ecobeco's December 2009 Newsletter
ecoTips, News, Deals, and More - And it's Free!
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Easy come, easy go! Virginia's Rebates for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy was fully reserved after just 18 days! In other news, the first major cold hit us, making November a record month for ecobeco. Welcome new customers! - Virginia Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Rebate Program Fully Reserved
- December's ecoTip - Winter Window Tips
- A Note About TVs and Energy Efficiency
- Product Highlights - ecobeco's Clearance Sale
- Refer Your Friends, Get $$$
- Federal Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency
- Montgomery County Residents get $250 of FREE Energy-Efficiency Products
- New Store Hours - Appointment Only
Enjoy! |
Virgina Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Rebate Program Fully Reserved
|
|
On October 30th, Virginia put its stimulus money to work with the launch of its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Rebate Program, which was based on a system of "reserving funds" for work that is complete or will be completed within 6 months. However, on November 18th, the reservation process closed for both Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy projects as the state ran out of money.
Is it over so quickly? Not exactly. Home owners who made reservations for efficiency work were automatically allocated $2,000. In reality, many home owners will not redeem rebates for all $2,000. This means that money will be recovered and should become available for reallocation at a later date. Since reservations expire after 6 months, most of the money left over from reservations made in early November will not become available until March-April 2010. We will let you know when Virginia notifies us that the reservation system will re-open.
Rebate or not, there is still a good reason to move forward with repairs immediately. Beat this winter's cold by acting now! Energy efficient
property may also qualify for a federal tax credit of 30% up to $1,500 (see more information below).
|
December's ecoTip - Winter Window Tips
|
|
As the night gets longer (Dec 21 Winter Solstice is just 3 weeks away!) and the
days grow colder, it becomes extremely important to keep your heated air inside your home as long as possible by
properly weatherizing your home and practicing a few good lifestyle habits.
Here are a few of the measures that you can take to stay nice and warm
this winter without blowing your holiday budget on your gas bill.
-
Keep It Closed. No matter how well-weatherized your windows
are, you won't see any savings if you leave your windows open. Rather than
rushing out to pick up new top of the line windows, make sure to keep all your
current windows and doors completely tightly closed to prevent any
uncomfortable (and expensive) drafts. We see this in homes all the time... the window looks closed, but it really isn't. If your windows don't close securely, repair them now (or call us if you need a handyman referral).
-
Check Your Air Seal. Weather-stripping is an excellent way
to improve the seal of your existing windows and doors, making sure that no air
leaks out through the cracks. However, old weather-stripping
can become brittle and less effective at sealing your window shut. Make sure
to check the quality of
the seal of any weather-stripping every year to make sure it still works. The Department of Energy suggests that you test
the air seal of any windows or doors by closing your window or door on a piece
of paper (yes, this is the same test to use to test the seal on your refrigerator and freezer!). If you can pull that piece of paper out easily, you are
losing energy, and a repair is warranted. If you have a window you will never use, you can seal
the window permanently shut with some caulk.
-
Close Those Drapes. No matter how well your window performs,
 it's still glass! Older single pane windows insulate at just under R-1, and many Energy Star windows have R-2 insulating values. Tight-fitting draperies or blinds are an excellent way
to improve the insulation of any window. According to the Department of Energy, a good pair of
thick, dark, drapes can reduce heat loss by up to 25%. When hanging drapes it
is important to make sure that you place your drapes as close as you can to
the window and thoroughly cover as much area as you can, letting the drapes hang all the way to the edges and bottom of the sill and letting any closed
curtains overlap. Make sure to keep them drawn closed at night, as well as
any time that the window is not being directly lit by the sun. During the day, open those drapes and let the sun shine in to help warm your interior space.
Remember, building science tells us that leaky windows are a symptom of structural leakage in an attic or basement. Fixing the source of the problem can greatly improve the performance of your windows. An energy audit is the only way to know for sure whether you air leaks are the result of poorly performing windows or something else. We often find that spending a few thousand in air sealing and insulating an attic and basement can mitigate the need to spends ten thousand on windows. ecobeco can help you understand the priority for spending your Energy Efficiency dollars. Call us to ask about our energy audits, or click here.
|
A Note About TVs and Energy Efficiency
|
| There was an interesting article in Tuesday's Washington Post about televisions. (Click here to read the article). Did you know that the average 47-inch LCD (200 watts) uses twice as much energy as a traditional 25-inch "tube" CRT (100 watts)? Plasmas are even more energy intensive (300+ watts). Add in Xbox and Playstations, DVRs and a sound system and you've got a heavy increase in electrical load over the past decade. Personal electronics now account for about 10 percent of total household electric consumption, up from 3 percent in the 1980s. Part of the increase is the large increase of televisions - the average household now has 2.6 TVs... one per person! That's up from 1.7 in 1980. Further, we now spend an average of 4.7 hours per day in front of our TVs, up 10% since 2001. Videogame time is up 50% since 2001 as well.
Individually, this has increased costs around $10 per month per household, which doesn't seem like much.  In aggregate, however, this change in our consumption of electronics puts significant pressure on our existing power plant infrastructure. Household shifts towards more electronics has made energy conservation more important than ever.
What can you do? Buy Energy Star computers, stereos and televisions.  Buy newer LED televisions (pictured left), which are a more efficient technology than Plasma or LCD. Use a SmartStrip (pictured right) to manage the standby power loss of your entertainment centers or computer centers. Click here to learn more about SmartStrips, which are on sale from the ecobeco store.
Consumers can make smart choices that save energy without sacrificing quality of life. The products get better every year, and ecobeco encourages you to make energy efficiency part of your product selection criteria.
|
Product Highlights -- Clearance Sale
|
|
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.
|
Refer Your Friends, Get $$$
|
| 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!
|
Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency
|
|
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.
|
MONTGOMERY COUNTY RESIDENTS GET $250 OF FREE ENERGY-EFFICIENCY PRODUCTS
We'll show you how to claim your Property Tax Credit!
|
|
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.
|
New Store Hours - Appointment Only
|
|
ecobeco's store hours are now by appointment only. Just call or e-mail us before you come to make sure we're there.
|
|
Thanks,
Brian, Reuven, Curt, Mike, Jonathan, Valerie, Dan, Patrick and Daniela
(240) 396-2141
info@ecobeco.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
