ecobeco's
March 2010 Newsletter ecoTips, News,
Deals, and More - And it's
Free!
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Hello,
ecobeco's
Reuven Walder appeared on Arlington County Public
Television in a terrific (and 8 minute long) segment on
Home Energy Audits. Comfort, Safety, Air Quality
and Energy Efficiency all take center stage during an
audit and you can see each of those in the video.
With the thawing of the DC area (why do i still have 10
inches of snow on my front lawn?) we're starting to see
more events in the community so please come out and meet
us.
- Upcoming Events
- ecoTip 1: Spotting Attic Air Leaks By
Viewing Your Roof
- Arlington County Public Television
and ecobeco Team Up To Educate on What to Expect
During an Energy Audit.
- Product Highlights
- Federal Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency
- Montgomery County Residents get $250 of FREE
Energy-Efficiency Products
- Store Hours by Appointment
Only
Enjoy!
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Upcoming
Events
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Lots
of great events on the calendar for the next few months,
with many more to come. Feel free to check our
website at www.ecobeco.com/about_events
for more information and to get directions to these
events.
- Arlington County Workshop on Selecting a Home
Energy Auditor and Condominium Auditor - Saturday,
March 6th from 10:30am to noon at the Walter Reed
Community Center
- Fairfax County Department of Consumer Protection
Workshop, "Energy Savings for Home Owners" - Tuesday,
March 9th - at Fairfax Government Center from 12 -
1pm.
- Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE) Green
Living Expo - Saturday, March 20 from 10am a.m. to 4pm
at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
- Howard County GreenFest 2010 - Saturday, April 17,
2010 from 10am - 4pm at Howard Community
College
We hope to see you
there!
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ecoTip 1:
Spotting Attic Air Leaks by Looking at Your
Roof
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It
was an epic snow year. We witnessed over 50 inches fall
this year. What does a house look like where air
sealing and insulation measures have been
implemented?? Take a look below at a photo
comparison of ecobeco's Reuven Walder's home compared to
his neighbor. Here is Reuven's
house:

Here
is Reuven's neighbor's house:

Can
you guess which house has NOT been updated with air
sealing and insulation retrofits? Can you guess
which home is less comfortable AND spends more on
heating?
If you guessed Reuven's neighbor for all
3 questions, you guessed correctly.
You
don't need an energy audit to tell you which houses are
leakier than others... just look at the pace the snow
melts on houses side by side and you can answer that
question. Of course, only an Home Performance with
Energy Star audit takes a whole-home approach to
correcting air leakage issues in the context of safety
and comfort, so give us a call to schedule your
audit. |
Arlington County Public
Television and ecobeco Team Up To Educate on What to
Expect During an Energy Audit
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Arlington
County Public Television's Green It series recently
featured our own Reuven Walder. In this episode,
Reuven and the Arlington's Green Man examine several
common issues that arise during energy audits. Reuven
uses a blower door, an infrared camera scan, and a
combustion safety test to track down the causes of the
Green Man's problems. He explains how the attic
and basement are often much more serious sources of air
leakage than the windows and door leaks most people
experience on a day to day basis. But because
attic and basement leaks are out of view, people don't
know about them, and that can cause people to invest in
solutions that are not always optimal. The video
outlines the discoveries and importance of a home energy
audit and what you should expect during the audit and
report.
As with any hired service provider, it is
critical that an energy auditor is properly certified.
The Building Performance Institute and Residential
Energy Services Network maintain lists of certified
auditors, as do many local or state
municipalities. Of course, ecobeco is on those
lists, so no need to look any further!
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Product
Highlights
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Now that winter is in full bloom, ecobeco is
ready to fight the cold with some hot sales on a
wide range of our environmentally friendly products.
Discounts
apply to current inventory only. No
backorders.
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Refer Your
Friends, Get $$$
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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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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 below to access
the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and
Efficiency (DSIRE). Then, consult your tax advisor
for more information about whether you qualify for these
incentives.
Taxpayers can deduct 30% of
total materials costs up to $1,500 for s pecific
energy-efficient product purchases made in
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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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
2010, 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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New Store
Hours - Appointment
Only
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ecobeco's
store hours are now by appointment only. Just call
or e-mail us before you come to make sure we're
there.
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Thanks,
Brian, Reuven, Curt, Mike,
Jonathan, Valerie, Dan, Patrick and
Daniela (240)
396-2141 info@ecobeco.com
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