EPA Marks 1M Energy Star Homes

SustainableBusiness.com News Exclusive:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday announced a milestone for its Energy Star, marking the 1 millionth Energy Star qualified home.

Since the program began labeling new homes in 1995, Americans have saved $1.2 billion on their energy bills, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 22 billion pounds, EPA said. This year alone, families living in Energy Star qualified homes will save an estimated $270 million on their utility bills, while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 370,000 vehicles.

“We’re going to keep the number of Energy Star homes growing, because every new Energy Star home is a step towards lower costs, cleaner air, and communities that are environmentally and economically sustainable,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said.

To earn the Energy Star label, a home must meet energy efficiency guidelines set by EPA. Those guidelines include effective insulation systems, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment, and high-efficiency lighting and appliances. In addition, an independent home energy rater conducts onsite testing and inspections to verify that the home’s performance meets Energy Star requirements.

There are more than 6,500 builders across the nation building homes that earn the Energy Star label, EPA said.

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Mars Chocolate Factory just installed an 18 Acre Solar Garden!

M&M's factory in N.J. flips switch on new solar array



Mars Chocolate North America, the makers of M&M's candy, together with PSEG Solar Source, unveil an 18-acre solar garden adjacent to their Hackettstown headquarters. The solar garden is capable of generating 2.2 megawatts per hour of clean energy which is equivalent to approximately 20 percent of the plant's peak energy consumption. (Video by John O'Boyle / The Star-Ledger) From the Star Ledger: Posted by John O'Boyle on November 9, 2009 at 04:03 PM

Support of Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act:

On Saturday, October 24, people around the world united for 350’s International Day of Climate Action to call on world leaders to take bold steps to address climate change, and made this one for the history books.

The American public overwhelmingly wants a strong clean energy bill, but Big Oil and Dirty Coal are pouring money into their efforts to water down and kill the recently-released Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, a positive first step to kick off the climate debate in the Senate. We need to let each of our Senators know that we want them to support bold climate and energy legislation!

The 1Sky Campaign have made it easy for you to call your Senators – just visit: http://www.1sky.org/call to get some talking points and get connected to your Senators toll-free.

Don't let polluting corporations decide what our ends up in the Senate bill. We need safe, clean, renewable energy. With your help, we can stand 10,000 calls strong for clean energy!

Call your Senators now.

Analyze Your Use!

Here is a great website that offers an Energy Saver Calculator to help you analyze and compare savings on replacing old appliances, heating and cooling systems and lighting fixtures in your home to be more energy efficient. Check out the list below and see how you can improve your homes’ energy efficiently by calculating your current usage.

Fridge Calc – Calculate what you will save by replacing your old refrigerator with an energy efficient model

Clothes Washer Calc- Calculate what you will save by replacing your old washer with an energy-efficient model.

Dryer Calc- Calculate what you will save by replacing your old dryer with an energy-efficient model.

Water Heater - Calculate what you will save by replacing your water heater with an energy-efficient model.

Thermo Calc- Find out how much you can save by adjusting your thermostat

Lighting Calc – Choose a fixture type and find out how much you can save with energy efficient bulbs: choose from

· Recessed, track and spot lights

· Ceiling, wall and table lamps

· Halogen Torchieres

System Calc- Estimate the size and cost of a new heating and cooling system for your home

Room AC Calc- Find out what size room air conditioner you need with this calculator.

This site also offers great tips on saving money and improving your home’s energy efficiency on the above items if you are unable to replace them. After calculation, click the SAVINGS TIPS button. Check out what Energy Guide recommended for how to save with these Refrigerator Tips...

Refrigerator Saving Tips:

Buy ENERGY STAR® Appliances. If you are thinking about purchasing a new refrigerator, look for ENERGY STAR® models. These are the most energy efficient models on the market and will save energy, save money, and help the environment.

Defrost your freezer. For manual defrost freezers, don't let ice build up more than 1/4 in. When this happens, the efficiency of the freezer drops significantly.

Check your freezer temperature. Keep your freezer at a temperature between 0-5 degrees F. Settings below this use more energy and are not necessary.

Keep your freezer away from heat. Try to locate your freezer in a cooler part of the house. Make sure you keep it out of direct sunlight and away from appliances that generate heat like ovens and water heaters.

Close the refrigerator door. Opening the refrigerator door accounts for between $10-$20 of a typical family's electricity bill each year based on 40-60 openings per day.

Inspect refrigerator door seals. Check the door seals on your refrigerator by closing the door on a dollar bill. If you can easily pull the dollar out then you would probably benefit by replacing the seal. The right seal for your refrigerator can be difficult to find, but you might try a refrigeration parts store.

Keep your refrigerator cool. Keep your refrigerator out of direct sunlight and in as cool a location as possible. Keep away from oven, stoves, water heaters, etc.

Keep the refrigerator level. If it is not level the door might not close fully.

Keep refrigerator foods covered. Keep foods covered to prevent moisture build-up. Your refrigerator has to work harder if the air inside is humid.

Reduce the load. Refrigerators operate most efficiently when full but not overloaded.

Don't put hot food in the refrigerator. Allow leftovers to cool before putting in the refrigerator.

Give your refrigerator some space. Allow at least one inch of space on each side of the refrigerator for good circulation. Poor circulation can increase energy consumption by 10%.

Turn off moisture control when not needed. If your refrigerator has a moisture control switch ('anti sweat' heater) you can generally safely turn it off on all but the hottest days (and even then if you have central air), and reduce the energy cost of your refrigerator by about 10%.

Replace old refrigerators. A new refrigerator uses a third of the energy of 15-20 year old models. This could mean savings of over $150 per year, making a new refrigerator a very good investment.

Clean the cooling coils. Vacuum behind your refrigerator at least once a year, making sure to remove dirt and dust from the coils. Dust build-up not only increases energy use, but it may cause the unit to break down. (Some refrigerators have the coils inside or underneath where you can't get at them. Most built-in models have them readily accessible on top, typically behind a removable grille).

Turn off spare refrigerators. An older second refrigerator consumes a significant amount of energy. It could be costing you over $200 per year! Perhaps you can get all your food into one refrigerator and turn the other off permanently. Alternatively, if you only need the second unit on during certain occasions, you can pull the plug and then plug it back in only when you need it. This won't hurt the refrigerator and can result in significant savings.

Keep refrigerators in a cool spot. A five degree difference in air temperature can have a 20% impact on the energy consumption of your refrigerator. Keep spare refrigerators in the coolest part of the house.

Organize your freezer. Mark items in your freezer for quick identification so that you do not have to keep the door open while you sort through packages.

Fill your freezer. Freezers operate most efficiently when full, and in the event of a power outage foods will stay frozen longer.

>>Click here to Calculate your Energy Savings!

A Great Video about Energy Efficieny: Kilowatt Ours; A Plan to Re-Energize America

Here is a great glimpse at the award-winning documentary, Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America, to be release for public television this fall. This Documentary provides simple yet practical and affordable solutions to fixing America's Energy Crisis. Jeff Barrie produce this film and won several awards including: Best Documentary Feature – South Dakota Film Festival 2007, and Best Environmental Film – Southern Appalachia International Film Festival 2007.



For more information about Kilowatt Ours Visit www.kilowattours.org

Green Domain was at RiverFest in Frenchtown, NJ Over the Labor Day Weekend!

This year Riverfest went GREEN! The Community Festival featured green vendors that provided information not only on home energy audits, green building, retrofitting and remodeling homes to become energy efficient and save money but also how to live in a green sustainable manner. There was plenty of fun for the entire family, hopefully next year's festival will feature the same green theme!

If you missed us at Riverfest in Frenchtown, NJ this Labor Day Weekend, visit GreenDomainUSA.com for more information on Home Energy Audits and living green!

Riverfest is hosted by the Frenchtown Business & Professional Association with assistance from the State of New Jersey Division of Tourism and Earthwise Associates.

Energy-Saving Tips for Your Home with Jone Baime

At Green Domain we are always looking for ways to help our clients. Below is a short video taken from About.com that provides easy tips to lower your utility bills. Click the picture to learn how to use less energy around your home.

Improving Energy Efficiency

Article Taken from THE WHITE HOUSE: THE BRIEFING ROOM BLOG POST: Posted MONDAY, JUNE 29TH, 2009 AT 7:15 PM by Katherine Brandon:



Amidst the tremendous progress being made in Congress on legislation to create a clean energy economy, today the President led by example and did his part here in the Executive branch. The President and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today several innovative actions that will promote energy efficiency while saving Americans billions of dollars annually. This announcement highlights the fact that clean energy not only makes environmental sense, but it also makes smart economic sense. The President explained that this is why the administration has put energy at the forefront of our economic recovery, working to build a new, clean energy economy for the future:

So we've gotten a lot done on the energy front over the last six months. But even as we're changing the ways we're producing energy, we're also changing the ways we use energy. In fact, one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to make our economy stronger and cleaner is to make our economy more energy efficient. And that's something that Secretary Chu is working every single day to work through.

This announcement, which takes effect in 2012, includes major changes to energy conservation standards for household and commercial lighting. It mainly focuses on General Service Fluorescent Lamps, commonly found in residential and commercial builds, and Incandescent Reflector Lamps, commonly found in recessed and track lighting. Although these changes may not sound exciting, the President explained, the effects will be substantial:

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Welcome to Green Domain, Energy Efficiency Specialists

The Green Domain Blog is an information data base for all your energy needs. Here you can read current green articles on sustainability, energy efficiency, geothermal, solar power and more.
Green Domain's Blog is also a directory for our readers to find links to Government Rebates, Incentive Programs, and Tax Deductions.

To get started, here is a great article from National Geographic on Energy Conservation...

It Starts at Home

By Peter Miller

Photography by Tyrone Turner

Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer a nagging question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don't keep reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere. But what can we do about it as individuals? And as emissions from China, India, and other developing nations skyrocket, will our efforts really make any difference?

>>Continue