MGPC Sustainability Blog

Quick Tip: Click here for even more ways to save money on energy!

The CNN Money piece titled “Knock $ 4,000 of Your Utility Bill” does a great job of offering simple advice with great payback. Isn’t that what you want? Aren’t you tired of unpractical innovations like a solar powered pocket book, which not only looks goofy, but does nothing to help you save money or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Many of their simple fixes cost under $ 1,000, some even less than $ 100, but offer payback periods of a year of less. After one year, these fixes become PROFITABLE to you!

I recommend flipping through the slides while they are still up on the CNN Money site at this link:

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/pf/0809/gallery.utility_bill.moneymag/4.html

Let’s take a look at some here:

• Insulate Attic

Cost: $ 500 - $ 1,000

Payback: $ 500 - $ 1,000 / year

Don’t stop here - this one is one of the most expensive with the slowest payback period. This gets better soon. See the other tips below.

Comment on the recommended Attic Tent, which insulates around attic hatches: Amazon.com sells a more economical alternative called Battic Door. Click here for information and pricing.

• Great Stuff - Insulating Foam

Cost: $ 15.00

Payback: $ 500.00 / year

Comment: Get Great Stuff Insulating Foam from $ 5.33 / bottle by clicking here

• Insulation Jacket on Water Heater

Cost: $ 40.00

Payback: $ 100 /year

Comment: You wouldn’t need to insulate your water heater if you used a tankless water heater, which creates hot water on demand - fast and efficiently. Make it even more efficient by pre-heating your water with a solar powered water heater on your roof. Click here to see more energy efficient home products including high efficiency appliances like refrigerators and washing machines.

• Schedule a Periodic Service Call

Cost: $ 100- $ 200 / year

Payback: $ 300 - $ 500 / year

Comment: Call us for a referral to a good service company in the Mid-Atlantic region: 443-864-3072.

• Cover the Ducts

Cost: $ 50 - $ 250

Payback: $ 500 - $ 1,500 / year

Comment: The all-time favorite fix-it, duct-tape, can delivery an almost unbelievable payback for its cost. Add a little additional cost to purchase duct insulation and you’re done.

• Use Time-Settings for Heat

Cost: $ 40.00 or Free using BG&E’s PeakRewards as explained below

Payback: $ 500 / year

Comment: While a programmable thermostat is a great energy-saving idea when used correctly and can be installed very easily by yourself, you sometimes have to be careful about which type you buy if you own a heatpump. To make matters simpler, and cheaper, if you live in Maryland’s Baltimore Gas & Electric service area, you can contact BG&E to take advantage of their PeakRewards Smart Energy Savers Program. By doing so, Baltimore Gas & Electric will provide you with a new, digital thermostat and free installation. Furthermore, the digital thermostat is programmable over the internet. You enter the settings on a website, and then they are transmitted over radio to your thermostat and automatically programmed to make energy saving so simple that you are more likely to do it. Note that by agreeing to be in the program, you are allowing BG&E to remotely cycle your compressor on and off at their discretion on peak energy emergency days, but BG&E claims they will only use it a few times per summer. This might cause your indoor air to be warmer or more humid, but that shouldn’t matter to families which commute to work during those peak hours. Since BG&E is able to more efficiently manage their peak power usage, their costs decrease. They pass some of this back to you as a rebate for being on the PeakRewards program. You can learn more about PeakRewards and sign up at Baltimore Gas & Electric’s PeakRewards website at:

http://www.bgesmartenergy.com/peakrewards/what-is-peakrewards

Note: Although the PeakRewards program has its benefits, BG&E’s time of day billing has some definite downsides, judging from comments posted by customers on Jay Hancock’s blog.

Notice: For more information on how MGPC can help you with energy savings, visit us by clicking here.

To view Laurel Boys and Girls Club progress in saving energy, click here on “Energy Maps”

by Timmy Gelles | Staff Writer

(Reprinted with permission of The Laurel Gazette)

In an effort to reduce a skyrocketing utility bill, the Laurel Boys and Girls Club is teaming up with Maryland Green Power Company, which will donate energy-saving equipment pro-bono.

Patrick Reed, LBGC executive director, said the club spends about $90,000 each year on heating and electricity, a price that has increased 30 percent during the past couple of years. With rising fuel prices, he said this year’s bill will top $120,000.

“The energy cost has never really been this high,” Reed said.

Much of the high cost is due to the age of the LBGC building and the condition of its insulation and windows. The LBGC building was built in 1899, some renovations were done in 1935 and 1950 but the original windows remain.

Vanessa van der Have, the club’s under-age 6 soccer team coach, said she wanted to find an affordable long-term solution to the soaring costs and contacted Maryland Green Power, who offered to help the club pro-bono.

“The energy bill is preposterous,” said Dennis Meizys, owner of the Columbia-based Maryland Green Power.

Meizys said that the LBGC is the first pro-bono contract his company has ever done.

“It was perfect site because they have very high energy usage,” Meizys said. “And they’re a social work group, so they should spend their money on other things besides electricity.”

Meizys said Maryland Green Power has donated more than $7,000 of equipment, including the EnergyMaps system which allows LBGC to remotely monitor its energy usage. EnergyMaps analyses the data and allows each staff member to view it in real time, whereby they can see their effects on the overall consumption.

Meizys said EnergyMaps is probably the most effective way to cut down energy usage.

In six months, with all the data logged and examined, Meizys said he will meet with the LBGC and look at things that require small to medium investments. He said some options include a new lighting system in the gymnasium and adding water cooling capabilities that should save the club 30 percent on air conditioning costs.

The club is also taking steps on its end. Reed said he and club officials are educating each of the 18 programs on how to be more energy conscience, such as turning off lights when not in use.

He said the club is working on receiving a government loan to acquire new windows or repair the existing windows. Reed said he is expecting a report within a couple weeks on whether the windows are even repairable.

Reed said the rise in prices has cut into LBGC programs. Each year the club normally offers 400 partial or full waivers for families who cannot afford the $75 program fee. This year, the club can only provide 200 waivers to its 3,500 youth participants.

With winter on the horizon, the rising oil prices will also add to the bill. Reed said the boiler usually costs about $12,000 a month during the winter. This year he projects the cost will rise up to $17,000 per month.

The future of the club’s finances looks optimistic. Reed said that within 18 months, the LBGC should start reducing its energy by 40 percent. Meizys said the amount of money the LBGC will save will be larger than the amount they currently pay.

“I think it’s a win-win for both because [Meizys] aligned himself with the largest club in Maryland,” van der Have said. “And for the club, the more support they can get from the outside — from the private sector, the parents, the volunteers — the better.”

E-mail Timmy Gelles at tgelles@gazette.net.

Sellers offer “Green” Incentive Package to Buyers

Boca Raton, Florida (PRWEB) March 5, 2008 — With headlines reading “Home prices to post another decline in ‘08,” residential home sellers are between a rock and a hard place. In order to set their home apart from the 235 houses on the market in their price range in the Boca Raton, Florida area, Tara and Daniel Biller devised a “green home” incentive plan for potential buyers. They are offering buyers a slew of environmentally friendly upgrades and products including a solar water heater system.

“Tara and Daniel Biller are in the same situation as millions of American’s with a home to sell,” said Torm Martinson, broker/agent for Campbell & Rosemurgy Real Estate. “They’ve lowered their asking price, made home improvements and have been patient waiting for an offer - any offer.”

“We realized it was time to do something different to set our house apart,” commented Tara. “I’m in the process of starting up a residential ‘green home’ consulting service and I have been doing a lot of research on solar panels and outfitting the home with more environmentally friendly solutions. Daniel and I devised this plan to see if this would peak the interest of potential buyers.”

For those that are interested in learning more about the Biller’s home and the “green home” incentive package, please contact Torm Martinson at 561-504-6200, or torm@campbellandrosemurgy.com.

In response to their more than $80,000/year utility bill, the LBGC accepted Maryland Green Power’s offer to work pro-bono in evaluating the Club’s energy pitfalls and implement a program to help them become more efficient and significantly cut costs.

Progress on this project so far:

1) Located no-cost electricity provider switch which will save Laurel Boys and Girls Club 8% on their electricity bill immediately;
2) Installed Enigin Eniscope and started metering energy usage in facility’s gymnasium, which contains their largest air conditioning loads: 40 tons of air conditioning. Will commence data logging to develop load profiles and energy usage history for up to 2 years with data stored off-site in redundant storage;
3) Will launch “Energy Buddies” phase in order to implement additional no-cost energy saving solutions.
4) Will publish link to live meter data on this website.

Companies can have their energy bills analyzed for savings for free by faxing all pages of 2-3 months of their electric and gas bills to fax: 443-927-9018, Attn: Free Energy Audit. If selected, we will contact you and send an engineer to your facility for a no-cost energy survey. Please include cover sheet with contact information in order to be considered.

Click Here for Wholesale Prices on Energy Efficient Appliances - Brochure Request

Baltimore Gas & Electric is offering substantial rebates on purchases of energy efficient home appliances. To qualify, the appliance must be Energy Star rated. Find ENERGY STAR® Qualified Appliances here.

$ 50 Rebate on ENERGY STAR® Qualified Refrigerators

*An Energy Star qualified refrigerator can save up to $ 135 in energy over its lifetime compared to standard models, and will save even more energy compared to refrigerators sold before 1993.

$50 Rebate on ENERGY STAR® Qualified Freezers

*An Energy Star qualified freezer can save up to $ 77 in energy over its lifetime.

$50 Rebate on ENERGY STAR® Qualified Clothes Washers

*ENERGY STAR® qualified clothes washers, compared to models made before 1994, can save up to $377 in energy over its lifetime, and also save a significant amount of water.

Browse through our recommended selection of ENERGY STAR® Qualified Appliances Here, then download, complete, and submit your rebate request form from the Baltimore Gas & Electric Site below:

Baltimore Gas & Electric Energy Rebate Form

*Energy cost savings are estimates and may vary according to usage and current rates.