Article Title: "Insulate" yourself from high heating bills

Excerpt: There's nothing like a hike in gas and electric rates to get people talking about insulation. It's one of the few tools consumers have to protect themselves from skyrocketing heating and cooling bills.

Excerpt: The challenge for consumers is learning about the different types of insulation and determining which ones meet their specific needs. Sometimes it's dictated by a home's design or location. Sometimes it's a matter of paying now or paying later.

Excerpt: The need for insulation relates to heat's natural tendency to flow from warmer to cooler spaces. Products are rated according to "R-value" or heat-flow resistance, which depends on type of material, thickness, density and coverage. The higher the R-value, the greater the effectiveness.

Excerpt: "Everybody is in favor of conserving energy," said Jerry Rombach, executive director of the Homebuilders Association of Greater Southwest Illinois, based in Maryville. "But now (contractors) are being told to do more and more, even when the consumer isn't really benefiting from these steps."

Article Title: Energy efficiency is high on homeowners' wish lists

Excerpt: According to a quarterly survey by the American Institute of Architects, requests to home planners for energy-efficient housing features leaped from 38 to 54 percent from 2005 to 2006.

Excerpt: Are they willing to put some money behind their concerns? The AIA poll shows 90 percent would be willing to pay $5,000 more for a house that would use less energy.

Excerpt: In Los Angeles, energy-efficient home improvements rank second behind kitchen remodels as the most appealing home improvement, according to home-equity lender Bank of America.

Article Title: Cozier - and cheaper, too

Excerpt: Young is participating in the nonprofit's program, Home Performance with Energy Star. "A lot of people don't realize if they take a few steps, they can get ahead of the energy crisis," she said.

Excerpt: Her house’s energy weaknesses were diagnosed during a four-hour test on Oct. 10 by a certified contractor. Once all the suggested improvements are made, the energy savings, coupled with cash incentives and tax credits, are expected to pay back Young’s intial investment in seven years, then continue saving her money. The program offers up to 30 percent energy savings for homeowners who decide to participate.

Excerpt: Young’s next step was to go to the Energy Trust Web site and choose a contractor from the nonprofit’s trade affiliates. She selected Paul Case, owner of Home Visions West, a Hillsboro-based business specializing in weatherization for more than 20 years. Case is certified through the Building Performance Institute, a national organization, to implement Home Performance with Energy Star.

Excerpt: For the diagnosis, Case hooked up equipment to suck air out of Young’s house, which in turn sucked air into the leaking areas. Young said she could feel and see the leaks during the process, which usually takes three to four hours. The testing analyzes the home as a whole to find its leaks.

Article Title: Exploring energy efficient homes

Excerpt: Aaron Needham has countless reasons to be excited about the new energy-efficient homes his company is building in Southern Utah.

Excerpt: By combining solar power with new energy-efficient technologies, Needham said homeowners can enjoy lower energy bills and the comfort in knowing their home is contributing to a cleaner environment. He calls them hybrid energy homes because they incorporate solar power with gas and electricity to maximize efficiency.

Excerpt: Beginning in spring of 2007, Needham said Cedar City will have homes with complete hybrid-energy packages starting at under $200,000. Needham added that the homes, which he said look remarkably normal, are highly affordable - even for families who are just starting out.

Article Title: Buried treasure

Excerpt: Simply described, geothermal works much like a refrigerator. A pump drives a liquid medium, typically water, from one point to another though a loop of pipe. At one end it discharges heat, and at the other cools.

Excerpt: There are a few variations but geothermal systems all work similarly, tapping into the ground or water below or beside a building to draw or discharge energy. Those loops run several hundred meters through the soil, which hovers at a temperature of about 13 degrees year-round. Thus there is heat energy to draw from in winter and a place to discharge heat in summer and cool the building.

Article Title: Saving energy on the home front

Excerpt: Since 1970, the demand from UK households has increased by 32%. The growth of electrical and electronic goods, central heating systems and the use of lighting has outstripped efforts to curtail demand through better insulation and more energy efficient goods.

Excerpt: So where is the energy being used in the average home? According to government figures, 61% is used for heating, 23% for hot water, 3% for cooking and 13% for lighting and electrical appliances.

Excerpt: Instead of leaving shoppers to weigh up the environmental pros and cons of products, the roundtable says ministers must work with manufacturers and retailers to get the most damaging goods off the shelves and replace them with environmentally sustainable devices.

Article Title: Energy savings can pay off

Excerpt: When Sigurd Brezins gets his bill from Delmarva Power in his mailbox this month, he may find that the company owes him money.

Excerpt: The house has a geothermal pump to heat hot water and it can heat 60 percent to 100 percent of the home's hot water, depending on the season, Brezins said. The house is insulated with Isynene Foam Insulation -- an efficient, water-based product that encases the entire house. Crawl spaces in the house are sealed and conditioned, which helps reduce humidity in summertime. The passive solar design of the house, with many windows facing south, blocks sunlight in summertime and allows sunlight to enter during the winter. The light sockets support low voltage lights, which are as bright as other lights but use a fraction of the energy, Brezins said.

Excerpt: And, of course, the roof is equipped with a 1,500-watt solar panel system connected to the electricity grid. The solar energy also charges a backup battery, which can power the refrigerator, water pump and some lights up to four days if the electricity goes out. With the prevailing high energy prices and environmental concerns, now is the perfect time to start integrating alternative energy into homes, Brezins said.

Excerpt: The Green Energy Program is mandated by state law for Delmarva Power. The other electric companies chose to participate in the program, said Scott Lynch, an energy program planner who helps oversee the program. Customers who have municipal power will be able to participate in the program starting Jan. 1, 2007, when municipalities finalize a Green Power Program of their own.

Article Title: Heating homes from ground up

Excerpt: WaterFurnace International Inc. on Thursday rolled out its new line of environmentally friendly heating and cooling systems - the Envision Series - that it says is the most efficient system on the market.

Excerpt: Demand is growing for WaterFurnace products. Within the past year, WaterFurnace, 9000 Conservation Way, has added 60 jobs and doubled its manufacturing capacity, said Bruce Ritchey, the company’s chief executive officer. And the company is still expanding, he said.

Excerpt: The initial investment in a geothermal system is roughly $6,000 more than a traditional furnace because the underground pipe system must be installed. But the company says consumers will recoup that cost by saving on their annual heating bills.

According to the Department of Energy, geothermal technology is a growing industry, with shipments of geothermal units increasing to more than 43,000 for 2004, a 20 percent increase over shipments in 2003.

Article Title: Concord Monitor Online Article - Bright idea could save state thousands - Your News Source - 03301

Excerpt: Besides the savings, officials said they hope the switch sets an example for residents and businesses. The governor's office says 1,000 state employees have committed to using the efficient lights in their homes.