Happy Earth Day Tacoma!

Obama Administration Announces Plans to Install New Solar Panels on the White House Residence

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Nancy Sutley today announced plans to install solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House Residence. These two solar installations will be part of a Department of Energy demonstration project showing that American solar technologies are available, reliable, and ready for installation in homes throughout the country. Secretary Chu and Chair Sutley made the announcement during CEQ's 2010 GreenGov Symposium, which is bringing together leaders from federal, state, and local governments, nonprofit and academic communities, and the private sector to identify opportunities around greening the federal government.

"This project reflects President Obama's strong commitment to U.S. leadership in solar energy and the jobs it will create here at home," said Secretary Chu. "Deploying solar energy technologies across the country will help America lead the global economy for years to come."

"President Obama has said the federal government has to lead by example in creating opportunity and jobs in clean energy," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "By installing solar panels on arguably the most famous house in the country, his residence, the president is underscoring that commitment to lead and the promise and importance of renewable energy in the United States."

The PV system will convert sunlight directly to electricity. The solar hot water heater will have a solar collector facing the sun that will heat water for use in the White House residence. The Department of Energy will now begin a competitive procurement process to select the company responsible for the installations.

By installing solar panels on their homes, consumers are able to effectively lock in the price of electricity they will pay in the years ahead, acting as an insulator against future rises in electricity prices since the systems installed in homes today are expected to last approximately thirty years. Financial incentives are also available to offset the initial costs of installing solar energy systems, including a 30% federal tax credit and additional state, local, and utility incentive programs to encourage the deployment of renewable energy. Visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency Web site for additional information about state, local, and utility rebates for solar generation throughout the country.

The deployment of solar energy and other renewable energy sources will help expand U.S. clean energy manufacturing and create new jobs for American workers. As a result of investments under the Recovery Act, the solar energy industry is growing and solar resources can now be seen in communities nationwide. In the coming years, continued investments in innovation and cutting-edge solar technologies will help make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional electricity sources all across the country.

This announcement is made on the one-year anniversary of President Obama's Executive Order 13514 on Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, which called on the federal government to lead by example towards a clean energy economy and reduce, measure, and report direct and indirect greenhouse gas pollution. In support of this goal, the Department of Energy also released "Procuring Solar Energy: A Guide for Federal Facility Decision Makers" to support the use of solar energy throughout the federal government. The full guide is available.

Cost-Saving Tips for the home!

1. Don't Wait to Insulate
Upgrading your insulation to a higher R-value can lower energy costs dramatically. Start with insulating the attic and unheated crawl spaces. Sealing ducts, caulking, and weatherstripping reduce energy loss even more.

2. Lower the Flow
Your old shower head probably delivers a lot more water than you really need. Reduce that to 2.5 gallons a minute or less with today's standard shower head – it can make a difference in your water bill. For even greater savings, replace your old toilets with today's standard low flush models that use 1.6 gallons or less per flush.

3. Reduce the Runoff
Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems can lower your water bills by delivering water directly where you need it. By reducing or eliminating runoff, you also reduce the burden of fertilizers and pesticides on our lakes, streams, and oceans and still have a gorgeous garden or lawn.

4. Try Branching Out
For an all-around environmental boost, plant a tree. When properly sited, trees and other landscaping can save up to 30% in home cooling and heating costs. They also help cool your community and make your Smart Choice home even more enjoyable.

5. Clear the Air
Tune up your systems to make your family more comfortable while you save on heating and cooling costs. Upgrading and properly maintaining your home air filters is easy and helps improve indoor air quality. Vented range hoods and room exhaust fans also help remove smoke, moisture, airborne bacteria, and other indoor air pollutants.

For the most meticulous buyer!

This homes smart interior layout and connection to the outdoors brings indoor-outdoor living to the historic North Slope Neighborhood.

- All of the wood in home is SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) certified wood

- Sierra Pacific triple glazed Low E windows. Blocks enough solar heat that cooling loads can be cut by 25% or more compared to low E & clear glass.

- Cutting technology insulation using blown in batt insulation which surpasses code with an R24 rating.

- Energy-efficient CFL recessed lighting using up to 80% less energy than incandescent.

- Passive lighting & ventilation

- Skylights open and close automatically with weather changes

- Low V.O.C paint

- Low water consumption and dual flush toilets

- High-efficiency gas fired furnace

- RHEEM Marathon hot water heater. High-efficiency design with a lightweight tank that won’t corrode

- Native landscaping

- Eco paver permeable driveway

- Pre-wired for 3kw solar panels

- Programmable thermostat

- Why a metal roof? Although a metal roof may cost 2 or 3 times more than the traditional asphalt shingle roof, they are also last much longer -- up to 50 or more years. And that’s with very little maintenance as well as lower energy costs. They are also an environmentally friendly choice in that they are composed of mostly recycled materials. In addition, they provide better fire protection and can improve resale value of a home.

- Carpet in basement is Earth Weave carpet constructed of pure all natural chemical free wool

- High-end kitchen features butlers pantry, Miele induction cook top, Liebeherr high-efficiency built-in refrigerator

- You will find extra electrical outlets throughout this home and has been designed for today’s needs. Extra circuits, plugs and switches are located throughout

- Wood Trim: Note the use of clear natural hemlock (sustainable forest certified) throughout the home. A typical home today would be trimmed with MDF

- Custom Cabinetry: All of the cabinetry has been custom designed and built with quality materials.

Want to save money on utilities this summer?

In the basement: Cleaning air conditioning filters every month and getting your system checked by a professional once a year will ensure that it's functioning as efficiently and inexpensively as possible. "A lot of people don't do that—they ignore the AC system until something goes wrong," then they end up buying an entirely new unit instead of making minor fixes.

If you need a new air conditioner, an energy efficient one might be eligible for a tax credit (check at www.energystar.gov). When you're shopping around, look for a unit with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio of 16 to 21, the highest level of efficiency. Another option is a geothermal heating and cooling system, which utilizes pipes running from the more stable, ambient temperatures found five feet underground year-round into your home, where they pump heat in or out, depending on the season.

Throughout the house: "Make sure your house is leak-free," says Alliance to Save Energy spokeswoman Ronnie Kweller, or else "nice, cold, expensive air is going out the cracks." You might want to consider assigning this task to a professional. Through the Energy Star online directory, you can find a local auditor who will use diagnostic equipment to test your home for areas where air conditioning might escape. Your auditor will probably do what's known as a blower door test, which lowers the air pressure in your home and reveals leaks. He or she may also take a photo of your house with a thermographic camera, with the red areas of the photo indicating where better insulation and sealing are needed.

If you don't want to shell out money for an energy auditor, you can perform a casual energy audit yourself. Efficiency experts recommend feeling around baseboards, windows, doors, light switches, and electrical sockets for air leaks. Air can escape or enter anywhere that two different building materials meet. Kweller also recommends walking around your house with incense to see if the smoke blows in when you pass windows. Kweller says old, wooden windows are especially prone to this kind of leakage

If you find problem areas, seal it with foam or caulking, which you can find at the hardware store. Insulation that meets certain efficiency criteria is also eligible for the federal tax credits. Kweller says properly sealing your house can save up to 20 percent on your utility bill.

In the living room: There's nothing wrong with hosting movie nights this summer, but make sure you shut your entertainment center down when the evening's over. Simply turning off a television set doesn't put a stop to so-called "vampire power"—the power that devices consume even when they're not in use. That's why you should either unplug your electronics or use a Smart Strip, which cuts power when it's not needed.

In the bathroom: If you don't want to spend money on a low-flow toilet, you can still make yours more efficient by dropping a soda bottle filled with sand or water into the back. It will use less water each time it flushes. Ivan Chan of carbonfund.org adds that small steps such as turning the water off while brushing your teeth or shaving can save a substantial amount of water (and money on your water bill) each year. He also recommends installing a water conserving showerhead.

ECOINSULATE

I have had the privilege of working with this company and they are amazing! If you are thinking about insulating your home this is by far an amazing product!

How To Recycle Everything Wrong

Recycling is not all that tricky, but some people waste a lot of time doing stuff they shouldn’t. For example below are some surefire ways to recycle incorrectly…

•Crush all cans carefully – waste o’ time. Nowadays you don’t need to do this step. Recycling centers take un-crushed cans happily.
•Toss greasy and food ridden cardboard into the recycling bin. Sadly, this can mess up an entire load of recyclables. Recycling center machines are fit to take on grease and grime. If you’ve got sticky, messy, greasy paper you need to toss it not recycle it.
•Don’t sort the recycling – some recycling centers will sort if you don’t but others will just toss bins full of mixed goods which does no one any good. Set up a home recycling center and sort your recyclables.
•Be a perfectionist about food in jars – the machinery at the recycling center will zap that excess mayo or peanut butter out of a jar. In fact, if a lemon is stuck in a beer bottle or you can’t remove food from inside a narrow container you can still recycle it.
•Fail to recycle glossy paper – most recycling facilities do take old magazines and other glossy paper now. Check to be sure, but don’t just assume you can’t recycle it.
•Recycle before you re-purpose – recycling actually uses a fair amount of energy. IF you can re-purpose an item first, you should.
•Toss anything into the bins – many items need to be recycled in a different manner than your recycling center can deal with. For example, toys and dishes and the like should go to the thrift store, CFLs need to go to a CFL specific center, hazardous waste is a whole other issue, and food can be composted. Don’t recycle willy nilly.
And the number one best way to recycle wrong – don’t bother at all – who cares if you trash the planet?