "Getting GOLD STAR Ready: Roadmap to Accreditation with
The Building Performance Institute for California Home Improvement Contractors." Discussion includes information about federal and state programs requiring BPI accreditation to access rebate and incentive programs, details about the BPI, testimony from home performance contractors already accredited and details about applying for accreditation.

The Building Performance Institute figures to play a major role in the program, as only BPI-accredited companies or companies with accreditation approved by the U.S. Department of Energy can recommend energy efficiency retrofits under the Gold Star portion of the program.

Recovery Act produces weatherization jobs

Forget what you may have heard. Stimulus funds are producing jobs.

At least that's the message from the U.S. Department of Energy today as it trumpets accomplishments in its weatherization program. Five states -- New Hampshire, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, and Utah -- completed at least 30 percent of the work in homes targeted in their weatherization programs.

Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, Vermont, and Washington met the Recovery Act milestone last month, the agency said. California has had difficulty getting its weatherization program launched and may get some help from the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization, depending upon the outcome of a recent grant.

"The weatherization program under the Recovery Act is creating opportunities nationwide — opportunities for energy savings and job growth. These states are helping to lead the way toward a stronger economic future with a sound foundation in clean energy," said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, in a statement.

DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program helps low-income households save energy and money by improving their energy efficiency. Local community action agencies or nonprofit organizations provide whole-home weatherization services under the program, including conducting an energy audit in the home to identify the most cost-effective improvements. Solutions range from installing additional insulation and weatherstripping, sealing windows and doors, caulking cracks in the building and replacing inefficient heating and cooling systems.

The San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization is a nonprofit dedicated to improving our region's quality of life by increasing its production and use of clean and alternative energy. The SJVCEO works with cities and counties and public and private organizations to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the eight-county region of the San Joaquin Valley.

Illustration courtesy Doityourself.com.

Retrofit wins Nevada's first USGBC gold

An 11-story, $11.5 million retrofit is Nevada's first to receive gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

It's a big deal. In fact, the unveiling last month was attended by former Pres. Bill Clinton.

A story by Buck Wargo in the Las Vegas Sun reports that a 46-year-old downtown office building at 302 E. Carson Ave. was recognized by the council for decreasing energy usage by 30 percent and water consumption by 40 percent.

"It was more than just a little bit of elbow grease that transformed a former asbestos-laden building into what is now considered a symbol of energy efficiency — and an example of what’s to come nationwide," Wargo wrote

He quoted Rick Fedrizzi, president of the U.S. Green Building Council and also at the unveiling: “This is really an important moment. This is the shot heard around the world. What we have now is an incredible example in Nevada that shows what you can do with an existing building and how much energy and water and waste can be salvaged.”

The office tower had been 20 percent occupied but is now up to 40 percent. It's owner Thompson National Properties liked the future of downtown Las Vegas and saw an opportunity. Tony Thompson, chairman and CEO of Irvine-based Thompson National Properties, which manages 3.5 million square feet of office space in Las Vegas, said: “What we spent on it is still below the replacement cost.”

Fedrizzi said the cost of $81 per square foot is half the price many other green office redevelopment projects have paid across the county and shows what’s possible.

Clinton dubbed Los Angeles-based general contractor Shangri-La "the best green building company in the country," according to a piece in the Huffington Post by Ellen Sterling. "Climate change is a huge problem. I think we have only scratched the surface of what we have to do. But I also believe that changing the way we consume and produce energy is the number one thing we can do in America to get the jobs engine going again, to improve our national security by making us less dependent on either imported or otherwise destructive sources of energy and to make a safer environment for our kids and grandkids."

Guide offers strategy for schools to save money

San Diego County Office Of Education ENERGY PLANNING GUIDE

View more documents from California Center for Sustainable Energy.

School districts interested in saving money through energy efficiency and incorporating green practices into future construction projects may be interested in a planning guide just released by the San Diego County Office of Education.

The 43-page guide was produced with the California Center for Sustainable Energy and, while specifically targeting San Diego, is geared to any school district nationwide. The center pitches the report as a "plain language resource for understanding how to approach reducing district-wide energy consumption in schools through energy improvement projects."

It's written for facilities managers, but others can glean information from its pages. The guide spells out what it takes to reduce energy use, some of the programs that can be accessed to help pay for it and policies in California -- for instance, AB 32, or the Global Warming Solutions Act -- that make cutting greenhouse gas emissions a matter of priority.

It mentions the importance of benchmarking buildings, which means establishing a facility's energy use based on utility consumption data. And it spells out the simplest ways of going about that task through upgrades in lighting (exchanging T12 fluorescents to smaller T8s), air conditioning and other mechanical systems.

The San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization is a nonprofit dedicated to improving our region's quality of life by increasing its production and use of clean and alternative energy. The SJVCEO works with cities and counties and public and private organizations to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the eight-county region of the San Joaquin Valley.

Training for California's green building code

Training sessions are scheduled for contractors and others interested in learning more about California's new green building code standards, which take effect in 2011, and are some of the most stringent in the nation.

CalGreen has new regulations regarding water conservation, energy efficiency, reduction of construction waste and other green measures.
To help prepare industry professionals, the California Building Standards Commission and state Department of Housing and Community Development are sponsoring training sessions starting June 16 in San Diego.

Seminars will be held throughout California through December, including one on July 29 in Fresno. Cost: $65 for public sector; $95 for private sector. Online registration: http://www.green-technology.org/calgreen/

Questions: 626-577-5700.

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What Is The Role Of The Car In New Urbanism?

There's been much talk and talk and talk about the role of automobiles when it comes to planning livable cities. In this blog in Grist, an environmental Website, Lester Brown, founder of Earth Policy Institute in Washington D.C., expounds on the subject a little more.

It's interesting that countries in Latin America are some of the most visionary in this issue. Anyway, here's a link to Brown's comments.

Energy audits gain believers

The practice of performing energy audits using money tapped from the public sector continues to spread.

Thurston County in Washington state recently won a $1 million U.S. Department of Energy grant and is offering individual analysis of homes for as low as $95, according to a story by John Dodge in the Olympian. The service comes by way of Thurston Energy, a program offered by the Thurston Climate Action Team and Thurston County Economic Development Council.

Dodge wrote that after a four-hour audit of a home, Bernie Miller of Quality Renovation and Carpentry found significant savings for the homeowners of a 1913 home if they insulate around the base of the basement, replace their old hot water heater and insulate the duct work for their natural gas heating system.

“This program is definitely going to keep me busy,” Miller told Dodge. “I’m already looking to bring another employee on board.”

The San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization likewise is interested in energy efficiency. It one of the group's main directives and part and parcel of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Program allocations that the SJVCEO is working on with 39 Valley jurisdictions.

The SJVCEO also is also interested in expanding its efforts into the residential realm. The goal would be similar to that of Thurston County, which links homeowners with reasonably priced audits through the private sector.

The preferred method by SJVCEO is dubbed "whole house" and takes into consideration the entire building along with its heating, cooling and lighting systems.

The SJVCEO is a nonprofit dedicated to improving our region's quality of life by increasing its production and use of clean and alternative energy. The SJVCEO works with cities and counties and public and private organizations to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the eight-county region of the San Joaquin Valley.

Energy efficiency and pocketbook value

Here's a blog that should appeal to architects and green builders in the San Joaquin Valley - especially considering triple digit temps are on the horizon and power bills heat up during the summer.

Please note what three cities - Hesperia, Laguna Niguel and Santa Clarita - are doing with stimulus money. It'll be interesting to see what the future brings in the way of energy conservation, efficiency and sustainable development.