This week, as we brace for the biggest, best Earth Day ever, we have reason to celebrate. More than ever before, we have evidence that everyone will have a chance to play a role, regardless of income level. The spidery benefits of home energy efficiency are finding their way to into more homes, in more places, than every before.
In addition to reports of new energy-efficient construction at very low prices from Jetson Green, there are several projects underway using stimulus money to improve existing housing for those least able to make the improvements themselves. The Philadelphia Housing Authority announced a project to improve 300 city-owned houses, installing energy efficient heaters, water heaters, windows, doors and insulation, as well as including Energy Star appliances and in certain instances, new roofing. “PHA is using the stimulus funding exactly as intended,” said PHA Executive Director Carl Greene. “We are putting people to work making the kinds of improvements to our inventory that will create high-quality, energy-efficient housing for the long term. To PHA, the stimulus is more than just a payment; it’s an opportunity to accelerate the changes already underway in our program to dramatically decrease energy consumption.”
Such measures are cropping up across the country, including Louisberg Kansas, where the Kansas Housing Resources Corp., a subsidiary of the Kansas Development Finance Authority, has implemented a new statewide initiative that allows income-eligible residents to replace old, energy-guzzling or unsafe appliances with new ones that are energy-efficient and environmentally safe. The EPA points out that replacing a 20-year-old refrigerator with an Energy Star model will save about 700 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. Those numbers add up.
All well and good, but Energy Collective write Marc Gunther cautions us not to get too giddy about the job creation aspect of energy efficiency. Gunther pokes holes in several ad campaigns co-sponsored by unions and greens making the link between Carbon Caps and Hard Hats. While he loves the end result, he raises questions about the means.
Joel Makower wrote about the updated (and expanded) edition of "The Six Sins of Greenwashing." (It's now seven). Makower praised Canadian research firm TerraChoice for taking on the task of assessing whether consumer products making green claims can back them up, but worried that the study may be doing more harm than good. The 2007 report found only one product in 1,000 to be as green as it claimed. This report found 25. Makower's fear - TerraChoice lumps together a mixed bag of criteria - dissing some great advances by companies like SC Johnson, which has worked hard to decrease the toxicity in its household products, and increasing a "green trust gap" that may cause consumers to back away from green products.
Last week America.gov reported that home buyers are showing an increased willingness to pay more for energy efficient homes, recognizing the long term savings of that investment, a trend the organization expects to see continue.
This is happy news. It is worth pointing out, however, that even if every new building on the market between now and 2030 was zero energy, we'd reduce residential energy use by less than 10%. We'll take it, but our focus will remain on existing stock.
Low hanging fruit - Marc Gunther made a plea to either pick the damn fruit or drop the damn metaphor, because there are clearly too many barriers to picking it.
Our own Peter Troast talked about the low hanging fruit available to small business owners that don't necessarily own their space, and provided simple, cost-saving solutions.
Berkeley California is ready to blend the low hanging fruit and give it to landlords intravenously. The Berkeley City Council is proposing far-reaching energy efficiency regulations, complete with punishments for non-compliance, as part of the Berkeley Climate Action Plan. New Energy News, citing what it called "the most wonkish report to date from the invaluable American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)," California is already the most energy-efficiency state in the country.
Energy Circle's own Will Mallett paid a moving tribute to the caulking gun - a fitting contribution to the Earth Day weatherizing message.
And, finally, as Earth Day approaches, we ask what exactly should the punishment for energy-wasters be? Richard Dixon, head of WWF Scotland proposes, um, prosecution. Oy. And look out Twitter - word is you are wasteful.
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