ecobeco's October 2009 Newsletter
ecoTips, News, Deals, and More - And it's Free!
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Greetings!
Hello October! The cooler weather came out of nowhere this week, and seemingly everyone I know has caught a cold of some sort. Get your blankets ready and read on. This is an exciting month that includes the Green Festival, which is DC's largest green event drawing 20,000+ to the DC convention center Oct 10-11. - Events Update - Green Festival, Howard County 50+ Expo, and DC Energy Efficiency Expo.
- October's ecoTip - Managing Moisture Before Energy Efficiency Improvements
- Product Highlights - ecobeco's Fall Clearance Sale
- Green Home Certification Will Launch During Green Festival
- ecobeco's Home Energy Audits - A Great Value.
- Refer Your Friends, Get $$$
- Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency.
- Montgomery County Residents get $250 of FREE Energy-Efficiency Products.
- Store Hours.
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ecobeco Events Update
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| Visit www.ecobeco.com/events to get the latest on ecobeco's speaker series and to see where we'll be speaking throughout the community.
The Green Festival - Saturday October 10 from 10am-7pm and Sunday, October 11 from 11am - 6pm, at the Washington Convention Center.
ecobeco will have booth 928 at this year's Green Festival, right next to the Green Home Pavilion. Come and talk to our energy efficiency experts and learn about a wide variety of energy efficiency topics.
Presentation Schedule (repeats Saturday and Sunday):
11:30 am Introduction to Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Energy Audits
12:30 pm It's Not Your Windows! Understanding Air Leaks and How to Fix Them
1:30 pm Condominiums Can Be Energy Efficient Too!
2:30 pm Realtors: Stand Out with Green Home Certifications and ecoAssessments for Your Clients
3:30 pm Weatherizing Your Home Is Easy
4:30 pm Show Me the Money - Understanding Government and Utility Incentives for Energy Efficiency
Green Festival - Washington Convention Center - 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW Washington, DC 20001
Howard County's 50 Plus Expo - Friday October 16 from 9am to 4pm at Wild Lake High School
ecobeco is set to attend Howard County's 50 Plus Expo. Come and talk to one of our trained energy efficiency experts to learn
about energy audits and how you can help the environment by making your
home safer, more comfortable and energy efficient.
Parking will be available at The Mall in Columbia with shuttle services to the Expo.
Admission is Free.
50 Plus Expo - 5460 Trumpeter Road, Columbia, MD
14th Annual Energy Efficiency Expo - Saturday November 14 from 10am-4pm at the Washington Convention Center
ecobeco is joining The Office of the People's Counsel, the District of Columbia's official consumer utility advocate, for its annual "hands-on" Energy Efficiency Expo. Stop by to see how you can make your homes more energy efficient and what DC residents can do to save money on your energy bills.
14th Annual Energy Efficiency Expo - Washington Convention Center - 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW Washington, DC 20001
Click Here to tell your friends about our events!
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October's ecoTip -
Managing Moisture
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Managing moisture
is a year-round issue. We all know that humidity falls with temperatures, but don't fall for the out-of-sight out-of-mind folly. It's natural that we do most of our improvements in the fall and winter when our heating bills are highest and our sense of urgency the greatest. But we need to consider what our home will be like in the spring/summer when we decide which actions to take today. Your ecobeco energy auditor can help.
The buildup of unwanted moisture can be detrimental to your
home in multiple ways. Elevated moisture levels in a home can promote the growth of mold
and mildew - troubling air pollutants that cause breathing issues, allergies
and other ailments. The picture on the right shows an extremely moldy bathroom with no ventilation. Not surprisingly, this family's children are experiencing symptoms of asthma. Other indications of excessive moisture include peeling paint and water marks. Furthermore, excess moisture can damage the structural
integrity of a building, causing rot or related decay issues.
On the other hand, moisture is an important part of comfort. When humidity is too low, our skin feels dry. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests maintaining a relative humidity level between 30% to 50% to maximize comfort while reducing mold risks. ecobeco sells the Enviracaire HealthCheck Monitor hygrometer that you can use at home to measure relative humidity at home to help you decide whether to run a humidifier or dehumidifier.
There are two kinds of moisture management to consider:
1) Keeping unwanted outside
moisture from entering the home - structural improvements that seal exteriors and divert water away from the home are critical. Air sealing also reduces the movement of moisture into the home.
2) Finding and addressing
moisture issues inside the home - think about places where moisture is created such as bathrooms, sinks, kitchen, etc. - proper ventilation (using dampers) can help ensure the expulsion of moisture created through these sources. Humidifier systems connected into the HVAC unit can regulate the relative humidity in a controlled way during winter. In summer, air is humid, so a dehumidifier works with your air conditioner to regulate the relative humidity levels inside the home.
Because safety is our top priority, we suggest addressing moisture concerns before proceding with structural energy
efficiency improvements. Air sealing an excessively moist area can "lock in" moist air that can degrade insulation and create a breeding ground for mold. This is all part of ecobeco's WHOLE HOME APPROACH to safety and efficiency.
Here are some other things to consider as you prepare for
winter:
- Identify and address air leakage sources through
a whole home energy audit.
- Clean gutters of any leaves or debris.
- Fix broken downspouts and direct runoff away
from home at least 3 feet.
- Consider a rain barrel to capture your runoff and
use for a dry spell.
- Slope soil away from your home.
- Fix any holes in your roof, flashing or fascia.
- Install or fix poorly performing bathroom
exhaust fans in baths with high moisture levels.
- Properly insulate your home to prevent
condensation issues (but make sure to seal air leaks first!).
- Make sure to have a sufficient vapor barrier in
enclosed crawlspaces. Good practice attaches vapor barriers to the warm surface (closest to living space).
- Have your sump pump inspected and maintained on
a regular basis.
- Test your home for mold and mildew (sold by ecobeco).
Properly managing moisture is a critical component of
maintaining a safe, comfortable and energy efficient home.
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Product Highlights -- Fall Clearance Sale
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With the fall weatherization season here, ecobeco is gearing
up to fight the cold with some hot sales on a wide range of our environmentally
friendly products. Be sure to take full advantage of these clearance
prices on some of your favorite eco-friendly and energy saving product lines as
we prepare for the winter season:
Sale applies to current inventory only. No backorders.
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Green Home Certification Will Launch During Green Festival
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| Have you or someone you know tried to sell their home recently? It's a tough market out there, and wouldn't it be nice to get some recognition for the efforts you made to make your home energy-efficient and eco-friendly? Energy-efficient homes typically have lower operating costs, are more comfortable, and have better indoor air quality than a comparable unimproved home. Plus, a recent survey showed that homes considered "green" actually sell faster and for more dollars per square foot than comparable homes without a "green" certification.
Until now, the only way to get an efficiency rating was to hire a RESNET-certified auditor to get a Home Energy Rating Score (HERS). But that score compares your home against a new 2006 home. That hardly seems fair.
During Green Festival, ecobeco will introduce a Green Home Certification that certifies your home based on a detailed list of attributes that reward energy-efficiency, renewable energy, eco-friendly materials, and more. We only certify items that convey with the home at time of sale, so your buyers know they are getting a better home than a comparable home that has not had improvements.
REALTORS, learn about this new product at 2:30pm at ecobeco's booth 928 during Green Festival when we host a discussion of the product and walk through the certification worksheet. We'll repeat the talk on both days of the festival.
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ecobeco's Home Energy Audits - A Great Value
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| We did some mystery shopping, and we realized that ecobeco's Home Energy Audit outshines the competition in 7 major ways. In addition to the standard blower door test and a report with recommended retrofits:
- We use an infrared camera on every job to identify sources of air leakage that are invisible to the eye and/or behind walls and/or located in inaccessible parts of the home.
- If you have gas, oil, or propane-powered HVAC or water heater appliances, we test them for efficiency and safety to ensure your home doesn't have dangerous levels of carbon monoxide or combustion gases.
- We run every job through the Maryland Energy Administration's BEACON software that models how much energy you will save when you retrofit your home.
- We estimate the cost of each retrofit so you can shop smart.
- We tell you about utility and tax incentives that lower your costs of getting work done and show you where to get the forms you need.
- We provide you with a payback period and return on investment so you can compare this investment against leaving your money in the bank.
- We come back to your home after the retrofits are complete to validate that you got what you paid for by re-running our blower door and combustion safety tests.
If you or your friends are shopping for Energy Auditing services, ask our competition how much they charge to include all the things we do in every audit, and you'll see that ecobeco provides the best value in the area.
Customers in Maryland can purchase audits starting at $349. Customers in DC and Virginia can purchase audits starting at $449. These differences in rates are due to auditor incentives sponsored by the EmPower Maryland program that do not exist in DC or VA. You can get more details on the pricing and our surcharges for larger homes, for homes needing combustion safety testing, and for long distance travel by going to www.ecobeco.com/schedule. Just sign up on-line for your preferred dates and we'll be in touch with you.
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Refer Your Friends, Get $$$
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| We're very excited to introduce our Friends & Family Referral Program. Just go to www.ecobeco.com/friends
and give us the Name, E-mail and Phone Number of your friends who might
want Energy Audits. We'll contact them and if they purchase an Audit
or Combination package, you'll get a $25 electronic gift card for the
ecobeco product of your choice! Now that's green!
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Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency
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The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act included substantial spending on energy efficiency related items. Part of the legislation includes an increase in the tax deductions for purchases of energy-efficient appliances, insulation and windows.
Please click the links below to access the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE). Then, consult your tax advisor for more information about whether you qualify for these incentives.
Taxpayers can deduct 30% of total materials costs up to $1,500 for s pecific energy-efficient product purchases made in 2009 and 2010.
Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit
Taxpayers can deduct 30% of the installed cost of solar PV, solar hot water, wind, fuel cells, and geothermal heat pump with no maximum limit.
Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
The DSIRE database also includes incentives specific to your state and county, so be sure to check for those programs as well by navigating back to the home page and then clicking on your state.
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY RESIDENTS GET $250 OF FREE ENERGY-EFFICIENCY PRODUCTS
We'll show you how to claim your Property Tax Credit!
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If you are a Montgomery County Home Owner (you pay property taxes), you can take advantage of the Property Tax Credit for Energy Conservation Devices. This credit refunds 100% of your spending up to $250. CFLs, Low-Flow Showerheads, Programmable Thermostats, and Smart Powerstrips are the easiest and most essential items for any energy-efficient home. And there are many more products that qualify as well. Schedule your in-home visit today and we'll help you determine exactly which products you need today.
ecobeco will provide you with the forms you need to fill out and will coach you on how to fill them out to ensure a smooth claim process.
There's no better time than now to schedule your in-home ecoAssessment or Energy Audit. The tax credit is limited to $250,000 of total benefit for the entire county for fiscal year 2010, so make your purchase now and submit your application as soon as possible to ensure your refund. There is no income exclusion or residency requirement for this credit.
Call us at the store (240) 396-2141 x2 to learn more.
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Store Hours
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Our regular hours are:
Monday - Friday: 3pm - 7pm
Saturday: 10am - 2pm
We are also available by appointment, and of course we are open during all of our special events. |
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Thanks,
Brian, Reuven, Curt, Brooks, Jonathan, Mike, and Daniela
(240) 396-2141
info@ecobeco.com
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