Heating Oil Weekly Roundup: Cyberattacks, States Go Green, and Energy Star Homes
A familiar signature exposes the China-based cyberattackers. (image: Patrick Chappatte via cagle.com.)
Hackers in China made headlines recently when Google was hit, but the search engine giant isn’t the only company being targeted. Mark Clayton of the Christian Science Monitor reported on cyberattacks on three US oil companies—Marathon Oil, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips. Like the attack on Google, the hackers seem to be based in China. What Exxon and Conoco have that Google doesn’t is information on the size and location of potential oil fields, which would be very valuable for corporations or nations competing for oil resources.
Since the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (aka ACES, Waxman-Markey, and the cap and trade bill), climate legislation has moved forward in the Senate at a snail’s pace, if at all. But that doesn’t mean new legislation on energy and the environment isn’t on its way—in many states, it has already arrived. From Hawaii to Maine governors are touting clean energy, electric cars, and energy efficiency as the path to job creation, reports SolveClimate.
Energy Star is the government-approved label of energy efficiency, and it gives customers assurance that they’re buying an energy-efficient refrigerator, washing machine, or other appliance. Or even an energy-efficient new home. Douglas Fischer of The Daily Green tells the story of a Michigan couple that bought an Energy Star home, and they can expect to use one-fifth to one-third less energy than the average home. The higher upfront cost for such a house drives away many potential buyers, but Fischer describes specialized mortgages that might bring Energy Star homes within the reach of more consumers.
It doesn’t sound very high-tech, but the Southern California Public Power Authority expects energy savings from rooftop units that use ice to store energy, reports Matthew Wald at the New York Times’ Green Inc. blog. Rather than powering air conditioners by drawing on the grid at peak hours, energy will be used to make ice at night, and that ice will cool the buildings down during the day. The system costs more to install than a generator, but it doesn’t require the same work of finding a proper site and securing permits, and the power authority believes it will save money in the long run.
iPhone App Measures Carbon Intensity of UK Electric Grid
The GridCarbon app as it appears on the iPhone. (image: alphagalileo.org)
Engineers at the University of Southampton in the U.K. have developed an application for Apple’s iPhone that allows users to monitor the U.K.’s electricity grid, the site alphagalileo.org reported on Thursday. The app, called GridCarbon, was developed by Drs. Alex Rogers and Perukrishnen Vytelingum, and Prof. Nick Jennings at the university’s School of Electronics and Computer Science. When downloaded to an iPhone, GridCarbon enables users to monitor the grid’s carbon intensity—the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere when one unit (1 kilowatt hour) of electricity is used by a consumer.
Rogers said that, “The app shows people how using appliances and machinery at different times of the day can reduce their carbon footprint.” For example, running washing machines and dishwashers overnight rather than at peak evening hours can reduce carbon emissions by as much as 40 percent, depending on the time of year.
Whirlpool, Best Buy, and Others Collaborate on Energy Information Display
A previous energy information display from OpenPeak could provide a model for the new HEM. (image: openpeak.com)
In case you don’t have enough high-tech gadgets, next year you’ll be able to buy one that offers an interesting array of information, reports earth2tech. Whirlpool, Best Buy, energy reseller Direct Energy, and developer OpenPeak are planning to launch an energy information display, called the Home Energy Management (HEM) center. The HEM will be unveiled at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show on January 7.
The HEM will use an open platform that uses smart meter data, and it will be compatible with Whirlpool smart energy dryers and Lennox smart thermostats. In an effort to consumers who might ignore a simple energy device, the HEM will also be able to interact with social networks like Facebook.
Survey: 85% of Americans Will Conserve Energy Next Year
Looking toward a greener and happier 2010. (image: timeinc.net)
The “somewhat likely” is a bit underwhelming but the overall direction represents progress. In a recent poll of 1,000 U.S. adults, 85 percent said it was “at least somewhat likely that they would reduce household energy consumption in 2010,” reports Treehugger.
The 85 percent who will try to improve household energy conservation was followed by 84 percent who said they would recycle more frequently, and 76 percent who will buy from more environmentally responsible companies. The poll, taken by Tiller, LLC, one of the nation’s leading consultancies on the design and implementation of advocacy marketing programs, also found 72 percent of those surveyed plan on carrying their own bag into the grocery store. Two years ago, just 42 percent of Americans were willing to do this.
Reducing Environmental Impact and Saving Money by Living Off the Grid
The community of Scoraig gets its energy, in part, from wind turbines like the one above. (image: africanwindpower.com)
Living off the grid isn’t just for “hippies and environmental mavericks,” CNN reports. The news service, in a piece filed from England, says thousands of people across the pond have unhitched themselves from the power grid, generating their own electricity (through the use of things like home-installed solar panels) and water. While some say it’s a green effort, others are doing it for financial reasons, seeing it as “an antidote to rocketing energy prices and fears of economic collapse.”
Relying predominantly on wind and solar energy, the off-the-grid lifestyle isn’t just being adopted by pioneering individuals, either. A number of communities are, as CNN puts it, opting to “live unplugged.” Scoraig, a small peninsula town on the northwest coast of Scotland, is such a community. And as one local explains, the impression that residents there live a tech-free lifestyle because they’re off the grid is off base. Fifty-seven-year-old resident Hugh Piggott told CNN: “We have the same sort of facilities as everybody else—televisions, computers, fridges and washing machines. The difference is that we’re doing it with renewable energy rather than connecting to the national grid.”
Energy-Efficient LED Christmas Lights Gain Popularity
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is decorated with LED lights. (image: inhabitat.com)
As the old adage has it, Christmas is a time for giving. But considering the doleful state of the economy, one might well argue that, at least this year, Christmas ought to be a time for saving as well. As December 25 approaches, thousands of Americans have decided to replace their old incandescent holiday lights with energy-efficient, money-saving light-emitting diode (LED) lights, suggesting that, even during the season of abundance, one can be frugal as well as festive.
Sales data show that Americans are buying more LED lights than ever before. Jagdish Rebello, an electronics market analyst for iSuppli, says that LEDs will account for 25 to 50 percent of total holiday lights sales this year, despite the fact that LEDs can cost twice as much as traditional incandescent holiday lights. Indeed, Home Depot has announced a triple-digit increase in LED holiday-light sales over 2008, while Christmas Lights Etc., an online retailer, predicts a 200 percent increase in LED sales over 2008. Perhaps most telling is the fact that the nation’s most iconic Christmas trees—the humongous White House and Rockefeller trees—are decorated with LEDs.
Forward to the Past: Online Contest Participants Brave Cold to Conserve Heat
(image: imagecache2.allposters.com)
Conservation is good. That’s why we provide helpful tips on how to insulate your home; how to maintain your heating system for maximum efficiency; energy audits and how they can help you save; even how roof color can reduce your carbon footprint and energy consumption.
However, there may be taking a good thing too far. As USA Today reported Tuesday, across the nation, many people are challenging themselves and others to see how long they can go without heat this winter. There’re going back to the pre-central heat past and living—at least temperature-wise—like our ancestors did. (Obviously, northern and western residents only need apply—no boasting about not needing heat in the winter, Floridians!)
Overall, the goal is two-fold: save money and help the environment by reducing fuel usage and carbon emissions. Of course, for any one person or family, one or the other goal may predominate. For example, Laura Nichol of Maplewood, New Jersey, who won a trophy last year for going without heat, is focused on saving money, which she certainly did—she received a $1,000 credit on her utility bill. On the other hand, Deanna Duke, creator of the environmentally focused blog Crunchy Chicken, gladly takes any monetary savings, but puts helping the environment first.
Cash for Caulkers Co-Author Offers Plan’s Details, Wants Name Change
Stephen L. Cowell, energy conservation executive. (image: csgrp.com)
As President Obama’s “cash for caulkers” program remains in limbo, notably left out of a just-presented $75 billion job-creation package by House Democrats, one of the initiative’s authors defended it, saying the real issue might be more about an unfortunate nickname than anything else.
In a blog published Tuesday on the Huffington Post, Stephen L. Cowell, executive officer of the Massachusetts-based Conservation Services Group, said Shakespeare’s famous rhetorical question—‘What’s in a name?’—isn’t being applied to “cash for caulkers”…even though it should be.
Boston Proposes “Whole Neighborhood” Energy-Efficiency Plan
Boston looks to take part in the DOE’s “Retrofit Ramp-Ups” program. (image: donnymoto via flickr.com)
In mid-September, the Department of Energy announced that it would allocate $454 million for a program called “Retrofit Ramp-Ups.” With the goal of making residential, commercial, and public buildings more energy efficient, the government believes that such energy upgrades could save “$100 million annually in utility bills for households and businesses.” A major facet of this program is to upgrade entire neighborhoods at once.
On Monday, the Boston Globe reported that the city of Boston is making moves to upgrade one of its neighborhoods with funds from the federal program. Hoping to show that it is possible and desirable to renovate older urban areas, officials from the state of Massachusetts and the city of Boston are working together to acquire a $60 million federal grant for statewide renovation, $15 million of which would go directly to one Boston neighborhood.
House Shuts Cash for Caulkers Out of New Jobs Bill
South wing of the U.S. Capitol Building, where the House of Representatives recently passed over Obama's "Cash for Caulkers" proposal. (image: Dan Beards via flickr.com)
Despite President Obama’s most candid efforts to promote his “cash for caulkers” program, which he described in alluring language yesterday at a Home Depot in Virginia, Congress was not enticed, according to a report in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal. The president’s proposal, which would provide cash rebates for home energy-efficiency renovations, is conspicuously missing from the new $75 billion job-creation package unveiled yesterday by House Democratic leaders. So much for sex appeal.
White House economists believe that proposals such as cash for caulkers will create the most jobs for the least amount of federal spending. Obama has spent the last week touting the program, along with a proposal to give tax credits to small businesses that hire new employees, as the best answer to America’s soaring unemployment rate. This is surely a sign that the president would like his voice to be heard in the “jobs debate,” but as Wall Street Journal reporter Jonathan Weisman remarks, it appears that Congress is giving his proposals little thought.
House Democratic leadership aides say they aren’t ignoring the president’s ideas, they have simply decided to promote job policies that won’t prompt hesitation among Democrats as they rush to pass a bill before adjourning for Christmas. Cash for caulkers might be too ambitious and complicated for a party desperate to show it is addressing the 10% unemployment rate, and too much for president Obama to handle given his crowded domestic agenda (i.e., health care, Guantanamo). Instead, the Democrats are dolling out $35 billion for highway and transit projects, $2 billion for water projects and affordable housing development, and the remainder for school construction and renovation.
While cash for caulkers isn’t dead, it is clearly no longer on the fast track to implementation that Obama’s urgent Home Depot speech implied. HeatingOil.com will continue to follow the story as it develops.
Obama Talks Benefits of Home Energy Conservation at Home Depot
Obama talks weatherization and energy efficiency at a Home Depot in Alexandria, Virginia. (image: reuters.com)
Standing in a Home Depot in Alexandria, Virginia, President Obama yesterday made known his most private thoughts on home weatherization. “I know the idea may not be very glamorous, although I get really excited about it,” the president said, according to ABC News. “Here’s what’s sexy about it: saving money.” Rather than ignite a Clintonian scandal, Obama’s candid fetishizing of home energy efficiency is meant to make retrofitting more appealing to the general public. Mindful of the old advertising adage “sex sells,” the president has made himself the campaign’s leading spokesperson, one who’s unafraid to talk dirty if it means making American homes more energy-efficient.
President Obama’s “Cash for Caulkers” proposal would reimburse homeowners for energy-efficient appliances and insulation as part of a broader plan to stimulate the economy and create jobs. The proposal includes designation of money for homeowners who undertake home efficiency improvements, while also offering funding to companies in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency sectors. Individual homeowners could receive up to $12,000 for weatherization-related expenditures. Backed by the promise of cash rebates, retrofitting suddenly becomes a rather—uh—enticing prospect.
Cash for Caulkers Could be Modeled on NY State Program
Obama drumming up support for cash for caulkers. (image: csmonitor.com)
CNN Money reports that the proposed energy-saving “Cash for Caulkers” may look something like an existing program in New York State.
The federal program is still in the planning stages, so any commentary on how it may turn out is only speculation at this point. What we do know is that homeowners could receive up to $12,000 in rebates for upgrading to more energy-conserving heating equipment, windows, insulation, etc.
CNN suggests that the Home Performance program run by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) might serve as a model for the nationwide effort. NYSERDA reimburses homeowners 10% of what they spend on energy-saving home improvements, or as CNN puts it: “hire [an energy audit licensed] contractor to do a home audit and perform the work. Soon after, voila, a reimbursement check arrives.” After homeowners submit their own paperwork for the rebate, a check generally arrives within 30 days.
Energy Efficiency Displays Will Be Commonplace by 2015
Google’s PowerMeter is one energy information display that consumers can use to conserve energy and lower their bills. (image: sciencemag.org)
If you think it’s impossible to actually keep track of your electricity use, how you use it, or when you use it, think again. Green Tech reports that it’s only a matter of time before many of us will have access to a wealth of information about our energy usage. According to Pike Research, by 2015 there will be 28.1 million users of home energy information displays—accessed through smart meters, Web-based dashboards, or mobile phones—that will enable us to view our electricity consumption, often in real time.
The logic goes that making people aware of their energy consumption will help them to lower it through a variety of ways: by implementing a programmable heating and cooling system, or using energy-heavy appliances such as dryers at off-peak times, or by simply unplugging appliances they aren’t using on a constant basis. Studies have found that a combination of more detailed information and utility-run incentive programs can help consumers lower between 5 percent and 15 percent off their bills.
Smart metering is an important part of President Obama’s stimulus package. In October he named 100 utility projects that will split $3.4 billion in federal stimulus funding to hasten deployment of a smart electric grid that works in tandem with energy information display systems.
Though the smart meter business is still in its infancy, big players like Microsoft and Google both have Web dashboards, and the field is getting crowded with a number of providers from very different fields. The smart-grid stimulus program is expected to result in over 1 million homes getting these displays for free from utility companies. Many energy information display companies are developing gateways using home Internet connections to read existing meter data and software to provide suggestions to consumers, which could make checking your energy usage as easy as checking your email.
This Week in Heating Oil: Cash for Caulkers
While Copenhagen was the big story this week in energy news (our own Kristy Kershaw has been providing coverage all week long), President Obama made an announcement that may hit closer to home. On Tuesday Obama proposed a “Cash for Caulkers” program that would offer rebates to homeowners for a variety of energy-efficiency measures, from home energy audits to a buying a more energy-efficient washing machine. Though no details have been finalized, early statements suggest that homeowners could save up to $12,000. Energy conservation can help give heating oil consumers control over their home heating bills.
Will Cash for Caulkers Work?
Even with rebates, how many Americans will embrace energy efficiency in their homes? (image: volunteer_story via flickr.com)
After finding success getting Americans to go green(er) with their cars in his Cash for Clunkers program, President Obama is trying a similar trick with the Cash for Caulkers push. The campaign, intended to encourage Americans to weatherize their homes, thereby conserving energy and creating jobs, is not without its critics, though. The Atlantic Wire compiled a number of opinions on Cash for Caulkers, which supporters say could be a boon for both contractors and homeowners, but may not ultimately catch on the way Cash for Clunkers did.
Brian Merchant of TreeHugger says that, by allowing Americans to invest in energy-efficient upgrades to their homes, the program is “one of the smartest, easiest and most effective” ways to cut down on carbon emissions. Ezra Klein at the Washington Post and David Leonhardt of the New York Times note that the program could also create jobs and stimulate a sector of the economy—construction—hit particularly hard by the recession.
Cash for Caulkers, despite delivering up to $12,000 in rebates to individual homeowners, may not catch on the way Clunkers did. Corbin Hiar at Mother Jones says that Americans are “more accustomed to purchasing cars than insulation,” while Drea Knufken of Business Pundit is doubtful that homeowners will be able to come up the other couple of thousand dollars needed for their half of these green renovations. Perhaps most harshly, Karen De Coster of the LRC Blog called the program a glorified version of “homeowner welfare” aimed at “politically correct home retrofits.”
NJ Rebate Program for More Efficient Heating Oil Equipment Nears Final Approval
New Jersey's Clean Energy program logo. (image: rowan.edu)
NorthJersey.com reported yesterday that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has submitted an $8.33 million proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy for funding for a rebate program encouraging NJ residents to upgrade to more efficient Energy Star appliances. The BPU expects to be able to launch the program on Jan. 1, 2010. According to BPU Chairwoman Jeanne M. Fox, the new funding will expand an existing state program that already reaches “330,000 New Jersey residents, representing a savings to those residents of approximately $78 million per year.” Heating oil customers will benefit from the program with a $300 rebate on new burners and boilers, among other incentives. Consumers can find more information about the program at http://www.njcleanenergy.com/.
Maine Bill Calls for Less Sulfur in Heating Oil
Maine legislators and park officials speaking about a proposal to reduce the sulfur content of heating fuels.(image: bangordailynews.com)
State legislators in Maine began discussing a new bill yesterday that would limit the amount of sulfur contained in residential and industrial heating fuel, the Bangor Daily News has reported. The bill, proposed by Senator Seth Goodall (D-Richmond), calls for a sulfur cap of 15 parts per million by 2018, a substantial (if not tremendous) reduction given that the average sulfur content of heating fuel is currently 2,000 to 3,000 parts per million. The lawmakers, who met with park officials in Maine’s Acadia National Park, hope that a sulfur cap will help preserve one of the state’s most precious natural resources: its clean air.
Maine’s tourist industry is predicated on blue skies and pristine views. But large amounts of sulfur, released into the atmosphere when heating oil is burned, threaten the purity of the environment. Thus, the new sulfur-cap bill is important to the future of Acadia Park, and many others in the state. “Air quality means a lot to our visitors,” Acadia’s superintendent, Sheridan Steele, said on Tuesday, noting that a clear view of the Cadillac Mountain summit is a big draw for millions of tourists each year. According to Stephanie Clement, conservation director for the advocacy group Friends of Acadia, “People come to Maine for its clean, natural environment. We want to make sure that continues for generations.”
Obama’s Cash for Caulkers Proposal Offers up to $12,000 Per Home
Government reimbursements could entice more people to make their homes more energy efficient. (image: jladvenco.com)
Okay, the name is a little corny, but who cares when we’re talking up to $12,000 in rebates?
That’s the amount a homeowner could receive under a new program proposed by President Obama on Tuesday, reports CNN Money. “Cash for Caulkers” would reimburse homeowners for energy-efficient appliances and insulation as part of a broader plan to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
Immediate details were not provided, but the administration said it would work with Congress to craft legislation. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is helping to write the bill. This program, also known as Homestar is an evolution of a plan suggested by venture capitalist John Doerr.
Prepare for Copenhagen with this Climate Change Reading List
There are libraries of books on climate change, but NPR offers a short list to get you started. (image: austinevan via flickr.com)
For laymen who are looking forward to next week’s climate change summit in Copenhagen, it is time to start cramming. On Thursday, National Public Radio presented listeners with a list of books that will give readers greater insight into the various ins and outs of climate change legislation and the overall global warming debate.
Although they all deal with climate change in some way, the books vary in approach. Some focus on the scientific aspects of global warming, while others take a step back and look at the debate itself. Another topic addressed is what individuals can do to limit energy use in their own households in order to save money and cut carbon emissions.
Though it is highly unlikely that the Copenhagen summit will settle all of the debates and problems surrounding climate change, with books like these at least individual readers and consumers can gain insight into the debates and perhaps do their part by becoming more energy conscious.
How To Build Your Own Electricity-Generating Wind Turbine
Ever wanted to build one of these? (image: scienceprog.com)
Feeling crafty and green? Then check out Viking M. Services instructional video on “How to Build a Cheap Wind Generator.” The video is really well done. John Park is easy to understand and thorough, explaining how to get the job done, as well as some of the science that goes into the process. The end result promises to charge a 12-volt storage battery, as well as “demystify the process of turning wind into electricity.”
Keep in mind that this project does require some intermediate-to-advanced technical skills, some power tools, and materials that may be tough to find. If you already have some know-how and access to tools, it’s a great way to save some money on your electricity bills.
If, on the other hand, this project is too ambitious for you (as it would be for me!), there are plenty of other ways you can make your home more energy efficient. Check out our own Steven Zweig’s piece on basic green improvements that can save you a lot of money.
Whatever route you choose, good luck and let us know how it goes!
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