ecobeco's December 2011 Newsletter
ecoTips, News, Deals, and More - And it's Free!
December 1, 2011
Greetings!

Happy Holidays! We hope as the year draws to a close, that all of you are spending time with family and friends in the warmth of your well-insulated and air-sealed home. We close out the year with a Christmas tip for you, another one of our successful Case Studies, and more:   
  • Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency Improvements End December 31
  • ecobeco Referral Program is Back Through January 31, 2012 
  • Redo: MEA Program Ends.. What's Next in Maryland 
  • Deck the Halls - Fox 5 and ecobeco Shed Some Light on Christmas Lights  
  • ecobeco Case Study: Silver Spring Rambler House Improves Energy Efficiency, Saves Money  
  • Happy Anniversary to... ecobeco!  
  • eco-Tip: Mercury in CFLs - Toxic to Your Health?   
  • Montgomery County Energy Efficiency Rebate Program is 50% Allocated
  • Sungevity Solar Power for Maryland Homes  
  • Virginia Re-Starts Energy Efficiency Rebate Program.  Appliance Program Continues. New Geothermal Program.
  • We'd Love to Hear Your Feedback  
  • Pepco Home Energy Savings Program for Maryland Customers
  • Allegheny Maryland Customers, Get a Home Energy Check-Up at No Cost
  • I'm Not a Pepco Maryland Customer, What About Me?

Enjoy!

Federal Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency Improvements End December 31 
The Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency Rebates, which caps lifetime benefits at $500 in 2011, will expire at the end of this year.  Please note that projects installed in 2011 have different benefits than those installed in 2009 or 2010.  Energy Efficiency improvements must be installed by December 31, 2011 for you to get this credit.  This credit is confusing if you have energy efficiency improvements over multiple years.  Talk to your accountant about the rules to make sure you don't take too much of a deduction!

THERE IS NO ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROPERTY TAX CREDIT IN 2012.

Click here for more information on the 2009-2010 and 2011 Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit  

Here are a few key changes in the 2011 legislation:
ecobeco's Home Energy Audit Service
  1. The maximum benefit is $500, and the benefit is now 10% of the purchase price.  This is a big change from 30% up to $1,500 in 2009 and 2010.
  2. The benefit is a lifetime benefit.  That means if you took more than $500 in benefit from 2005 - 2010, you cannot take any benefit in 2011.
  3. Gas or Oil or Propane furnace or boiler benefit capped at $150.
  4. Efficient property (such as insulation) capped at $300.
  5. Window benefits capped at $200.

Also we are not tax lawyers nor accountants, so please contact your accountant or the IRS with questions about your situation.

ecobeco Referral Program is Back Through January 2012

As a reader of our newsletter, we know you support ecobeco's mission to help home owners save energy, money and the environment. We appreciate the many referrals made over the past few years.

We want to reward you for all the referrals by putting a little money in your pockets when you refer your friends to ecobeco!

 

Click here to send an email to your friends about ecobeco's services.  

 

Tell your friends about our award-winner Home Energy Audit services, and when they purchase an audit (and mention you when they book it), we'll send you $25. 

 

Tell your friends about Sungevity Solar, and if they sign up for solar power using the "ecobeco" referral code and mention your name in the notes section of their iQuote, we'll send you a check for $250.    

 

One more thing to mention. You don't have to be a customer of ecobeco to take advantage of the referral program. Tell your friends about our program and they can tell their friends and we'll spread the green around!  

 

www.ecobeco.com/referral  

 

Check the referral program website for more information.  Thanks for your support!

 

To qualify, audits must be booked and solar leases signed by January 31, 2012.

 

 

 

Redo:  MEA Program Ends... What's Next in Maryland

In case you missed the "Breaking News" Bulletin from November 3, 2011, here it is again.   

November 3 -  This morning, the MEA reported over $200,000 of reservations arrived yesterday, which has exhausted all remaining MEA Rebate funds several weeks earlier than expected. 

 

All $2.68 million has been allocated. They will not accept waitlist applications.  For more information, visit: 

 

http://energy.maryland.gov/homeperformance/    

 

I have a reservation.  What does this mean?

If you have a reservation already, you're safe.  Get your work done by your contractor and then have ecobeco back to your home for a free re-test (also called the "test-out").  URGENT- YOU HAVE 120 DAYS FROM YOUR RESERVATION DATE TO COMPLETE THE WORK AND THE TEST-OUT AND SEND IN YOUR COMPLETION DOCUMENTS.  IF YOU MISS THE DEADLINE YOU WILL LOSE YOUR ENTIRE REBATE.  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.

 

I Missed the Deadline!  What's Coming Next?

 

Good news we hope.  The Maryland Public Service Commission is currently evaluating major enhancements to the Home Performance Program in Maryland for 2012 that includes a new 40% incentive (this is only 10% less than today's 35% MEA + 15% utility incentives).  We are expecting good news soon and will let you know as soon as we know.  The utility-managed Home Performance Program is not reservation based, so there is no cap on funding.  So you can relax a bit while we help you through the process. 

 

So what should I do now?

 

Get your audit done at your earliest convenience, and finalize your proposal.  If you are a Montgomery County resident, make your reservation using their on-line system.  We'll find out the Home Performance Program rules as soon as the Public Service Commission makes a decision, and we'll let you know in a future newsletter.   

 

As of now, we recommend that you plan to do the work in early January.  The utility programs base their benefits on the date that the contractor makes the energy efficiency improvements.

  • Work done in in 2011 without an MEA Rebate Reservation qualifies for a 15% utility rebate. 
  • Work done in 2012 should qualify for the 40% utility rebate.    
If you have questions, or want to schedule an audit, feel free to call the ecobeco office at (240) 396-2141 x2.
Deck The Halls - Fox 5 and ecobeco Shed Some Light on Christmas Lights

In case you didn't see this article last year, ecobeco had teamed up with Fox 5 Local News to answer the question, "should I make the switch to LED Christmas lights?"

To answer this problem we compared the power used by a strand of regular incandescent Christmas lights with LED Christmas lights using a Kill-A-Watt meter. The Kill-A-Watt meter is a tool used to Angie's List Super Service Awardcalculate the power used by any plug-in electronic device. You can use a Kill-a-Watt meter to calculate the cost to run that device over the length of a day, week, or month. (For purchasing info on Kill-A-Watt meters, click here)
 
We found that LEDs use 80% less power than your standard incandescent bulb and offer even greater savings when compared to a strand of large, 'classic'-style incandescent bulbs. Although a strand of LED bulbs can cost up to 4 times as much as a strand of standard incandescent bulbs, they last much longer than their incandescent counterparts AND they don't break easily! This can add up to significant savings over several years or even for a single season if you use a large number of lights.

The reduced energy cost of LED Christmas lights and the durability of the lights, more than make up for the LED's premium price over several years of use.

To watch the video of our TV spot, click here.

ecobeco Case Study: Silver Spring Rambler House Improves Energy Efficiency, Saves Money

SheldonA

ecobeco had an opportunity to catch up with one of our customers in Silver Spring to hear about how she took full advantage of all local rebate programs including the recently closed Maryland MEA Home Energy Rebate and improved her home's energy efficiency. 

 

She hired DeVere Insulation, one of ecobeco's partners, to air seal and insulate her home. Read what she had to say about her Home Energy Audit, the contractors, and find out what changes improved her home.  

 

Read more here:  

Anne S. Case Study  

  

 

Happy Anniversary to... ecobeco!

Jonathan ReBuild

Letter from the President:

 

On December 1, 2008, ecobeco opened its doors. It's hard to believe that in just 3 years ecobeco has grown from 5 people to 14 full time employees and 4 part timers.   

 

Reuven and I are very proud of our team.  
In 3 years, we have become Maryland's largest provider of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Home Energy Audits with over 1,600 audits performed so far (1,000 in the past year), and we have helped hundreds of home owners make their homes more energy efficiency, comfortable and eco-friendly. We won the 2010 Angie's List Super Service Award, the 2010 Pepco Home Energy Savings Award, and the 2009 Maryland Energy Administration Contractor of the Year Award. 

 

As we look forward to 2012 and beyond, we hope that we are at the beginning of a larger trend of Americans upgrading their homes' efficiency and comfort. We hope our note 3 years from now will be just as exciting as this one.  

 

--Brian Toll 

 

eco-Tip: Mercury in CFLs - Toxic to Your Health?

Everyone is aware of the danger mercury can pose to your health. Most of us also understand that mercury can be found in our laptops (unless you own a Dell) and in the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) invariably touted by energy conservation experts as the bulb of choice in home use. Sure, the bulb will last several life spans longer than an incandescent bulb and use much less energy, but are we trading one evil for another? What about the safety hazards of broken CFLs in our households? Does anyone know what to do in case of a CFL breakage? Is a broken CFL a safety hazard?
ecobeco wants to help you understand the myths around mercury and CFLs. The U.S. EPA and Maine Department of Environmental Protection have done quite extensive testing on the safety of CFLs and we are confident to state that the benefits of CFL performance greatly outweigh what minor danger the mercury in the bulbs may pose.

There are recommended practices for dealing with a broken CFL bulb. If a CFL bulb accidentally breaks, vacate all occupants and animals from the room. Then open a window or door to the outside. Fresh air will quickly reduce the amount of mercury in the air. Mercury vapors dissipate quickly. Switch off your central heating/cooling system. After a few minutes it is safe to pick up the pieces and remove them to a refuse can outside of the house. Do not vacuum broken debris immediately or at all, if possible. If necessary, wait a few minutes and only use the hose attachment to suck up any remaining broken pieces. Empty the entire vacuum bag/container outdoors. Wash your hands when you are finished removing all broken bulb debris. It is better for the environment if you package the CFL debris and take it to a local waste management facility. If it is practical to leave your central heating/cooling system off for a couple hours, do so.

While it is important to follow safety procedures, it is also important to realize that there is very little mercury in a CFL.  To provide a comparison, based on EPA and MDEP studies, eating 6 oz of albacore tuna provides 3 times more mercury exposure than if you were to place your face near the broken CFL bulb immediately after breaking and inhaling all of the mercury vapor. We hope this information helps you to breathe easy in your energy efficient home!

Information taken from the November/December article in Home Energy Magazine, 'Accidentally Breaking a CFL - Is It Mayhem?' To read the full article please click on the link.
Montgomery County Energy Efficiency Rebate Program is 50% Allocated 
Update: The funding in the Montgomery County Rebate program is 50% claimed. At this time, ecobeco is encouraging all customers to have an energy audits scheduled no later than mid-January if you intend to apply for the program. This timeframe is a recommendation and does not guarantee you will meet all required deadlines.

The Montgomery County program is designed to encourage residents to take benefits across multiple categories such as Envelope and HVAC. You can get started from their website at Montgomery County Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program.



This is a first-come, first-served program where you need to obtain a reservation.
You must have your reservation before work can begin.

So how much money is this saving for you? Let's take a look at a $4,000 air sealing and insulation energy efficiency improvement job:

MoCo Savings
Note that the State of Maryland Home Performance Rebate is closed. Federal Tax Credits depend on your situation (more info provided in "Federal Tax Incentives..." article above) and may not be available to you. Consult your tax professional for more information.
 
Montgomery County has asked for 1 week to approve applications for buildings that are less than 45 years old, and 1 month to approve applications for buildings older than 45 years.  This is due to a requirement that the Maryland Historical Trust review all applications on older homes.

The Program also requires that the combination of your rebates equals at least $500.  You must submit all final forms within 90 days of your approved reservation. Forms can be submitted electronically.

Just as  required by the other programs, you will need a home energy audit from a Home Performance Company like ecobeco. Your air sealing work must be performed by an approved Home Performance Contractor, such as ecobeco's referrals.  HVAC work in the Montgomery County Program can be performed by any licensed HVAC firm.

To file a claim after work is done, make sure to schedule a "Test-Out" with ecobeco. There is no charge for the closing visit and you must call the office to schedule this appointment. We'll revisit your home to validate the work was done right and to verify safety considerations. It takes up to 5-6 weeks to receive a rebate check from the County when a complete application is fully submitted.

If you have your audit report in hand, and you have a signed proposal to do work, then you're ready to get started by clicking here.  If you have questions, you can submit them directly to the County at help@mcenergyfunding.com.

Sungevity Solar Power for Maryland Homes

sungevity

 

You finished the energy efficiency improvements in your home, and you are wondering what else can you do? Going solar seems like an interesting project, but fronting $40K for a system does not. No longer. 

 

Sungevity Solar brings its groundbreaking Solar Lease to Maryland helping you do your part for the environment and increase your home's value. Sungevity is a top-ranked California solar company and has expanded its coverage area to Maryland.  The solar lease features:  

 

  • $0 Down Lease or Prepaid Lease - Instead of paying full price up-front, you can lease the panels for a low monthly cost.  Alternatively, by prepaying the lease, you can avoid finance charges and eliminate monthly payments completely.    
  • Instant Savings with Guaranteed Output - Sungevity's performance guarantee states upfront what your expected solar output will be so that there is no guesswork. Plus, most customers are saving an average of 15% on their monthly energy bills with the solar panels!
  • Full-Service Solar - Sungevity maintains the panels at no cost to you for the life of the lease. 
  • A free, no-hassle iQuote within 24 hours - Using super-smart satellite technology, Sungevity can provide your iQuote in 24 hours. Then, the Sungevity sales consultant will answer your questions by phone. Everything is electronic. You can go from iQuote to contract as soon as you're ready.
  • Be sure to use referral code "ecobeco" to ensure discounted pricing.   
  • Note the Sungevity Lease is currently available only to Maryland customers with FICO scores of 700 or higher.  This requirement fluctuates, so we encourage customers with 600 - 700 FICO scores to obtain iQuotes so Sungevity can contact you when the lease requirements change. 
  • Sungevity solar is only available in Maryland 

 

CURRENT SPECIALS: 

 

Special 1: Receive one month's lease payment from ecobeco!* Be sure to enter referral code "ecobeco" on the last page when you create your iQuote.  Or call us at (240) 396-2141 x 2 and we will be happy to submit the iQuote request for you.

 

Special 2: Sign your Lease and you'll get a new iPAD 2. This promotion is provided by Sungevity. Terms and Conditions on http://www.sungevity.com/oursungevity.  

 

*ecobeco will provide a cash payment equal to one month of Sungevity lease payments up to a total of $150 per household (fully prepaid leaseholders will receive $150).  Allow 6 weeks after activation of your solar system to receive payment. To qualify, customer must use the referral code 'ecobeco' when creating an iQuote.  Visit http://www.ecobeco.com/solar for more information. 

Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program. Appliance Program Continues.  New Geothermal Program. 

State of Virginia allocated $5 Million in new funds for its Virginia Home Energy Efficiency Rebate Program.  Below is a link to the website that explains the background and how you can apply for up to $595 of rebates for work you have done or plan to do to improve the efficiency of your home. You can get $250 back for your energy audit. 

 

http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/ARRA-Public/HomeEfficiency.shtml

 

The rebate program will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis; so get your application in if you intend to do any eligible work. It's vital to act in a timely fashion to claim part of the available rebate funds. Similar programs in this area have all run out quickly. Virginia will cancel this offer when funds are exhausted without warning. 

 

Even if you don't have any work to do, please tell your friends about this opportunity!  We believe this is the last round before the funding is gone forever. 

 

The program is retroactive, so here are some rules:

Energy efficient equipment and items purchased and installed on or after March 26, 2010 will be eligible for the rebate if they meet all other eligibility requirements.

Rebates will be calculated at 20% of the documented cost of the following eligible project items, up to $595 per residential property address:

  1. Oil furnace
  2. Gas, propane or oil hot water boiler
  3. Insulation and air sealing
  4. Replacement windows and exterior doors
  5. Storm doors

An energy audit will be rebated for the cost of the audit, up to $250.

 

If you need any receipts from ecobeco or you want our help selecting a vendor to perform eligible work, feel free to call the ecobeco office at (240) 396-2141 x2.

 

Keep in mind that Virginia is still running its Appliance Rebate Program, and they recently added Central Air Conditioners to the list of eligible items.  Further, they recently announced a program for Geothermal Heat Pumps.  For more information visit the Virginia DMME website at:

 

http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/ARRA-Public/SEPRebate.shtml 

 

We'd Love to Hear Your Feedback 

We're a service business and your opinions and referrals matter to us!

 

Last year, your feedback helped us win the 2010 Super Service Award for Energy Efficiency Auditing from Angie's List. Please take a moment to share your experiences with our team and help inform your community about its local businesses. We appreciate your time to make our processes and products better!

 

Find out what other customers have been saying about ecobeco and leave a few comments of your own by going to Angie's List, Checkbook, Yelp and/or Facebook. If you are a member to these sites, please rate us and help grow our network!

 

Thank you!

Pepco Home Energy Savings Program for Maryland Customers

Attention Maryland Home Owners in the Pepco Service Territories

From Comprehensive Home Energy Audits priced at only $100 with rebates of up to $1,200 for energy efficiency improvements, to appliance rebates, HVAC service and equipment rebates, free programmable thermostats, CFL discounts, and more... Pepco brings one of the most aggressive energy efficiency programs in the country to its Maryland customers.
 
ecobeco provides $100 Home Energy Audits to Pepco Maryland customers.  This is not a rebate program. You simply pay us $100 at the time of the visit.

After your audit, you can receive a 15% cash rebate from Pepco for professionally installed air sealing and insulation augmentation up to $1,000 in benefit.  Plus, you can receive $200 for duct sealing.  Best of all, ecobeco will handle the rebate process for you free of charge.

Combined with up to $300 in savings for an air conditioner or $200 for a heat pump replacement through the appliance rebate program, ecobeco can help you find the best deals on making energy efficiency a priority for 2011!

The goal of the Home Energy Savings Program is to get home owners like you to take action on energy conservation. That means fixing up your homes, changing out your light bulbs and shower heads, and more. Pepco is obligated by the EmPower Maryland law to reduce energy consumption in the State of Maryland by 15% by 2015. 

Meanwhile, ecobeco has been working hard with our contractor partners to enhance and accelerate the amount of time it takes for you to receive your audit report and a firm proposal after your audit is complete. Our goal is to make it easier for you to say "YES" to energy efficiency improvements.

Call us today at (240) 396-2141 x2 to reserve your $100 energy audit or sign up at http://www.ecobeco.com/about_schedule_pepcomd.asp.

Note: Customers who buy energy from Clean Currents or other alternatives are also eligible to participate in the program.  You qualify if you 1) receive a bill from Pepco; and 2) have either a heat pump or air conditioning; and 3) live in a single-family home or town home (units in dwellings with more than 4 units do not qualify for this program).
 
Visit Pepco's consumer site for more information at:

http://www.pepco.com/energy/conservation/meiin/

NOTE:  If you are an existing ecobeco audit customer in the Pepco territory, please give Brian Toll a call directly at 240-396-2141 x704 or email Brian to discuss how you can take advantage of the Pepco Home Energy Savings Program.

Allegheny Maryland Customers, Get a Home Check-Up At No Cost

Maryland Allegheny Power Customers - ecobeco is an authorized provider for the Watt Watchers Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. 

You can have a No Cost Home Energy Check-Up performed by ecobeco, which is a non-instrumented walk-through of the house.  This product is designed to help you understand whether an audit is worthwhile for you and will give you tips on easy do-it-yourself items.  You'll get 6 CFLs for free as well. 

To schedule your appointment, call ecobeco at (240) 396-2141 x2.

ecobeco also offers $140 Comprehensive Home Energy Audits for Allegheny Maryland customers.  See more information below.
I'm Not a Pepco Maryland Customer, What About Me?

Don't worry if you're not a Pepco Maryland customer, there are programs for other home owners as well. Virginia: new rebates just released for your state!!

1. Maryland BGE Customers - Through our partnership with Energy Services Group, ecobeco provides a full suite of solutions as part of the BGE Smart Energy program, which includes incentives for making your home more energy efficient.  Click here to view the incentives from this program, and click here to schedule your appointment with ecobeco.

2. Maryland Allegheny Power Customers - ecobeco is an authorized provider for the Watt Watchers Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program.  That means your audit costs only $140 if you agree to the installation of CFL bulbs, or $180 if you don't.  You can also have a FREE Home Energy Check-Up performed by ecobeco, which is a non-instrumented walk-through of the house.  This product is designed to help you understand whether an audit is worthwhile for you and will give you tips on easy do-it-yourself items.  Our service area is limited to northern Montgomery County. Click here to make an appointment.  After your audit, customers with electric heating qualify for additional incentives for doing air sealing or insulation work.

3. Virginia Customers - A new Energy Efficiency Rebate Program has been released! Up to $595 is available for energy audits and energy efficiency improvements. Other available programs in Virginia include the Geothermal Heat Pump Rebate Program and the appliance rebate program. Click here to make an appointment.

4. DC Customers - The District government provides free energy audits to home owners.  These audits provide a basic understanding of energy issues, but do not include IR camera scans, combustion safety testing, energy modeling, customized reporting, follow up time with your auditor, referrals to get the work done, a free second visit after the work is done, etc.  Currently, the free audit has a waitlist for several months and last we checked audits had been suspended.  DC residents can act now by making an appointment with ecobeco by clicking here.
We hope you enjoyed reading our newsletter.  We'd love to hear from you. 

Please feel free to forward this information to friends and family.      
 
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Thanks,

Brian, Reuven, Cindy, Mike, Jonathan F, Jim, George, Gina, Nick R, Jonathan J, Jillian, Patrick, Olu, Ernesto, Suresh, Ellen and Diana
(240) 396-2141

info@ecobeco.com