Making the Most of Residential Energy Efficiency Federal Tax Credits
Feb 24, 2009
Certainteed Release
Making the Most of Residential Energy Efficiency Federal Tax Credits Included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly reinstated federal tax credits for residential energy efficiency makes 2009 the perfect time for American homeowners to evaluate their homes. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which was signed into law on Feb. 18, 2009, homeowners can receive up to $1500 in tax credits for investments in insulation, exterior doors and windows.
By maximizing a home's efficiency, homeowners can reduce their utility bills and ultimately lessen their impact on the environment. According to the ENERGY STAR(R) program, ensuring adequate insulation and proper air sealing and caulking can save homeowners up to 20 percent on utility bills. Coupled with the residential energy efficiency tax credits, this can add up to a healthy return on investment.
Drawing from more than 50 years of experience insulating homes throughout the United States, CertainTeed Insulation offers the following tips and advice:
-- Conduct a home energy audit. An auditor can pinpoint areas where your home loses valuable energy and can suggest ways to conserve heating fuel, hot water and electricity. Visit energystar.gov to locate an auditor in your area.
-- Stay on top of rising energy costs. Plan ahead and don't get blind sided by high utility bills. Organizations like the Alliance to Save Energy, ase.org, offer tools that project upcoming energy costs in your state.
-- Know the recommended R-value in your area. In simple terms, R-value is a measure of the insulating power of insulation. Colder climates require a higher R-value to ensure a comfortable, energy efficient home. To determine the right R-value for your area, visit the U.S. Department of Energy website at doe.gov.
-- Choose the right insulation for the right area of a home. For example, blow-in insulation, such as InsulSafe(R) SP Premium Blowing Wool, provides uniform coverage that won't settle and is perfect for attic areas. Fiberglass batt insulation is a popular option for walls and in below-grade areas, such as unfinished basements. Visit certainteed.com to find a local contractor that can help determine the best solution for your home.
-- Consider the "big picture." Proper home insulation equates to less energy usage. Ultimately, this means less fossil fuel is burned to produce energy, resulting in a reduction of polluting gases emitted into the atmosphere. Considering the average home causes the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide -- the principle greenhouse gas -- as the average car, home insulation can go a long way reducing the impact on the environment.
CertainTeed offers a comprehensive line of insulation products, including time-tested and trusted fiberglass insulation batts and rolls, fiberglass blow-in insulation, polyurethane spray foam, innovative vapor retarder technology, as well as highly regarded HVAC products. All of CertainTeed's insulation products can help building professionals qualify toward credits for both the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED(R)) through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the National Association of Home Builders' Green Building (NAHB) Program.
For more information or to find a qualified contractor in your area, visit certainteed.com.
To learn more about the ARRA, visit certainteed.com/energypolicyact or the Internal Revenue Service website at irs.gov.
Images, product samples and industry comment are available upon request. To speak to an insulation expert, contact Mike Loughery of CertainTeed Corporation at mike.b.loughery@saint-gobain.com or 610-341-7328.
About CertainTeed
Through innovation and creative product design, CertainTeed has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm made its slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," which quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed(R) is North America's leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, windows, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers.
Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 6,000 employees and more than 65 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. In 2008 the group had total sales of more than $3 billion. www.certainteed.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Lighting Control Solutions
Feb 24, 2009
The Guardian (UK)
China's increasing carbon emissions blamed on manufacturing for west
New research shows extent of 'off-shore' emissions as Chinese manfacturing for US accounts for 6% of total
The full extent of the west's responsibility for Chinese emissions of greenhouse gases has been revealed by a new study. The report shows that half of the recent rise in China's carbon dioxide pollution was caused by the manufacturing of goods for other countries — particularly developed nations such as the UK.
Last year, China officially overtook the US as the world's biggest CO2 emitter. But the new research shows that around a third of all Chinese carbon emissions are the result of producing goods for export.
The research, due to be published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, underlines "off-shored emissions" as a key unresolved issue in the run up to this year's crucial Copenhagen summit, at which world leaders will attempt to thrash out a deal to replace the Kyoto protocol.
Developing countries are under pressure to commit to binding emissions cuts in Copenhagen. But China is resistant, partly because it does not accept responsibility for the emissions involved in producing goods for foreign markets.
Under Kyoto, emissions are allocated to the country where they are produced. By these rules, the UK can claim to have reduced emissions by about 18% since 1990 – more than sufficient to meet its Kyoto target.
But research published last year by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) suggests that, once imports, exports and international transport are accounted for, the real change for the UK has been a rise in emissions of more than 20%.
China, as the world's biggest export manufacturer, is key to explaining this kind of discrepancy. According to Glen Peters, one of the authors of the new report at Oslo's Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research, around 9% of total Chinese emissions are now the result of manufacturing goods for the US, and around 6% are from producing goods for Europe.
Academics and campaigners increasingly say responsibility for these emissions lies with the consumer countries.
Dieter Helm, professor of economics at Oxford University, said "focusing on consumption rather than production of emissions is the only intellectually and ethically sound solution. We've simply outsourced our production. If you add foreign manufacturing emissions to the transport emissions of bringing things from abroad, and you consider the lower energy efficiency and greater use of coal in China, then the result is hugely significant."
By contrast, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc), argues that these "embedded emissions" in Chinese-produced goods are "not the UK's emissions; the UK calculates and reports its emissions according to the internationally agreed criteria set out by the UN."
However, Decc admitted to the Guardian that "the footprint associated with the UK's consumption has risen".
Elliott Morley, chairman of the energy and climate change committee, believes importers and exporters share responsibility for the environmental impact. "Everyone has some responsibility. It is true that UK emissions have been off-shored. But the UK has paid a price in terms of lost jobs, while China has benefited from job creation."
Even if world leaders did agree a deal based on consumption rather than production of CO2, it is unclear how national figures would be calculated.
Jonathon Porritt, head of the Sustainable Development Commission, said: "Ultimately, the only place to register emissions is in the country of origin – in this case, China. Otherwise, the whole global accounting system for greenhouse gases will be undermined by the complexity of double-accounting."
The difficulty of measuring exported emissions is reflected in the fact that the new research focuses on the years 2002 to 2005. Relevant trade data is not yet available for subsequent years.
However, Dieter Helm believes these challenges can be overcome. "It's complicated but there are ways of taking consumption into account, such as a border tax on carbon transfer", he said.The bigger obstacle, Helm believes, is political will. "Few policymakers have come out in favour of a consumption model", he said, "because the implications are quite radical. "
Commenting on the report's implications, Glen Peters said, "We're not saying that trade is bad, or that we shouldn't trade with China. The question is how China's comparative advantage in low-cost manufacturing can be applied in environmentally friendly ways. If China focused on exporting wind turbines and low-energy lightbulbs, for example, that would be a win-win."
The Guardian (UK)
China's increasing carbon emissions blamed on manufacturing for west
New research shows extent of 'off-shore' emissions as Chinese manfacturing for US accounts for 6% of total
The full extent of the west's responsibility for Chinese emissions of greenhouse gases has been revealed by a new study. The report shows that half of the recent rise in China's carbon dioxide pollution was caused by the manufacturing of goods for other countries — particularly developed nations such as the UK.
Last year, China officially overtook the US as the world's biggest CO2 emitter. But the new research shows that around a third of all Chinese carbon emissions are the result of producing goods for export.
The research, due to be published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, underlines "off-shored emissions" as a key unresolved issue in the run up to this year's crucial Copenhagen summit, at which world leaders will attempt to thrash out a deal to replace the Kyoto protocol.
Developing countries are under pressure to commit to binding emissions cuts in Copenhagen. But China is resistant, partly because it does not accept responsibility for the emissions involved in producing goods for foreign markets.
Under Kyoto, emissions are allocated to the country where they are produced. By these rules, the UK can claim to have reduced emissions by about 18% since 1990 – more than sufficient to meet its Kyoto target.
But research published last year by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) suggests that, once imports, exports and international transport are accounted for, the real change for the UK has been a rise in emissions of more than 20%.
China, as the world's biggest export manufacturer, is key to explaining this kind of discrepancy. According to Glen Peters, one of the authors of the new report at Oslo's Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research, around 9% of total Chinese emissions are now the result of manufacturing goods for the US, and around 6% are from producing goods for Europe.
Academics and campaigners increasingly say responsibility for these emissions lies with the consumer countries.
Dieter Helm, professor of economics at Oxford University, said "focusing on consumption rather than production of emissions is the only intellectually and ethically sound solution. We've simply outsourced our production. If you add foreign manufacturing emissions to the transport emissions of bringing things from abroad, and you consider the lower energy efficiency and greater use of coal in China, then the result is hugely significant."
By contrast, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc), argues that these "embedded emissions" in Chinese-produced goods are "not the UK's emissions; the UK calculates and reports its emissions according to the internationally agreed criteria set out by the UN."
However, Decc admitted to the Guardian that "the footprint associated with the UK's consumption has risen".
Elliott Morley, chairman of the energy and climate change committee, believes importers and exporters share responsibility for the environmental impact. "Everyone has some responsibility. It is true that UK emissions have been off-shored. But the UK has paid a price in terms of lost jobs, while China has benefited from job creation."
Even if world leaders did agree a deal based on consumption rather than production of CO2, it is unclear how national figures would be calculated.
Jonathon Porritt, head of the Sustainable Development Commission, said: "Ultimately, the only place to register emissions is in the country of origin – in this case, China. Otherwise, the whole global accounting system for greenhouse gases will be undermined by the complexity of double-accounting."
The difficulty of measuring exported emissions is reflected in the fact that the new research focuses on the years 2002 to 2005. Relevant trade data is not yet available for subsequent years.
However, Dieter Helm believes these challenges can be overcome. "It's complicated but there are ways of taking consumption into account, such as a border tax on carbon transfer", he said.The bigger obstacle, Helm believes, is political will. "Few policymakers have come out in favour of a consumption model", he said, "because the implications are quite radical. "
Commenting on the report's implications, Glen Peters said, "We're not saying that trade is bad, or that we shouldn't trade with China. The question is how China's comparative advantage in low-cost manufacturing can be applied in environmentally friendly ways. If China focused on exporting wind turbines and low-energy lightbulbs, for example, that would be a win-win."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Energy Management
More birds stay north during winter months Audubon Society sees it as evidence of climate change
Feb 11, 2009
Chicago Tribune
Michael Hawthorne
Feb. 11, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Once a harbinger of spring in the Chicago area, the American robin increasingly is hanging around for the winter too.
Their familiar dawn-to-dusk caroling might not be as prevalent when snow is on the ground. But robins are among scores of bird species that are steadily moving northward as average temperatures across the United States get higher, according to an Audubon Society study released Tuesday.
More than half of the 305 species in North America are spending winters at least 35 miles farther north than they did 40 years ago, the study found. During the same period, the nation's average January temperature rose about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the changes appear to be less significant in Illinois than in other parts of the nation, nearly 20 bird species in the state have shifted their ranges farther north, the study found. Robins moved the farthest among species seen locally, and now are wintering about 200 miles north of where they did four decades ago.
Other transients include the turkey vulture, Eastern bluebird and hermit thrush, all of which now are seen more frequently in the Chicago area during the winter. Meanwhile, some species rarely seen in Illinois, such as the rough-legged hawk and pine siskin, have become virtual no-shows because they hang out even farther north nowadays.
Researchers say the findings are another sign that climate change is having direct effects far beyond the Arctic and Antarctic. It also backs up anecdotal evidence collected by birders, who have speculated for years that rising global temperatures are leading many species north.
"Some of these birds have almost vanished from the state during the winter," said Judy Pollock, director of bird conservation for the Audubon Chicago Region. "Others are being seen in far greater numbers, drawn perhaps by warmer temperatures and more abundant food supplies."
Indeed, bird ranges can change for various reasons, including habitat loss from urban sprawl and deforestation. Even backyard feeders can have an impact. But authors of the Audubon study said climate change is the only plausible reason so many different birds across the U.S. have shifted north during the past four decades.
Doug Stotz, a conservation ornithologist at the Field Museum, said researchers are just beginning to understand how changes in temperature, vegetation and food supplies are affecting different species. Local biologists have focused more intently on other threats, including loss of habitats and bird crashes into skyscrapers.
The Audubon study is limited to data from the society's Christmas Bird Count, and more research is needed to discover how species are affected during the spring breeding season, Stotz said.
For example, earlier springs might spawn bursts of insects before migratory birds arrive from wintering grounds farther south, meaning the birds would have less to eat when they get here. Changes in vegetation also could play a role if trees and shrubs bud before or after birds fly through the area.
Nationwide, the Audubon study found that one-fourth of the species tracked wintered farther south between 1966 and 2005. The number moving farther north, though, is twice that.
Audubon officials said the study should help support legislation pending before Congress that would cap heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions for the first time. President Barack Obama has set a target of reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2050.
"These birds are like canaries in the coal mine," said John Flicker, Audubon's president. "We are witnessing an uncontrolled experiment on the birds and the world we share with them."
Climate change affects each species differently. But the Audubon study suggests that birds in some cases adapt better than other species.
"Some of these birds have moved hundreds of miles," Stotz said. "It takes centuries for a snake to pull that off."
Feb 11, 2009
Chicago Tribune
Michael Hawthorne
Feb. 11, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Once a harbinger of spring in the Chicago area, the American robin increasingly is hanging around for the winter too.
Their familiar dawn-to-dusk caroling might not be as prevalent when snow is on the ground. But robins are among scores of bird species that are steadily moving northward as average temperatures across the United States get higher, according to an Audubon Society study released Tuesday.
More than half of the 305 species in North America are spending winters at least 35 miles farther north than they did 40 years ago, the study found. During the same period, the nation's average January temperature rose about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the changes appear to be less significant in Illinois than in other parts of the nation, nearly 20 bird species in the state have shifted their ranges farther north, the study found. Robins moved the farthest among species seen locally, and now are wintering about 200 miles north of where they did four decades ago.
Other transients include the turkey vulture, Eastern bluebird and hermit thrush, all of which now are seen more frequently in the Chicago area during the winter. Meanwhile, some species rarely seen in Illinois, such as the rough-legged hawk and pine siskin, have become virtual no-shows because they hang out even farther north nowadays.
Researchers say the findings are another sign that climate change is having direct effects far beyond the Arctic and Antarctic. It also backs up anecdotal evidence collected by birders, who have speculated for years that rising global temperatures are leading many species north.
"Some of these birds have almost vanished from the state during the winter," said Judy Pollock, director of bird conservation for the Audubon Chicago Region. "Others are being seen in far greater numbers, drawn perhaps by warmer temperatures and more abundant food supplies."
Indeed, bird ranges can change for various reasons, including habitat loss from urban sprawl and deforestation. Even backyard feeders can have an impact. But authors of the Audubon study said climate change is the only plausible reason so many different birds across the U.S. have shifted north during the past four decades.
Doug Stotz, a conservation ornithologist at the Field Museum, said researchers are just beginning to understand how changes in temperature, vegetation and food supplies are affecting different species. Local biologists have focused more intently on other threats, including loss of habitats and bird crashes into skyscrapers.
The Audubon study is limited to data from the society's Christmas Bird Count, and more research is needed to discover how species are affected during the spring breeding season, Stotz said.
For example, earlier springs might spawn bursts of insects before migratory birds arrive from wintering grounds farther south, meaning the birds would have less to eat when they get here. Changes in vegetation also could play a role if trees and shrubs bud before or after birds fly through the area.
Nationwide, the Audubon study found that one-fourth of the species tracked wintered farther south between 1966 and 2005. The number moving farther north, though, is twice that.
Audubon officials said the study should help support legislation pending before Congress that would cap heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions for the first time. President Barack Obama has set a target of reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2050.
"These birds are like canaries in the coal mine," said John Flicker, Audubon's president. "We are witnessing an uncontrolled experiment on the birds and the world we share with them."
Climate change affects each species differently. But the Audubon study suggests that birds in some cases adapt better than other species.
"Some of these birds have moved hundreds of miles," Stotz said. "It takes centuries for a snake to pull that off."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)