5 Energy Hogs

The Energy Efficient Home Energy Hogs Energy Sources Home Energy Efficiency Insulation Lighting Features Daylighting Caulking and Sealing Energy-Efficient Windows Energy Efficient Appliances The energy released from the burning of natural resources (to provide heat and power) is a precious commodity. People are all dependent on this energy. Think about the last time there was a power outage at your home and how difficult it was to function. Remember digging through drawers for a flashlight or some candles, unable to use the microwave, or praying that the batteries on your laptop would last a few more minutes? Our entire lives are wrapped around this addiction to energy. Despite all we now know about the importance of reducing energy use, the demand for energy keeps going up. The oil Americans now consume in six weeks would have lasted an entire year in 1950. But it's not just oil. American demand for electricity will rise by 45 percent in the next ten years. In order to keep lights on, rooms comfortable, and hot showers flowing, buildings are the biggest users of energy. The majority of the world's energy goes into keeping our buildings running and comfortable. In reality, most of this energy could be saved with building improvements. Smarter planning, better insulation, and solar panels are all examples of how to reduce the energy use in buildings. So what do we do with all this energy? More than two-thirds of the energy in a building is used for lighting, heating, and cooling:     *    Heating: 34 percent     *    Appliances and lighting: 34 percent     *    Water heating: 13 percent     *    Electric air conditioner: 11 percent     *    Refrigerator: 8 percent Each of these areas is a potential place to conserve energy.  You can see a simple overview of where to save energy in your home in the image below and find more details in our Energy Efficiency Guide.   Scotts Contracting is available for your Home Repairs and Upgrades. email: scottscontracting@gmail.com to schedule a no cost site evaluation.

Green Lighting, ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package

Lighting the Way to a Better World.

What is the ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package (ALP)?

An ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package designation identifies homes equipped with a comprehensive set of ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures. With an Advanced Lighting Package installed, homebuyers can expect to save energy and money through reduced lighting operating costs — while sacrificing nothing for aesthetics! ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures are available in many designs and fixture-types, giving homeowners a wide range of choices to create just the right look for their home.

The Advanced Lighting Package designation applies to lighting packages, for new home construction, that consist of a minimum of 60% ENERGY STAR qualified hard-wired fixtures and 100% ENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fans where installed.

Benefits of the ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package

• Energy Bill Savings. You can save more than $170 per year in energy costs just by installing ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package. That's because ENERGY STAR qualified lighting uses about 75% less energy than standard models.
• Improved Quality. ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures meet strict EPA guidelines for energy efficiency and quality, producing warm, long-lasting light without slow starts or annoying flicker or hum. Fixtures that have earned the ENERGY STAR come with a two-year warranty, double the industry standard. Qualified ceiling fans offer a minimum 30-year motor warranty and 2-year component warranties.
• Enhanced Comfort. ENERGY STAR qualified lighting generates about 75% less heat than standard incandescent lighting. This means they are cool to the touch, keep you more comfortable, and help reduce home cooling costs.

  Install ENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fans and light kits, which together are 50% more energy-efficient than conventional fan/light units, and save even more while staying cool. Make sure to adjust the thermostat while using ceiling fans to save additional energy and money on your air conditioning costs.

• Environmental Protection. More than half of the electricity used in American homes is generated by burning coal. Lowering energy use at home helps prevent greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants at the source. If every American home replaced its five most frequently used light fixtures with ENERGY STAR qualified models, together we'd prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars.
• Design Flexibility: There are thousands of ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures to choose from. They are available in many styles and finishes and are suitable for every application in home. The Advanced Lighting Package requirements are designed to promote flexibility in fixture selections throughout the home.

Email Scotty@stlouisrenewabeenergy.com for all your Green Building Needs in St Louis

Scotts Contracting June Business Proposal Campaign

Carpenter, Green Builder, Handy-Man, Maintenance professional with over 15 years of industry experience. Miscellaneous-Job Skills: -Design/Estimating/Blue Prints/CADD -Carpentry- Metal or Wood Framing -Flooring-Carpet, Tile, Wood -Painting / Staining / Wood Refinishing -Masonry / Tuck Pointing -Door & Window- Installation or Repair -Framing- Metal or Wood -Drywall-Installation & Finishing -Concrete- Forming, Pouring, Finishing (Decorative Finishes) -Cabinetry & Appliances- Installation -Roofing- Pitched or Flat -Basic- Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical References-Provided upon request or View Web Site for References and contact information Job Site Pictures: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com/job-site-pictures.html Green Build Project Photos: http://stlouisrenewableenergy.com/current-projects.html Business Referrals My latest Web Promotions include: -While working for a Business I will document the work done with photos/video of my Crew Doing the Actual Work and post them to my web pages, associate links and other business advertising. -I will list the Business Name, Web Site, Contact Links, etc. What this does is create back-links for Internet Search Engines ie: useful back-links create higher Search Engine Listings -I am currently in Excellent Standing with Google, Yahoo, and other search engines. -I feel this is my way of Thanking the Company I do business with and also highlights my skills and abilities as a Custom Builder. Prior Job Site Photos can be viewed http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com/current-projects.html http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com/job-site-pictures.html http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com Scotty, Scott's Contracting / Handy Man Service Holly Hills/Kingshighway, St. Louis, MO 63109 email:scottscontracting@gmail.com web1: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com web2:http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com

China-Renewable Energy-Wind,Solar Compete w/Coal

China's Clean Energy May Make Wind, Solar Competitive With Coal

By Stuart Biggs

June 8 (Bloomberg) -- China's decision to step up work in renewable energy may help make solar and wind power as cheap as coal as a fuel generating electricity, executives at a conference in Shanghai said today.
Solar projects in China are bringing closer "grid parity" where clean power costs are similar to those for fossil fuels, said Anil Srivastava, executive president for renewable energy at the French power generator Areva SA. Johnny Kwan, a senior vice president at chemical company BASF SE said China is on the way to being "the most successful low-carbon economy."
"The biggest benefit from China is that it will get us closer to the Holy Grail," Srivastava said at the Bloomberg Businessweek Global Green Business Summit in Shanghai. "The larger the developments that happen across the world, the closer we get to grid parity."
China spent $34.6 billion on clean-fuel projects last year, almost double the $18.6 billion invested by the U.S., Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates. Those figures and the comments from executives signal China is pushing ahead with clean energy technologies even after Premier Wen Jiabao resisted forming a binding agreement on greenhouse gas emissions at climate talks in Copenhagen last year.
"There's a big difference between the politics of Copenhagen and what's happening in China on the ground," said Bruno Berthon, global managing director for sustainability at Accenture Plc.
Shift From Oil
China's shift to clean energy from fossil fuels stems from an over reliance on imported oil and coal, Han Wenke, director general of the Energy Research Institute at China's National development and Reform Commission said today.
Thirst for energy has led China to sign deals with Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Peru, Venezuela, Chad, Iran, Russia and Oman in recent years, while the International Energy Agency projects oil imports will almost quadruple over the 2006 level by 2030 to fuel the country's economic growth.
Environmental damage has also shifted the government's thinking, Han said. Twenty of the world's 30 most air polluted cities are in China, according to the World Bank.
"The environment is a key issue facing our economic development," Han said. "The problem is quite severe."
The government introduced feed-in tariffs for wind power last year. Companies added 14.1 gigawatts of wind capacity in 2009 compared with 14.1 gigawatts a year earlier, according to New Energy Finance.
Green Incentives
In solar energy, the government has introduced incentives for power companies to install panels churned out by companies including Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. that typically were exported to countries like Spain and the U.S.
"It's become clear to us that we needed to change," Wan Bentai, chief engineer at China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, said today. "We need to transform our economic growth from a quantitative growth to a qualitative growth."
China is benefitting from government decisiveness in demanding the diversification of energy and reduction of carbon emissions, Areva's Srivastava said. Providing a cheap source of financing, often in the form of soft loans, ensures projects go ahead, he said.
China aims to produce renewable energy equivalent to about 700 million metric tons of coal, or 15 percent of its power, by 2020. The government wants to cut carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product by as much as 45 percent of 2005 levels by 2020.
Mandate and Targets
"Developments happen in China faster than in any other part of the world -- faster than in any other part of the world,' Srivastava said. "China has mandated a target and is sticking to that. In the U.S. there are all kinds of debates and many states come out with their own renewable policies and most of them fail to implement."
President Barack Obama has been urging Congress to pass legislation for an emissions cap-and-trade program in which companies buy and sell pollution allowances. The plan passed the House last year and stalled in the Senate. Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman released a revamped bill in May aiming to boost domestic energy production while cutting greenhouse gases 17 percent from their 2005 level by 2020.
Still, China still lags behind in many areas in renewable energy, the Energy Research Institute's Han said. China's 70 wind turbine makers "mostly" use licensed international intellectual property for their core technology, he said. It may take "20 to 30 years" for China to catch up with energy technology development in the U.S., he said.
About 25 percent of China's wind plants also aren't connected to the national power grid, according to a New Energy Finance report published in May.
"China is still a developing economy," Zhu Hongren, chief engineer at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said in a speech today. "We're in the stage of fast industrial development. We are trying to alleviate poverty at the same time that we're trying to manage emissions and increase environmental protection."
To contact the reporters on this story: Stuart Biggs in Tokyo at sbiggs3@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: June 8, 2010 08:46 EDT












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