Have you done any Energy Efficient upgrades or installations in your home this year? Are you planning on doing any in 2010? Well if you have or are going to, take a look at the government’s Energy Star webpage! Your improvement may be worth up to $1,500 in tax credits.
Some examples would be windows and doors, insulation, wood or other biomass burning stoves and inserts. The improvement must meet certain criteria, so log on to the website and see how to save yourself some money, save energy and most importantly, cut down on Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Find out more at energystar.com
Unless the sea floods your dining room, or the coal-fired power plant next door belches out dirty smoke for you to inhale, it is difficult to appreciate what all the fuss is about regarding Green House Gases (GHG) and global warming. And, what is a carbon credit anyway? Let’s try a simple explanation.
Imagine you boil your jug to make a cup of tea. The energy used to boil the water – in this case electricity – has to be generated somewhere: let’s say in a coal-fired plant. Burning the coal to generate the electricity for your tea creates carbon emissions (dirty smoke), or a carbon deficit.
For arguments sake, let’s say the carbon emitted was 1 tonne. To balance the carbon ledger, these emissions have to be compensated for, or offset, by purchasing a carbon credit of 1 tonne.
How are these carbon credits created? Well, the electricity generator above decides to build a wind farm to mitigate emissions. Now, wind is used to generate electricity instead of coal. The power company applies to an international verifier that agrees – yes, you have reduced carbon emissions because instead of coal, you are now using wind to generate electricity.
The power company is awarded credits for completing this process which they can sell on the open market, making the wind farm project financially viable. Hence, when you buy a carbon credit you are actually helping to pay for projects like wind farms.
Read more on this article. It can be found on Celsias.com
A new report finds that the low-hanging fruit of energy efficiency is the “single most promising resource” in pursuing energy affordability and security.
In addition to the tremendous savings potential for consumers and businesses, the report, by the global consulting firm McKinsey and Company, finds that elevating energy efficiency to a national priority could also spur the creation of 600,000-900,000 long-term green jobs and reduce our overall energy consumption by 23 percent.
Energy efficiency is an enormous (and enormously cheap) energy resource for the U.S., “but only if the nation can craft a comprehensive and innovative approach to unlock it.”
The investment, according to the report’s authors, would be about $522 billion over the next ten years, not including program implementation. But an investment of that scale could slash energy consumption in 2020 by 9.1 quadrillion BTUs, or 23% of projected demand, potentially avoiding up to 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
This article can be found on Celsias.com
Renewable energy certificates (RECs), also known as green certificates, green tags, or tradable renewable certificates, represent the environmental attributes of the power produced from renewable energy projects and are sold separate from commodity electricity. Customers can buy green certificates whether or not they have access to green power through their local utility or a competitive electricity marketer. And they can purchase green certificates without having to switch electricity suppliers.
More on this article can be found at: Renewable Energy Certificates
How Do I Buy Green Power?
If retail electricity competition is allowed in your state, you may be able to purchase a green power product from an alternative electricity supplier. Some states have already implemented electricity competition. Check the Status of State Electric Industry Restructuring Activity (PDF 2.1 MB) map, prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, to see if your state has passed an electricity competition law.
Even if your state is not implementing electricity market competition, you may still be able to purchase green power through your regulated utility. More than 600 regulated utilities spanning more than 30 states offer “green pricing” programs. The term green pricing refers to an optional utility service that allows customers to support a greater level of utility investment in renewable energy by paying a premium on their electric bill to cover any above-market costs of acquiring renewable energy resources.
Finally, whether or not you have access to green power through your utility or a competitive electricity marketer, you can purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs). RECs (also known as green tags, green energy certificates, or tradable renewable certificates) represent the environmental attributes of power generated from renewable electric plants. A variety of organizations offer RECs separate from electricity service, that is, you need not switch from your current electricity supplier in order to purchase these certificates.
This article can be found on: How to Buy Green Power
Inaccurate estimates
Many suppliers estimate readings, so simply check your actual meter reading against the estimate and notify your supplier of any discrepancy. Be pushy though - many suppliers benefit from overzealous meter estimates - overcharging you and gaining the benefit from your account being in credit.
Also, don’t assume your supplier will send a meter reading agent to check your gas and electricity readings. These happen on a rota system so it is best to send in your correct meter readings yourself by email, phone or even text message and ensure you are billed correctly.
Don’t assume that an underestimate will work in your favour and that it’s best to keep quiet. Most energy suppliers will take an accurate reading of your bill on occasions - for example, if you move house or switch supplier - and if they find you have underpaid you could face a hefty, unexpected bill.
Our tip: Do a quick meter reading at the end of every month and jot it down. It’s a quick and easy way of keeping on top of your consumption, especially if you’re watching the pennies. Plus, it takes literally seconds to do.
Direct debit over-payments
Paying monthly by direct debit is invariably cheaper than any other way of paying for your gas and electricity - as our comparison tool highlights. However, there are many scenarios in which your direct debit could be set too high.
If you feel you’re paying too much contact your provider and ask for it to be reduced. Remember though, paying monthly averages the cost out over the year, so in the summer months when your consumption is lower, you may be paying for more than you use. However, this should even out over the winter months when usage increases.
This article was found on MoneySuperMarket.com
Energy Star | Cindy | 
November 4, 2009 9:53 pm | 
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