ecobeco's
August 2009 Newsletter
ecoTips, News,
Deals, and More - And it's
Free!
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Hello,
This month's newsletter features some exciting
announcements as the EmPower Maryland Program launches
its first program for BGE customers. ecobeco is
proud to be among the first group of certified Home
Energy Auditors to participate in this program. We also
talk about ways to avoid higher bills during the summer
heat, and we announce a new version of our
ecoAssessment. Read on.
- BGE Launches Smart Energy Savers Program that
includes new incentives for energy efficiency
improvements.
- ecobeco launches Energy Efficiency and Green
Energy ecoAssessment.
- August's ecoTip - Have a Cool Summer Without
Breaking the Bank.
- Refer your friends and we'll thank you with some
Green $$$.
- New Problem Corner - identifying gas combustion
problems.
- Events Update - Intro to Energy Audits, Arlington
County Fair, Green Festival.
- 99 Cent CFLs and Dimmable CFLs.
- ecobeco's Home Energy Audits - A Great Value.
- Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency.
- ecobeco partners with PEG Environmental Solutions
to launch energy efficiency audits and education
programs for condominiums / multi-family
residences.
- Montgomery County Residents get $250 of FREE
Energy-Efficiency Products.
- Store
Hours.
Enjoy! |
BGE Launches
Smart Energy Savers Program that includes new incentives
for energy efficiency
improvements
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In
order for Maryland to meet the energy efficiency goals
set forth in the EmPower Maryland legislation, Baltimore
Gas & Electric has launched a new series of programs
designed to help you make your home more energy
efficient. This program is for customers who
receive BGE bills for electricity or gas
services.
ecobeco
is a certified provider in BGE's Home Performance with
ENERGY STAR program. To qualify for these
incentives, you must first get a Home Energy Audit from
a certified BGE Smart Energy Auditor like ecobeco.
Then, based on your audit, if you implement any of the
following retrofits, you can receive the incentive
through a mail-in-rebate.
These
incentives are in addition to any local, state or
federal incentives you may qualify for based on where
you live.
Contact
ecobeco to learn
more.
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ecobeco launches
Energy Efficiency and Green Energy
ecoAssessment
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We're
very excited to introduce the newest product to our
line-up, the Energy
Efficiency and Green Energy ecoAssessment.
This new product provides a walk-through of the home to
determine
energy efficiency opportunities in addition to
evaluating your
home for renewable, solar energy. This
product takes about 90 minutes to complete and costs
only $99.99.
Customers who are Clean
Currents Chesapeake Green (wind energy) subscribers or
sign up to become subscribers save $50! Please
note that Clean Currents Chesapeake Green is available
only in Maryland and DC.
Our original Energy
Efficiency + Lifestyle ecoAssessment is also available
for $149.
To learn more about ecoAssessments,
visit www.ecobeco.com/ecoassessment.asp
To
sign up, visit www.ecobeco.com/schedule |
August's ecoTip -
Have a Cool Summer Without Breaking the
Bank
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Saving
energy on cooling is just as important as important as
saving on heating. While modern air conditioning
provides houses with relief from the summer heat,
centralized air conditioning requires refrigerants
(older ACs emit vapors that can deplete the ozone layer)
and significant amounts of electric power (especially
the expensive "peak-load" electricity).
There are
several steps that you can take to keep cool before you
turn on your air conditioner that will save both the
environment and your wallet. The first and best of these
techniques is to stop solar heat from being absorbed by
your home. Reflective,
light-colored surfaces don't absorb solar energy as
readily as darker surfaces. Thus, lighter-colored
roofs and exterior paints can reduce a process known as
solar heat gain. You can paint your roof, or wait
until the next time you need to replace your roof.
There are ENERGY STAR certified roof shingles such as
the Certainteed X25 Star White (shown above) that cost
the same as any other shingle color.
Blocking
solar radiation through the appropriate use of shading
also can provide significant help in cooling down a
house. Tree shade and awnings around windows can reduce
heat gain by up to 75% according to the D.O.E. and is
particularly effective on southern and west facing
windows. Trees and foliage can also provide
further help with cooling by creating microclimates. As
green plants go through the process of photosynthesis
they release oxygen and water vapor. Thus, trees not
only block sunlight, but can actively cool an area by up
to 10 degrees. (Trees also take carbon dioxide out
of the air, reducing the amount of greenhouse
gases).
 Fans
can also be used to help supplement central air
conditioning. A simple room fan or ceiling fan can
circulate air, making the room feel 5-7 degrees cooler,
which lets you run your air conditioner warmer.
Remember, fans work by blowing a breeze on your skin.
They don't actually change the temperature of the
room. Thus, you should never run fans to cool a
room while you are out of the room. A whole house
fan can also help to draw in the cooler evening air
while exhausting the hot and humid air. Fans are
also much more energy efficient, using only a 10th of
the power of a comparable air conditioner system. We
generally do not recommend attic fans unless you are
using your attic for storage of temperature-sensitive
items. For most people, proper air sealing and
insulation should isolate your attic from your living
area, which means attic temperature does not affect your
living spaces.
Last,
you should reduce the use of any heat-generating
sources. For example, instead of cooking with your
oven, use a microwave. If you use a stove top,
turn on your kitchen fan when cooking to remove the
excess hot air before it heats your home. Taking a
hot shower, turn on the bathroom fan to exhaust the hot,
humid vapors. Replacing your incandescent bulbs
with compact fluorescent lights can also make a big
difference. Not only do fluorescent lights use 75% less
energy than incandescent bulbs, they also
produce 90% less heat.
In 2005, 91 million US
households consumed some 258 billion kilowatt hours to
cool their homes, costing about $24 billion dollars and
releasing 171 million tons of carbon. Taking these steps
to cool off will not only save you money but reduce your
carbon
footprint.
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Refer Your
Friends, And You'll Get Some Green
$$$
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We're
very excited to introduce our Friends & Family
Referral Program. Just go to www.ecobeco.com/friends and give us the Name, E-mail and Phone Number of your
friends who might want Energy Audits. We'll
contact them and if they purchase an Audit or
Combination package, you'll get a $25 electronic gift
card for the ecobeco product of your choice! Now
that's green!
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New Problem
Corner - Identifying Gas Combustion
Problems
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On the
lower left-hand corner of the ecobeco home page, we have
an educational feature called "Problem Corner."
Our first problem corner dealt with air leakage.
The second problem corner explains how rust or
discoloration around your hot water heater indicates an
air flow problem that can be dangerous.
 If
your gas water heater or gas furnace have a significant
amount of rust or if nearby copper pipes are corroded
and green, you may have a serious safety and efficiency
concern that needs to be addressed. These symptoms are
often the result of flue pipe venting issues. The
discoloration you see is due to the corrosive and
potentially poisonous gases produced by these appliances
entering your home rather than being vented to the
outside - a serious health and safety
concern.
Furthermore, when gas heaters are not
vented or not operating properly you are potentially
spending more money to operate these appliances. During
a whole home energy audit, we conduct combustion
appliance safety and efficiency testing to identify
these concerns and help you to implement the solutions
to fix them.
Click here to
see more Problem
Corner.
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ecobeco
Events
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Visit
www.ecobeco.com/events
to get the latest on ecobeco's speaker series and to see
where we'll be speaking throughout the
community.
PLEASE RSVP
by clicking here to
email us.
Wed.,
August 12th, 2009, 7pm-8pm at the ecobeco store -
Introduction to Home Energy Audits and Energy Efficiency
hosted by Curt Christenson from
ecobeco.
The Energy Audit is a
science-driven diagnostic of your home's energy use and
ventilation. Our auditors, who are certified by the
Maryland Home Performance with Energy Star Program,
typically bring $10,000 worth of equipment on every
audit to show customers how to address energy
efficiency, combustion appliance safety, and home
comfort issues.
The workshop will include:
- An overview of the main energy uses in the home
and what you can do to reduce your energy consumption.
- See the tools of the trade and learn how they
work.
- Learn about the linkage between energy use and
home comfort. Did you know stopping drafts reduces
energy use?
- Learn how ecobeco delivers a full-service solution
to making your home eco-friendly and energy
efficient.
Arlington
County Fair - Thursday August 20 through Sunday August
23, 2009, at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 3501
South Second Street, Arlington, VA
22204.
ecobeco will have a booth at this
year's green-themed Arlington
County Fair. We will be located opposite the
Arlington County Government Aisle. Come and talk to one
of our trained energy efficiency experts to learn how an
energy audit works and what you can do to make your home
safer, more comfortable and energy
efficient.
Arlington County Fair - 3501 South
Second Street Arlington, VA 22204
Admission
is free.
The
Green Festival - Saturday October 10 and Sunday October
11, 2009, at the Washington Convention
Center.
ecobeco will have a booth at this
year's Green
Festival. Come and talk to one of our trained energy
efficiency experts to learn how an energy audit works
and what you can do to make your home safer, more
comfortable and energy efficient.
Green Festival
- Washington Convention Center - 801 Mount
Vernon Place, NW Washington, DC 20001
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ecobeco's Home
Energy Audits - A Great
Value
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We did
some mystery shopping, and we realized that ecobeco's
product outshines the competition in 7 major ways. In
addition to the standard blower door test and a report
with recommended retrofits:
- We use an infrared camera on every job to identify
sources of air leakage that are invisible to the eye
and/or behind walls and/or located in inaccessible
parts of the home.
- If you have gas, oil, or propane-powered HVAC or
water heater appliances, we test them for efficiency
and safety to ensure your home doesn't have dangerous
levels of carbon monoxide or combustion gases.
- We run every job through the Maryland Energy
Administration's BEACON software that models how much
energy you will save when you retrofit your home.
- We estimate the cost of each retrofit so you can
shop smart.
- We tell you about utility and tax incentives that
lower your costs of getting work done and show you
where to get the forms you need.
- We provide you with a payback period and return on
investment so you can compare this investment against
leaving your money in the bank.
- We come back to your home after the retrofits are
complete to validate that you got what you paid for by
re-running our blower door and combustion safety
tests.
If you or your friends are shopping
for Energy Auditing services, ask our competition how
much they charge to include all the things we do in
every audit, and you'll see that ecobeco provides the
best value in the area.
Starting August 1st,
customers in Maryland can purchase audits starting at
$349. Customers in DC and Virginia can purchase
audits starting at $449. These differences in rates are
due to auditor incentives sponsored by the EmPower
Maryland program that do not exist in DC or VA.
You can get more details on the pricing and our
surcharges for larger homes, for homes needing
combustion safety testing, and for long distance travel
by going to www.ecobeco.com/schedule.
Just sign up on-line for your preferred dates and we'll
be in touch with you.
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CFLs for 99 cents
and Dimmable CFLs!
Your incandescent
lights are heating your home! Make the switch
now!
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As it
warms up, it's time to stop using your incandescent
lights as heat sources. You know you do.
Everyone does in the winter. But in the spring and
summer, the extra heat from standard incandescent bulbs
causes your air conditioner to run longer than it
should, and that costs you money! So replace those
bulbs today with CFL bulbs that emit much less heat
(less than 1/4 the heat of an
incandescent).
ecobeco is happy to announce our
participation in PEPCO's Change a Light Bulb
Campaign. You may have seen us mentioned in
PEPCO's February bill insert. PEPCO has provided
ecobeco with subsidized compact fluorescent (CFL) light
bulbs.
A 60Watt
replacement is only 99 cents.
A 100Watt
replacement is only $1.99.
Limit 25 bulbs
per household.
These bulbs are rated to 8,000
hours (if you use the bulb 3 hours per day every single
day, they can last up to 8 years!), which means they
should last 8 times longer than a standard incandescent
bulb, and they use only 1/4 of the wattage. The
math on these make changing to CFLs a no-brainer, and
because you change them less frequently, you can spend
more time having fun!
ecobeco also carries a
large selection of Greenlite bulbs. This brand
features CFLs with warranties as long as 9 years.
They come in standard spiral shapes, reflectors (such as
what is in your recessed lights), candelabra, and even
outdoor lighting. We even have R30 and R40
dimmable bulbs for your recessed lights.
Visit us
on-line or call us at the store (240) 396-2141 x2 to
learn more.
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Tax Incentives
for Energy
Efficiency
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The
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act included
substantial spending on energy efficiency related
items. Part of the legislation includes an
increase in the tax deductions for purchases of
energy-efficient appliances, insulation and
windows.
Please click the links provided and
consult your tax advisor for more
information.
Taxpayers can deduct up to
$1,500 of deductions for s pecific
energy-efficient product purchases made in 2009 and
2010.
Residential
Energy Efficiency Tax Credit
Taxpayers can
deduct 30% of the installed cost of solar PV, solar hot
water, wind, fuel cells, and geothermal heat pump with
no maximum limit.
Residential
Renewable Energy Tax Credit
The DSIRE
database also includes incentives specific to your state
and county, so be sure to check for those programs as
well by navigating back to the home page and then
clicking on your state.
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ecobeco Partners
with PEG Environmental Solutions to Launch Energy
Efficiency Audits and Education Programs for
Condominiums / Multi-Family
Residences.
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ecobeco
and PEG Environmental Solutions have teamed to launch a
comprehensive set of solutions for
condominiums and multi-family
residences.
Building retrofits that improve
energy efficiency have the benefits of lowering
operating costs, improving the comfort of interior
spaces, and reducing the building's environmental
impact. Additional benefits include the sense of
well-being and pride that residents feel knowing that
their building is making a serious contribution towards
a sustainable future.
PEG Environmental
Solutions is a premier engineering, environmental
solutions, and risk management consulting firm. PEG's
staff includes Building Performance Institute for
Multi-Family Buildings-certified Building Analysts and
Building Operations Specialists, LEED for Existing
Buildings Accredited Professionals, and environmental
and mechanical engineers. Read more about PEG at www.pegenv.com.
Condominium owners and building managers can
select from the following 3 programs.
Program 1 - Tenant Education
and Home Product Upgrade Program provides a best
practices education program to residents along with an
opportunity for condo owners to have an individual visit
from an ecoAdvocate.
Program 2 - Common Area
Optimization Program. This looks at the
lobby, common rooms, hallways, garages and other areas
where lighting and temperature controls can be
optimized, and windows and doors weatherized.
Several apartments are analyzed using blower door
testing and an infrared camera to develop energy-saving
opportunities for individual condo owners.
Program 3 - Building Baseline
Energy Efficiency Analysis Program. This is an
Energy Audit based on workups of the building envelope,
detailed apartment examination, and detailed evaluation
of central plant.
Contact us at (240) 396-2141
for more information about this exciting
product.
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY
RESIDENTS GET $250 OF FREE ENERGY-EFFICIENCY
PRODUCTS
We'll show you how to claim
your Property Tax Credit!
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If you
are a Montgomery County Home Owner (you pay property
taxes), you  can take advantage of the
Property Tax Credit for Energy Conservation
Devices. This credit refunds 100% of your spending
up to $250. CFLs, Low-Flow Showerheads,
Programmable Thermostats, and Smart Powerstrips are the
easiest and most essential items for any
energy-efficient home. And there are many more products
that qualify as well. Schedule your in-home visit
today and we'll help you determine exactly which
products you need today.
ecobeco will provide you
with the forms you need to fill out and will coach you
on how to fill them out to ensure a smooth claim
process.
There's no better time than now to
schedule your in-home ecoAssessment or Energy
Audit. The tax credit is limited to $250,000 of
total benefit for the entire county for fiscal year
2009, so make your purchase now and submit your
application as soon as possible to ensure your refund.
There is no income exclusion or residency
requirement for this credit.
Call us at
the store (240) 396-2141 x2 to learn
more.
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Store
Hours
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Our
regular hours are:
Monday
- Friday: 3pm - 7pm
Saturday: 10am -
2pm
We are also available by appointment, and
of course we are open during all of our special
events. |
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Thanks,
Brian, Reuven, Curt, Elena,
Jonathan, Mike, Daniela and Liam
(240)
396-2141
info@ecobeco.com
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