Recently in Energy Costs Category

As a fast-moving winter storm produces bitter, gusting Arctic air and snow in portions of the Midwest, South, and East this week , consumers could get an unwelcome surprise when they open their winter home energy bills.

Heating accounts for 31 percent of the typical home's energy costs, notes the Alliance to Save Energy which suggests a number of helpful winter energy efficiency tips to bring heating and related energy costs and use down while maintaining home comfort.

Two smart tips can reduce your heating costs by up to 20 percent:

• Plug those air leaks. Your heating dollars could be going out your windows, doors, and electrical outlets. Stop all those air leaks with sealant or caulking and weather stripping.
• Install appropriate insulation for your climate based on R-values. Start with attic insulation, followed by exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawl spaces. Insulate and seal attic air ducts.

The Alliance urges consumers to act now on these energy-saving measures since Uncle Sam is offering a 30 percent tax credit--a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your income taxes owed--of up to $1,500 in 2010 for specific energy efficiency home improvements, including insulation and sealing products. Details on qualifying products, which also include highly efficient furnaces, heat pumps, and windows, are available at www.ase.org/taxcredits.

In addition to plugging air leaks, the Alliance also offers other no-cost/low-cost tips:

• Open curtains and other window treatments on your west- and south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night.
• Let a programmable thermostat "remember for you" to lower the heat while your home is empty and/or overnight to reduce heating costs by up to 10 percent - and allow you to come home and wake up to a toasty, comfortable house.
• Keep furnace filters clean. Check and change your filter every month during heavy use winter months to assist air flow so your system doesn't have to work harder to keep you warm.
• Seal your heating and cooling ducts. In a typical house with a forced air system, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts. Sealing and insulating ducts increases efficiency, lowers home energy bills, and can often pay for itself in energy savings. Insulate ducts in unheated areas such as attics, crawlspaces, and garages with duct insulation that carries an R-value of 6 or higher. Also, a well-designed and sealed duct system may make it possible to downsize to a smaller, less costly heating and cooling system that will provide better dehumidification.
• Properly maintain your HVAC system. Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a semi-annual or yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. The federal government's ENERGY STAR website can help you find a qualified individual (www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_contractors_10tips).

Other home energy efficiency improvement tips that are eligible for tax credits:

• Have to replace your HVAC equipment? Consider installing ENERGY STAR-qualified heating and cooling equipment. Installed correctly, these high-efficiency units can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs. And, certain highly efficient models qualify for the current federal income tax credit.
• Go "window shopping" at www.efficientwindows.org to discover how high-performance windows can cut heating costs by as much as 30 percent compared to single-pane windows, while increasing indoor comfort and lessening fading of home furnishings.

Watch for rebates this year on energy-efficient products:

• Replacing or purchasing energy-using and energy-related products? Save up to 30 percent in related energy bills with products earning the ENERGY STAR label, the symbol of energy efficiency, on some 50 product categories, including appliances, electronics, windows, lighting, and home office equipment. Rebates may be offered by your state, municipality, energy company, manufacturers, and retailers in your area.

 

SOURCE Alliance to Save Energy

By installing a new metal roof, consumers can reduce their tax burden, cut energy costs, help the environment and protect their biggest investment - their home.

As a result of the new stimulus package, homeowners who make energy-efficient updates to their home, including the installation of a painted or coated Energy Star(R) labeled metal roof, may be eligible for a tax credit worth 30% of the material costs, up to $1,500 per home. To qualify, the metal roof must be installed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010. The timing couldn't be better to choose a durable, eco-friendly metal roof.

In addition to earning a tax credit, Energy Star-labeled metal roofs keep homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter, resulting in lower utility costs.

Many products made by the manufacturer members of the Metal Roofing Alliance qualify for the tax credit. Visit www.metalroofing.com to find a local contractor.

As more people are choosing to stay in their homes longer, the need to re-roof looms large. "Consumers have figured out that temporary doesn't make sense," said Tom Black, Executive Director, Metal Roofing Alliance. "That's why we call metal roofing investment-grade roofing, because it adds value and it lasts."

A typical asphalt shingle roof has to be replaced approximately every 20 years, making it a short-term solution with a long-term environmental impact. According to the National Association of Homebuilders, asphalt shingles contribute 1.36 billion pounds of waste to landfills every year.

A metal roof features significant recycled content. Metal roofs often outlast the home they're on, require no maintenance and are 100% recyclable at the end of their useful life. As an added bonus for re-roofing projects, metal roofing can often be applied over the original roof, saving removal and disposal costs and reducing landfill waste.

Metal roofing offers a wide variety of finishes, designs and colors that provide greater energy savings compared to most other non-metal roofing products on the market today. Metal roofs resist cracking, shrinking and eroding and stand up to hail, high winds and wildfires.

According to McGraw-Hill Construction and Analytics(R), metal roofing has made a significant climb in the residential roofing market. With a market share of 11% in the re-roofing segment, and 10% overall, residential metal roofing is gaining quickly on competitors' products.

SOURCE Metal Roofing Alliance

American families faced the biggest increase in energy expenses on record last year, in large part because of costs for transportation fuels driving global demand.

According to a study released today by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), for the half of the U.S. families earning $50,000 or less, energy costs consumed 20 percent of after-tax income in 2008. The study also reveals energy costs consumed a quarter of after-tax income when families made $30,000 or less.

"This is our annual household energy cost report card, and this year we would grade 2008 as a D for dangerous," said Joe Lucas, Senior Vice President of Communications for ACCCE. "As our economy is faltering and more and more Americans are finding it hard to make ends meet, adopting policies that help keep energy costs affordable should be a national priority."

Families saw their total energy burden increase by 75 percent between 2001 and 2008. Electricity costs increased less than 38 percent during that same timeframe showing that electricity remains an energy bargain in most parts of the country.

"Primarily because we used lower-cost domestic coal for half our nation's electric generation, electricity costs have increased at less than the inflation rate during the past two decades," Lucas said.

The study notes that gasoline prices retreated from historic highs in July, but they are once again starting to climb, ensuring the total energy cost burden will continue to seriously constrain most people's budgets. Lucas said that this shows the economic peril associated with high reliance on imported energy resources.

"In our focus groups, many Americans say that they feel helpless to reduce energy costs when America is dependent on other countries to meet our energy needs. We can change that. We have domestic fuels like coal available here at home, and we can use those fuels wisely to not only promote energy independence but to also keep energy costs low," said Lucas.

Lucas said that ACCCE supports the expanded use of electricity to fuel transportation energy needs, recognizing that a variety of fuels will be needed to meet the increase in electricity demand as a means of displacing foreign oil.

Lucas also noted that keeping energy costs affordable needed to be a key factor in shaping government policies - especially in designing a federal program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"We support a mandatory program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Lucas. "We just believe that we have to be smart in designing the program to ensure that consumers are not paying a higher than necessary cost of energy."

According to Lucas, the 100 percent auction for emissions allowances being promoted for inclusion in a federal cap-and-trade bill will drive up the cost to consumers.

"Under an auction for emissions credits, you get the very same environmental benefit as you would with an allocation of credits - it is just that the cost to the consumer is higher," said Lucas.

"These auctions really work as a de facto energy tax where the government raises revenue ultimately paid by consumers with the hope of getting that money back at some future date in the form of an increased government service. We say, don't raise the cost of energy on American consumers, if you can keep from it, based upon the promise of repaying that investment somewhere in the future," said Lucas.

SOURCE American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity