(Source: National Wildlife Federation)

(Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense)

Now through September 30, e-Newswire readers can receive a 20% discount on West Coast Green Registration by using Flex Your Power’s discount link.

• Use the Flex Your Power discount
• Learn more about West Coast Green

Congratulations to our first six winners! Flex Your Power is holding an e-Newswire sign-up drive and contest, and we have already given away six of our ten no-cost tickets to West Coast Green. That means there are still four tickets left, so stake your claim! Sign up three friends for e-Newswire and you will receive a no-cost floor pass to the 2009 West Coast Green conference in San Francisco this October (normally $45 in advance, $50 at the door).

Simply ask your friends to write “Referred by your email address” in the “How did you learn about e-Newswire?” box when they sign up, and we will tally the numbers. Tell your friends to sign up today: http://www.fypower.org/news/enewswire_registration.html and don’t miss out on the chance to see the great exhibits at this year’s West Coast Green.

• Visit the e-Newswire sign-up page
• Learn more about the West Coast Green conference

Last Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to give the state’s three largest utilities approval to spend a total of nearly $350 million on energy saving demand-response measures. Edison International’s electric utility will spend around $188.8 million on demand response programs over the next three years, Pacific Gas and Electric around $109 million, and Sempra Energy’s electric utility around $51.6 million.

Demand response programs are a critical step in preventing global warming pollution. California’s peak daily power usage is generally somewhere between 35,000 and 40,000 megawatts of electricity a day, but on extremely hot days when air-conditioning use is high, utilities must generate up to 50 percent more electricity. On these occasions, utilities are forced to employ the use of older, dirtier backup plants, known as ‘peaker plants’ that rely on fossil-fuels. The cost of reserving peaker plants for only a few hundred hours of service a summer can be more than one billion dollars annually.

By enrolling in demand response programs and cutting energy use during peak hours, business customers can help avoid the need for peaker plants, prevent rolling blackouts and contribute to cleaning California’s air.

• Download the 2006 Demand Response List of Programs to find a program for your company
• Read background: “Calif Regulators Approve $350 Million For Utility Power Conservation,” by Cassandra Sweet, Dow Jones Newswires (8/20/09)
• Read background: “Listening to the Price of Power: New Thermostats Could Save Billions,” by Gordy Slack, Physorg.com (8/12/09)
• Related: “Flex Alerts Help Keep Energy Outlook Bright for Summer 2009” (e-Newswire, 6/02/09)
• Learn more about demand response programs from Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas and Electric

The Sempra Energy Foundation is ready to give away $1 million to environmentally-focused non-profit organizations this fall, with their new Environmental Champions Awards program. Applicants must explain what they would do to ‘green’ Southern California if they were given prize money, and each winner will receive between $25,000 and $100,000.

The program was created as part of an effort to recognize the environmental efforts of Southern California organizations. “There are so many organizations doing valuable, forward-thinking work for our environment, we want to encourage those efforts that are judged to have the most far-reaching positive benefits,” explained Jessie Knight Jr., chairman of the Sempra Energy Foundation.

The deadline to apply is September 4 and non-profits can submit their applications online. Winners will be announced on October 1 and will be chosen in each of three categories: natural resource protection and conservation, environmental education and environmental health.

In addition, from now until September 4, all Sempra Energy employees will have an opportunity to donate funds to a select list of non-profit environmental organizations in Southern California, and the Sempra Energy Foundation will match the contribution dollar-for-dollar, up to $500 each.

• Learn more about the awards program
• Read the Sempra Energy press release: “Sempra Energy Foundation Sets $1 Million Environmental Challenge for Southern California“

Recent innovations in air conditioning technology could save customers over 50 percent on their cooling bills. Air conditioner manufacturer Coolerado recently won the Western Cooling Challenge, sponsored by UC Davis, with a unit designed specially for the hot, arid environments of the western U.S. While most air conditioners are actually designed for muggy climates of the East Coast, the Coolerado H-80 system uses a form of indirect evaporative cooling which humidifies outside air and then de-humidifies it through a series of plastic plates.

The innovation could prove to be a major tool in combating climate change in California, where air conditioning typically accounts for 30% of peak summer demand. According to Mark Modera, director of the UC Davis Western Cooling Efficiency Center, “…the Coolerado H-80 tests indicate almost 80 percent energy-use savings and over 60 percent peak-demand reduction.”

The H-80 was designed principally for light commercial buildings but Coolerado also offers models suitable for homes and other buildings, each with an EER (energy-efficiency ratio) of 40 or more.

• Read background: “Coolerado Wins UC Davis Air Conditioning Prize,” by Michael Kanellos, Greentech Media (8/17/09)
• Visit the Coolerado web site
• Learn more about efficient air conditioners

Home energy retrofits are becoming increasingly common, but as the market spreads, so do misconceptions about how to best generate savings. While some marketers have attempted to advertise “silver bullet” strategies, in reality, says Matt Golden of Sustainable Spaces, no one solution is right for every house every time. One of the best ways to figure out which retrofits work for your home is to have a professional energy audit, and in the meantime, watch out for these five misconceptions about home energy efficiency.

Myths:

1.   You should install solar PV as a first step: Solar systems may be flashy but there are many less showy measures that give you significantly more energy saving bang for your buck. More cost-efficient steps include insulation, sealing ducts, adding CFLs, and ENERGY STAR appliances to name a few.

2.   All insulation is equal: While fiberglass batts are common, small gaps can lead to dramatic efficiency reductions. Blown-in, or loose-fill, fiberglass or cellulose insulation is generally far more effective for retrofits.

3.   Double paned windows are always beneficial: In the U.S., window manufacturers aren’t required to report testing data on air leakage which means that some double-paned brands may actually leak a lot of air. Also windows with a low emissivity reflective film, may help in the summer but will hinder heat gain in the winter. The bottom line is that if you are buying new windows be sure to do your research on the manufacturer and consider your heating and cooling needs carefully.

4.   You need a tankless water heater: These systems do not necessarily save energy for larger families. Generally, if a household uses more than one tank worth of hot water per day, then a conventional system may be more efficient. Water heater tips >>

5.   Zeroing your electric bill means you’re using no energy: While cutting electricity is crucial, natural gas is also used in many homes for space and water heating, and it is important to cut back on natural gas use as well.

• Read background: “Top 5 Misconceptions About Home Energy Performance,” by Justin Moresco, earth2tech (8/13/09)
• Visit our Upgrade Your Home page to see our top energy saving recommendations
• Schedule a professional energy audit by calling the California Building Performance Contractors Association at 888-352-2722 (in Northern California) or 888-357-1777 (in Southern California) to find a qualified contractor

Programs that allow homeowners to trade in their old refrigerators or freezers in exchange for cash rebates are spreading quickly across the country, with many programs offering $30 or more per unit. Refrigerators consume about 18% of all electricity in a typical Californian home. If you have an old refrigerator made before 1990, it could be using up to three times as much electricity as a new one and emitting ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. In contrast, switching to an ENERGY STAR qualified model could save you up to $100 per year in energy costs. Replace a fridge from the 1970’s and you’re looking at up to $200 in annual savings. The trade-in programs are also critical in preventing energy-guzzling refrigerators from simply ending up in the garage or basement where they continue to draw power.

California has long been a leader in providing appliance rebate programs, but now the practice is catching on elsewhere with recent programs starting up in New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. As evidence of the trend, a prominent refrigerator and freezer recycler, Jaco Environmental, says that their company now works with 45 utilities in 21 states, up from about 15 utilities in 10 states just three years ago. Under Vermont’s program, Jaco Environmental will reuse about 95 percent of the appliances’ content.

In California, many utilities offer trade-in programs and low-income refrigerator exchange programs, including a trade-in program from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District that is scheduled to run through December 31, 2009. These and other incentives can be found using our zip code rebate finder.

• Read background: “Refrigerator Recycling Programs Take Off,” by Sara Peters, The New York Times (8/4/09)
• Related: “SCE Pays Customers $50 to Scrap Old Refrigerators; Recycled 700,000 Units Since 1993,” (e-Newswire, 8/6/08)
• Learn more about refrigerators and other efficient appliances
• Watch Flex Your Power’s refrigerator commercial

(Source: National Public Radio, Visualizing the U.S. Electric Grid)