Today’s Daily Camera features two editorials by associate editor Clint Talbott on Boulder’s latest greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

In Open that Database!, Talbott supports and amplifies my earlier request for the complete emission inventory database from the city. (Thanks!) Regarding the city’s claim that this database is proprietary, he wrote:

“In diplomatic terms, Gahran objected to the denial, arguing that the full inventory is a public document. She is right. The data upon which the city will measure the progress of its tax-funded emissions program is clearly a matter of public concern. It should be treated as a matter of public record.”

As I noted this morning, we seem to be making progress toward getting access to that inventory — not direct access at this point, but the city is will to supply data in answer to specific questions. That’s a start, and it’s my impression that the city intends to work with us on that in good faith.

However, I still intend to push for direct access to the database. I explained that in a comment I posted to Talbott’s first editorial… (more…)

Amy Gahran

Electrician and entrepreneur Jeff Jones, wiring up my Saver Switch today.

Several weeks ago, Xcel Energy called me to see if I wanted to sign up for their Saver Switch program. That’s when they install a remote-controlled switch on my outdoor central air conditioning unit, which they use to cycle my cooling off for up to 15 minutes at a time on up to 15 hot summer days per year. This helps the utility manage peak electricity demand and hopefully avoid blackouts or brownouts. For that, I get a $25 credit on my September or October utility bill each year I have the switch.

That sounded like free money to me, so I said sure! Today, my Saver Switch finally was installed.

The installer was Jeff Jones, an electrician with Hunt Electric (Xcel’s installation contractor). I had a great conversation with Jeff — turns out he’s got a local business that specializes in renewable energy and off-grid solutions for residential and commercial buildings. He’s trying to convince the state of Colorado to offer more incentives for developers to include renewable measures like photovoltaics in new-construction housing developments. He also dabbles in biofuels, especially ethanol-powered vehicles.

(more…)

Amy Gahran

The main level of my home has LOTS of windows — all inefficient.

Earlier I wrote about my home’s new attic fan, which (so far this summer) is doing a much better job of keeping my home cool than the aging central air conditioning unit ever did. I am running it during most of the day, however.

Jay Stein of E Source pointed out that this is not an ideal practice. He commented: “You’re not supposed to run the fan all day long. Just run it at night, when it’s cool out. Be sure all the windows are open. Get the house nice and cold. Then in the morning, shut all the windows and pull down all the blinds. Your house should stay cool until the late afternoon. When the evening rolls around, open all the windows and start over again.”

Jay’s absolutely right; that is recommended practice for using an attic fan. However, our house has some significant flaws which — as far as I can tell — require some compensation as we work to correct them one at a time. Right now, running our attic fan during the day, instead of our central air conditioning, is an intermediate step toward efficiency, and an immediate step toward comfort.

In the summer, cooling our home at night has never been a problem. Our home faces west-east, the same direction as Boulder’s prevailing wind patterns. So if we open all the upstairs windows after sunset and run the bedroom ceiling fan we almost always pull a steady cross-breeze through the house that sucks out the day’s accumulated heat. So we don’t really need an attic fan for traditional reasons. It has more to do with compensating for our home’s serious daytime cooling flaws.

Plus, I personally prefer moving air far more than cooled air. I’m more comfortable in dry, moving air. I’d rather avoid air conditioning if I can — I had more than enough of it when I lived on the east coast. I don’t enjoy feeling like I’m living in a refrigerator.

Making tradeoff decisions when upgrading a home’s comfort and energy efficiency is something many Boulderites face. Much of the housing stock in town is decades old and was built by developers who apparently cared more about construction speed and profit margins than energy efficiency.

Here’s how we’re handling those decisions in our own case…

(more…)

xcelenergy.com

The lone residential utility rebate for Colorado I found on Xcel Energy’s web site today.

According to the city government’s Climate Action Plan, utility rebates are a key strategy to make energy-saving projects happen in Boulder, Colorado. These rebates are when our local utility, Xcel Energy, pays or reimburses part of the cost of energy-saving measures for residential, commercial and industrial customers — effectively lowering the cost and speeding the payback of these projects. The city expects Xcel to kick in, through rebates, more than $10.3 million toward the cost of local energy efficiency measures by 2012.

As I wrote earlier, Boulder doesn’t have a whole lot of time to meet its self-imposed goal of cutting its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 350,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2012. In order to achieve those savings on schedule, Boulderites must start saving energy now.

Utility rebates can help motivate individuals and organizations to take action to save energy — IF people know about them, and if the program rules and processes are simple enough to encourage participation (rather than cause confusion and frustration).

Those can be pretty big “ifs,” as I just found out when I visited Xcel’s web site…
(more…)

Amy Gahran

Boulder handyman Steve DiCesare cut through my ceiling yesterday to make way for an attic fan.

Today, Steve DiCesare (a local musician, teacher, and handyman) is finishing the installation of my new 30-inch attic fan. And I can’t wait. The top floor of my 3-story (including the finished basement) South Boulder home routinely roasts during the hottest days of summer. Since I work at home, and my office is on the top floor, that’s a problem.

The whole project, including equipment, supplies, and labor, will cost me about $600. Although I didn’t run the numbers to estimate energy savings from this project, I didn’t have to in order to decide to go for it. For me, it’s a matter of summer survival.

Which got me thinking: What really does motivate people to undertake major energy-saving projects?…

(more…)