(Please note that all blog entries and comments are subject to review prior to posting.)
While we will do our best to monitor all comments and blog posts for accuracy and relevancy, Home Energy is not responsible for content posted by our readers or third parties. Home Energy reserves the right to edit or remove comments or blog posts that do not meet our community guidelines.
When I was still active as a minister in the Catholic Church, I did not enjoy very much presiding at weddings. I had an inkling of the reason at the time, but now I can admit clearly that I was jealous. I didn’t want to bless someone else’s sacramental union as much as I wanted to be in a sacramental union. [continue reading]
Thirteen New England contracting companies were honored for exceptional work promoting energy efficiency services by the Massachusetts/Rhode Island COOL SMART program. The awards were presented during the New England Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) annual golf tournament held recently in Stow, Mass. Specializing in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), the businesses were honored for significant contributions to the COOL SMART program through quality installation of energy efficient systems this year. &... [continue reading]
Today the opening ceremony kicked off the Solar Decathlon in sunny Irvine, California. While the crowd listened to the major sponsors of the event welcome us, we heard excitement and anticipation in their voices. After all, this has been an event two years in the making. [continue reading]
Hawaii recently topped the national rankings for energy saving initiatives for the second year in a row. In August, the Energy Services Coalition (ESC) granted the state its ‘Race to the Top’ award for modeling excellence in energy and water efficiency. ESC’s Race to the Top challenge ranks states based on investment per capita in energy savings performance contracting. Hawaii leads with $132.25 per capita, followed by Ohio with $108.58 and Kansas with $97.77. ... [continue reading]
The common wisdom in the housing industry is that custom homes are expensive, and custom green homes are even more so. But several Boise-based organizations have teamed up to prove the common wisdom is wrong—and to set up a pilot project to provide Idahoans with affordable, eco-friendly homes within the city limits. [continue reading]
High-performance windows come in a variety of designs and offer multiple benefits to consumers. The term “energy-efficient” has become an integral part of the homebuilding industry but it’s a term that can be confusing to homeowners who don’t do enough research on either new or replacement windows. [continue reading]
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was budgeted $2.5-billion by Congress in 2013. The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) was allowed $68-million. Does anyone see a contradiction here? [continue reading]
Last evening my wife Michele and I walked a few blocks from the hotel in Phoenix where the National Association of State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) is holding its Annual Training Conference, to an Open Market. There were a circle of food trucks and tables offering fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables around a covered parking lot with tables and chairs. We picked a food truck offering Mexican and Native American food and bought our ... [continue reading]
While the weather is cool compared to normal in this part of the Sonoran Desert, the talk at the NASCSP Conference has been hot with passion and purpose. Clarence Carter, Director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, and formerly of the Bush Administration, spoke at the Conference Opening from his long years of experience and wisdom gained. “The safety net doesn’t really exist,” he says. In Washington D.C. ... [continue reading]
I’m going to throw a pretty wild idea out there: What if Passive House was a scaled rating? As it stands now, a home is either a Passive House or it’s not. It’s black and white. You have to meet the Passive House standards (an airtight building shell ≤ 0.6 ACH @50 Pa, an annual heat requirement ≤ 4.75 kBtu/sf/yr, and primary energy use ≤ 38.1 kBtu/sf/yr), or the ... [continue reading]
