For those still on the edge about switching over from standard lighting to energy efficient light bulbs, Eco-Hatchery has just released an app that can provide the final push over that edge. Their Bulb Finder app allows you to calculate an approximation of the money you would save by switching the light bulbs in your house with a variety of different energy efficient bulbs. The app is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices.

The app begins by asking you which type of fixture you want to put an energy efficient bulb in. There are a ton of different options, including lamp, torchere, ceiling, chandelier, fan, both covered and exposed outdoor fixtures, and many more. Once you have told the app which fixture, it will ask you what type of bulb is already in there, including the style, the base type, the wattage, and if there are any special features, such as if it is a dimmable bulb. It will then ask you how long, approximately, the bulb is on per day.

Here are a few tips for maximizing your cool without crippling your bank account.

Be Cool (not Cold) Man

1.) You’ve been sweating your face off outside, and nothing feels better than coming in to a nice, cold room. Your impulse will be to set your A/C to 66 degrees and let it get nice and nippy. Don’t. Keep it set to 78 degrees. You don’t need to be cold, you just need to be comfortable. For every degree below 78, you are increasing your energy usage by approximately 8%. No bueno. You don’t need to be indoors in a sweatshirt.  If you have a window unit with Low, Med, and Hi as your only options, keep it as low as you can handle.

A Mighty Wind

2.) Ceiling fans use waaaay less power than an A/C unit, consuming about the same amount of energy as a 100w light bulb, which isn’t too bad, comparatively. Make sure the fan is going in the correct direction so that it is pushing air downward toward you (the higher edge of the fan-blade should be the leading edge in its rotation). Ceiling fans don’t actually make the room cooler, but they make you feel cooler when they’re blowing on you (think wind-chill). As with an A/C unit, if you’re not in that room, turn your fan off.

Clean Up your Act…errr filter and coil

3.)Your A/C unit has a filter. Replace it or if you want, clean it! Pull it out, stick it in the shower, and give it a good once-over with a sponge. Let it dry then put it back in—and be thankful you aren’t breathing that gunk anymore. This will increase the unit’s output and lower the temp. The other half of this is keeping the coil clean. Just use a garden hose to blast some water into the unit through the grates at the top and the sides.

Life’s a Beach! Especially without an umbrella

4.)This one’s a twofer. Keeping your air conditioning unit in the shade can make it up to 10% more efficient. That’s pretty major. If you have means to build a shade for it (that’s not too close so there’s no vent blockage), by all means, do it.  A simple beach umbrella would do the trick.

The other half of this is shading your nest. When it’s hot and sunny lower your blinds, yes, obviously, but if you really want to see a difference get yourself some honeycomb blinds (also called cellular shades). They are fantastic insulators. They will help keep the cooled air in during the summer and they’re great for the winter when you want to keep the cold air out (and they can darken a room for a more cinematic movie viewing experience). They will reduce your bill and start paying for themselves very quickly.

There are many other things you can do to stretch your A/C, but these are the quickest, easiest, and cheapest. If you have more tips, leave ‘em in the comments.

For more information on how you can save on your bill contact a Stanberry Green Team member today. 512.327.9310

In the first quarter of 2011, renewable energy production in the United States surpassed nuclear production in overall quantity and percentage. Also, the percentage of natural gas is growing slowly, while coal is declining.

Entrenched energy industries like to say that renewable energy can never provide a significant amount of U.S. energy needs. And while it’s true that some technologies still face barriers to widespread implementation and others, while technically renewable, might not be very green, renewables as a percentage of U.S. energy generation are creeping up steadily — and not just in California, with its target of 33 percent renewables by 2020.

In the first three months of 2011, renewable energy — hydroelectric, geothermal, solar/PV, wind, and biomass — made up 11.7 percent of the U.S. energy production mix, surpassing nuclear at 11.1 percent. The same period last year, nuclear was 11.6 percent, and renewables 10.6, according to a June report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (Table 1.2).

“The rise in conventional hydroelectric generation was by far the largest absolute “fuel-specific” increase as it was up 10,759 thousand megawatthours, or 52.2 percent,” according to Electric Power Monthly. This was largely due to heavy spring rains in Washington, Oregon, and California, which accounted for 71.5 percent of the national rise.

However, environmentalists find objectionable the two biggest technologies that make up the renewables sector: hydroelectric power at 35 percent and biomass at 48 percent.

While large hydroelectric power doesn’t emit emissions (at least not after accounting for the materials and energy expended in building it), it has harmful impacts on river ecosystems and has therefore fallen out of favor as a power source in the developed world.

As for biomass, there are many types of feedstocks, and each much be evaluated individually for its emissions profile, it’s water footprint, and other considerations, such as whether farm fields or forests need that material to decompose in place to retain soil or ecosystem function.

Wind was next highest at 13 percent of renewables, or 1.5 percent of total U.S. energy production, up from 1.1 percent the same time last year.

This represents a 20.4 percent increase from March 2010, and the third-largest fuel-specific increase, according to the report. “Wyoming, California, and Illinois had the largest gains, but the increase was widespread,” it said.

The top ten are California, Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Colorado, New York, Vermont, Texas, Massachusetts and New Mexico.

Site Selection Managing Editor Adam Bruns says “Top-ranking areas for sustainability don’t just pass restrictive laws or put token solar panels on every edifice. They nurture an ecosystem of business, institutions, government and individual citizens all striving to place a proper value on their locality’s limited resources, and sometimes to make or save money in the process.”

So, Go Texas and Go Austin Metro!  Bring on the leadership to move us to number one!

The strategy has several parts:

1. US Forest Service will preferentially select wood for new building projects while also maintaining its commitment to certified green building standards.
2. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has asked US Forest Service to report to him news ways to enhance green building material research and development.
3. US Forest Service will demonstrate innovative uses of wood as a green building material for new structures of 10,000 square feet or more through using recognized green building standards such as LEED, Green Globes or the National Green Building Standard.

To carry out this initiative, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell told his workers to use more locally milled timber in all new agency buildings. Vilsack told heads of other USDA agencies to do likewise.

“Our country has the resources, the work force and the innovative spirit to reintroduce wood products into all aspects of the next generation of buildings,” Tidwell said.

Photo courtesy of American Tree Farm System 2010 photo contest winners Henry and Mary Kay Hudson.

Nearly one quarter of all venture capital in the U.S. right now goes into clean tech ventures, compared with less than 1% in 2000.  With that kind of investment, we can expect to see this market segment take off.  Now that’s progress! 

The solar photovoltaics market grew an average of 40% every year over the past decade, from 2.5 billion in 200o to $71.2 billion in 2010.  The average cost of installing solar has dropped by almost half.  The wind industry grew similarly, with an average of 30% growth per year from $4.5 billion to $60.5 billion last year. 

More than 1.4 million hybrid cars are on U.S. roads now, compared to less than 10,000 only ten years ago, and companies involved in green construction and the smart grid are proliferating, according to the report.  Thank you, Clean Edge, for the reminder that we are indeed making progress in this arena– and the head’s up that the momentum is building! 

Read more in the excellent LA Times article here:  http://tinyurl.com/4rb5t7p

Our well respected builder friend, Wayne Jeansonne of Solluna Builders, who helped build the house, said it is the first house in Round Rock to qualify for any kind of AEGB rating, let alone receive five stars.

Jeansonne said homes must meet 18 indicators in order to even receive a rating and must rack up 125 points to earn five stars—the highest possible rating. The Cripes’ home received 180 points.

Read the full article, with details about their energy saving, sustainable building choices at :

http://tinyurl.com/4neewje

Check this out:  Built Smart Resources in San Antonio has a resource center where you can see green building in action.  What a great way to see renewable energy choices, responsibly sourced building materials, energy saving systems…

The Resource Center has scored the highest Emerald level with the national NAHB Green Building program and achieved the Level 3 Solar Home designation with the Build San Antonio Green Program, and it is open seven days a week for your viewing pleasure! Take an educational drive to our Sister City and come back inspired!