ecobeco's January 2012 Newsletter
ecoTips, News, Deals, and More - And it's Free!
January 5, 2012
Greetings!

Happy 2012! We hope your Holidays were merry and bright. Mother nature welcomed us with our first major chill of the year this week, so as we get back to work don't forget to tell your friends about our services... warm up the house and save money!  That just makes a lot of sense, right?

We are excited for the coming year and excited to help more DC / Baltimore / VA homeowners to become more energy efficient this year.  Lots of changes in 2012 to tell you about, so here goes:   
  • Maryland Public Service Commission orders $100 Energy Audits and 50% Rebates State-Wide for 2012 
  • ecobeco Wins Angie's List 2011 Super Service Award!  
  • ecobeco Referral Program is Back Through January 31, 2012    
  • eco-Tip: Perils of Dryer Lint Build-Up   
  • Montgomery County Energy Efficiency Rebate Program is 71% Allocated
  • Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program Closing Out
  • DC Leak - Home Performance Launching in Late February in Washington, DC 
  • 10 Things Still Made in America  
  • Sungevity Solar Power for Maryland Homes  
  • We'd Love to Hear Your Feedback 

Enjoy!

Maryland Public Service Commission orders $100 Energy Audits and 50% Rebates State-Wide for 2012.

Maryland residents received some great news this holiday season when the Maryland Public Service Commission issued an order re-authorizing EmPower Maryland for 2012-2014. The Home Performance Program was a strong focus during the hearings that included strong support from the Maryland Chapter of Efficiency First (where ecobeco's Brian Toll serves as Vice-Chair and provided testimony at the hearing) and the Maryland Energy Administration led by Lauren Urbanek (who managed the MEA's 35% Rebate Program in 2011). In our testimony, we compared the various utility proposals and explained to the commission that the MEA 35% Rebate Program was exceptionally successful and that it should be adopted as a permanent component of the new plan.  We also explained that the Pepco proposal represented the best-in-class model for how Home Performance can help Maryland consumers save energy, save money, and improve the comfort and durability of their homes. 

On December 22nd, the PSC ordered that all 4 major utilities (Pepco, BGE, Potomac Edison, and SMECO) adopt the best-in-class Pepco proposal as soon as possible.  The new program features: 
  • $100 Energy Audits (for a standard-sized home).
  • All energy audits will include installation of CFLs, low-flow showerheads, water heater pipe wrap, and more, at no charge to the customer.
  • 50% cash rebates on air sealing, insulation, and more.  This cash rebate will be limited to $2,000 per household.
!!! ATTENTION:  These programs have not started yet!!!

What happens next?
Each utility is currently "digesting" the order and will be launching their updated programs shortly.  We will send a newsletter later this month when the details are announced. In the meantime:

PEPCO customers:  We will continue to provide $100 audits for Pepco customers. 

BGE and Potomac Edison customers: Until further notice, audits in these territories will be charged our standard rates (starting at $399).  If we determine later that the utilities will reimburse us for your audit, we will reimburse you!

We will let everyone know as soon as we can when the 50% rebate goes into effect.
ecobeco Wins Angie's List 2011 Super Service Award!

ecobeco's outstanding service record was again recognized for 2011 by Angie's List. We are the recipient of Angie's List Super Service Award in the Energy Efficiency Auditing category. The Super Service Award is earned by the top performing companies that achieve and maintain an A rating on Angie's List and show an excellent service record based on customer ratings. ecobeco has been awarded this honor 2 years in a row!

Angie's List (www.angieslist.com) is a service company review site powered by reviews from actual customers in over 500 service categories. It's a great source of information for finding contractors to do work in your home.

If you are an Angie's List member, you can add your own review of ecobeco's service on Angie's List by visiting our page. Pls help us spread the good word and thanks again to all our wonderful customers! It has been a pleasure serving you.
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.

 

eco-Tip: Perils of Dryer Lint Build-Up

There is a household appliance that causes approximately 15,000 fires a year. Can you guess what appliance that is? No, it's not the stove or oven, it's your dryer!

When lint builds up around a dryer and in the ducts, this buildup will cause your dryer to work harder and ultimately may cause the appliance to produce excess heat. Lint is a rather flammable material. Couple lint build-up with a dryer running at hotter temperatures and add to that a highly flammable, flexible plastic duct and you have a potential fire hazard that turns into a destructive house fire in thousands of homes every year.
 
How to avoid this potential pitfall? Clean the lint trap after each dryer load. Also pull the appliances away from the wall and clean behind the washer and dryer once a year. It is recommended to replace any flexible plastic dryer ducts with a straight, rigid metal duct. Use semi-rigid aluminum for any duct turns that are required. Also you can have professional cleaning of the dryer ducts performed. This may be especially helpful if you have not kept up with maintenance on dryer lint cleaning.

To watch the MSNBC news report of dryer fires and see just how dangerous a dryer fire can be, click here.

Montgomery County Energy Efficiency Rebate Program is 71% Allocated 
Update: 29% of the funding remains in the Montgomery County Rebate program. At this time, ecobeco is encouraging all customers to have an energy audits scheduled as soon as possible if you intend to apply for the program. ecobeco cannot guarantee you will meet required deadlines, with the program nearing close, if you have not yet scheduled an appointment.

The Montgomery County program is designed to encourage residents to take benefits across multiple categories such as Envelope and HVAC. $3,000 is the maximum benefit you can get out of this program. Get started from their website at Montgomery County Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program (www.mcenergyfunding.com).



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.

Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program Updates 

UPDATE: The State of Virginia anticipates closing this program by February 2012. They have now reduced the window to complete work after a reservation is approved, to 30 days. This is to encourage the completion of any outstanding applications. The appliance rebate program has closed. They are offering a waitlist to new applicants while all remaining funding is reconciled with existing approvals. This may free additional funds from unused portions of current applications. Waitlisted applicants may or may not receive any funding. Waitlist will be closed soon thereafter and no further applications will be accepted. There is no announced date for the close of the waitlist. 

 

The State of Virginia allocated $5 Million in new funds for its Virginia Home Energy Efficiency Rebate Program beginning in June 2011.  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 served basis.  

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

 

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. There is also a geothermal heat pump rebate available. 

 

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.

 

For more information visit the Virginia DMME website at:

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

 

DC Leak - Home Performance Launching in Late February in Washington, DC


Shhhh.  You're not supposed to know, but the District of Columbia has started recruiting companies for its upcoming Home Performance with Energy Star program that should launch at the end of February.  If you're a DC resident, you might want to wait for incentives.  Call us if you're not sure.  Right now we're hearing a maximum of $500 per household, but perhaps Maryland's $2,000 per household will pressure DC to match?

 

 

10 Things Still Made in America


We found this cool article detailing 10 products that are still made in America. It's nice to learn a little history about long standing American brands. At the top of the list include sports equipment, vehicles, and toys. Would you have guessed these 10 products? Can you check anything off your Christmas list against this list?

 

   

We hope you enjoy reading this list from The Street about "10 Items Still Made in America."

 

As we move into the next year, we hope American manufacturing and American businesses continue to find prosperity!

 

 

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. 

We'd Love to Hear Your Feedback 

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

 

Over the past 2 years, your feedback helped us win the 2010 & 2011 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!

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