An Ignoble Experiment

2. AEP, Columbia Gas promoting energy-efficient homes

PSEG Long Island, along with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), have launched On-Bill Recovery and Smart Energy Loans, allowing all PSEG Long Island residential customers to apply for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems from local contractors through a program that provides the convenience of repaying the loan via the customer's PSEG Long Island bill.

Long Island. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Phil Kates

PSEG Long Island has been at the forefront of advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy on Long Island.

"The launch of these loans provides customers with an affordable means to adopt renewable energy and supports the creation of green jobs in the local economy," said Dan Eichhorn, vice president of customer services for PSEG Long Island.

The program includes two low-interest loan options through Green Jobs - Green New York (GJGNY). Both loan options are available for up to $13,000 per applicant, and up to $25,000 if the project meets additional cost-effectiveness standards. Both options offer repayment periods of five, 10 or 15 years and may be combined with the Solar Pioneer Rebate Incentive. Interest rates could be as low as 3.49 percent.

The energy upgrades should pay for themselves with the savings they generate. With On-Bill Recovery loans, monthly payments may not exceed the estimated energy cost savings from the energy upgrades, which means the energy savings may cover most or all of the loan payment.

Increasing solar capacity on Long Island will help PSEG meet its peak capacity needs and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Since 2000, there have been more than 8,700 solar PV installations on Long Island through residential and commercial solar programs.

For more:
- see this article

Read more about: Solar power
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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3. Proximity is everything for NY hydro

AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio are using Home Energy Rating System (HERS) scores to promote energy-efficient homes in the state, as part of their EnergyCrafted Program. The program calls for building homes that surpass local building codes and meet a higher standard of energy performance.

The EnergyCrafted Program was created in response to growing demand for energy-efficient homes. What started as a new homes program that supplied energy efficiency training to builders has grown to include educating consumers about the energy-efficient features of new homes.

"Terms like a HERS score are becoming more mainstream," said Jack Partridge, president of Columbia Gas of Ohio. "Over the years, a shift has occurred in the consumer mindset, and more and more new homebuyers understand they can reduce their homes' energy bills while maintaining comfort."

Having enrolled more than 55 builders so far, the program requires these builders to employ a combination of proven technologies, advanced building practices and performance testing to achieve lower HERS scores. The average HERS Index Score for an EnergyCrafted Program home is 60, while the U.S. average is 64. The goal of the program is to help customers locate new homebuilders who typically build homes with a HERS score that is often 55 or lower.

The HERS Index was created by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) and is the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home's energy performance. The lower the HERS score, the more energy-efficient the home.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a typical resale home has a HERS Index Score of 130, while a home built to energy codes existing in 2006 and deemed energy efficient is awarded a score of 100. With an average HERS Index Score of 60, EnergyCrafted homes are 40 percent more energy efficient than many new homes built as recently as 2006.

For more:
- read about the HERS Index
- visit this website

Read more about: Energy Efficiency, AEP
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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4. California, Mexico partner to promote low carbon economy

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has approved new allocations of low-cost hydropower to three firms in Western New York, which will support the creation of more than 80 jobs and more than $50 million in capital investments, in part, from business expansion in state or businesses relocating to the region from out of state.

Niagara Falls. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Paul Bica

For example, Innomotive Solutions Group in Lancaster, New York is looking to renovate a facility in Lancaster so it can expand from Canada. The 100 kW allocation will help facilitate the $5.5 million expansion.

Proximity to low-cost hydropower gives Western New York a competitive edge. Niagara hydropower is currently priced at more than 50 percent less than wholesale market electricity in the Buffalo-Niagara region.

"Providing competitively priced hydropower to enterprises in Western New York is an impactful economic development tool," said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and chief executive officer.

Including the latest awards, 24 organizations have received funding totaling more than $14 million since the initial round in 2013. Through the end of June 2014, NYPA has made deposits of nearly $38 million into the Western New York Economic Development Fund.

For more:
- read this article

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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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5. Lux: Natural gas better than biomass for district energy

California -- a pioneer in addressing climate change -- and Mexico have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on a range of environmental issues, from pricing carbon pollution to air quality to promoting clean vehicles.

Credit: Environmental Protection Agency

"California and Mexico can give a crucial boost to the growing global momentum on key policies, like carbon pricing, that can achieve ambitious reductions in climate pollution, drive clean energy innovation, and promote low-carbon prosperity," said Nathaniel Keohane, vice president for International Climate, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). "In doing so they can demonstrate concrete progress on practical solutions to address the common challenge of climate change."

It makes sense that California's AB 32 program, and signature cap-and-trade policy, is attracting partners from around the world. California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) provides the blueprint for climate action in California and sets a statewide limit on greenhouse gas emissions, and includes a suite of policies including energy efficiency and renewable energy standards, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and cap and trade. Cap and trade went into effect in January 2013 for large emitters in the state, and will include transportation fuels beginning in January 2015.

Mexico's 2012 General Law on Climate Change aims to increase renewable energy use, sets ambitious goals to curb domestic emissions, and establishes a high-level climate commission authorized to create a domestic carbon market.

The MOU identifies certain priorities that will allow California and Mexico to respond to climate change while supporting sustained economic growth. First and foremost is promoting renewable energy. Another priority is developing carbon pricing systems and market-based instruments that address climate change, as well as strengthening greenhouse gas reporting programs, sharing the design of programs that have lowered emissions and promoted low-carbon development, and exploring mutually beneficial ways to align emissions reductions programs and strategies

Finally, the MOU identifies areas where Mexican state and California can cooperate to advance multilateral and subnational action on climate change.

For more:
- see the MOU

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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