Residents Get Help With Energy Efficiency

Good news for Lansing residents struggling to pay their utility bills. Urban Options and the city of Lansing are offering free energy visits to help make your home more energy efficient.

The service is meant for those wanting to save money on their utility bills. To apply, you must live in Lansing and can call Heather Mann at 517-337-0422, extension 6 to schedule an appointment.

Citizens Bank Offering Energy Efficiency Loans

Low interest rates, yes, but is it worth it?

Citizens Bank announced today that it is offering a new Energy Efficiency Loan to help low-to-moderate income homeowners make their homes more energy efficient.

The Citizens Bank Energy Efficiency Loan offers select homeowners the ability to qualify for an unsecured loan of $1,000 to $3,000 at a rate of 1% APR for as long as 36 months. A 3% APR is available for loans of $3,001 up to $10,000, for up to 84 months.

Trying to go green this way may lead one to the poor house.

California Sues Government Over Curb Emissions

Should states have the power to regulate?

California and 15 other states sued the Bush administration Wednesday, seeking to overturn a federal decision last month rejecting the state's bid to curb greenhouse gases from cars and trucks.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, marks a new round in an epic five-year struggle between California and the federal government over whether states have the power to regulate carbon dioxide and other pollutants that cause global warming.

Some may argue that giving the states such power may create an atmosphere where regulation is not strictly adhered to. What is your opinion on the matter?

Has Global Warming Been Proven?

There are still global warming skeptics:

Jonathan Chait of the New Republic magazine points out that a recent National Journal poll found that 84 percent of House and Senate Republicans surveyed didn't believe that it has been ``proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the Earth is warming because of man-made problems.''

That rather stunning poll result causes one to ask whether these skeptics have even made themselves aware of the Fourth Assessment of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In that report, the panel's 2,000-plus scientists concluded that there was more than a 90 percent chance that human activity was the main cause of global warming over the last half- century.

What do you think?

Cities and Energy Consumption

Humans can now officially be called an urban species. More than half of the global population now live in cities and the United Nations says that by 2030, 60 percent of us will live in them.

Yet according to U.N. Habitat, the world's cities emit almost 80 percent of global carbon dioxide as well as "significant amounts of other greenhouse gases."

Put simply, if you want to tackle climate change, tackle the cities. |Read more|

New Year Usher End In New Laws

The State of Connecticut has passed new legislation that will help its' residents save on energy. Among them are:

1. Expanding a temporary state sales tax exemption for passenger cars that get at least 40 miles per gallon to all passenger trucks, vans and motorcycle with the same fuel efficiency. The exemption runs from Jan. 1 of this year to July 1, 2010.

2. Preparing a plan to encourage the use of biodiesel heating oil blends in state buildings and facilities.

3. Giving Northeast Utilities and United Illuminating Co., until Feb. 1 to submit a plan to build power generation plants that could be used during peak periods of electricity use. Private companies will also be allowed to submit proposals.

4. A new rebate program will be established for residential electric customers who replace their old air conditioners with ones that meet federal Energy Star efficiency standards. The rebates range from $25 to $100 for room air conditioners, depending on the cost, and at least $500 for residents who replace a central air unit.

Is Going 'Green' Part of your New Year's Resolution?

This is the time of year when we sit down and make our New Year's Resolution list. If you are serious about protecting the environment, why not add green living to your list.

You can fight global warming and trim your household expenses at the same time. Some measures require an investment upfront but will save you plenty of money over time. Here are a few ways to go green without spending a lot of gold:

* Compact fluorescent light bulbs: Changing 10 60-watt bulbs will save the average homeowner in California more than $373 over the life of the new bulbs and prevent more than 1,700 pounds of carbon emissions.

* Appliances: Energy-efficient appliances can save $80 a year for the average homeowner, who spends $1,900 on power bills. For example, a new Energy Star-rated refrigerator uses 40% less energy than a traditional one that was manufactured in 2001.

* Heating and air conditioning: A programmable thermostat set 8 degrees lower in winter and 4 degrees higher in summer for eight hours during the day and 10 hours at night will save the average homeowner $150 a year.

Why not give it a try. You can save money as well as help the environment.

Green Tax Breaks Will End On Dec. 31

If you're looking for last-minute green tax breaks, you better hurry.

This may be the last year to take advantage of credits related to energy-efficient home improvements because they expire at year-end.

The Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005 allowed homeowners to take a one-time tax credit of up to $500 for doing things like installing new efficient windows, insulation and heating and cooling equipment in their homes.

But provisions to extend the credits were dropped from the energy bill during the deal-making that took place to get it signed into law by President Bush this month.

So now qualifying products must be purchased and installed by Dec. 31.

Hope For New Orleans

New Orleans could have been the city to showcase its eforts in being more environmentally friendly if not for the actions of Stan "Pampy" Barre. Take for example, the case of Parkland, Florida.

In Parkland, where the motto is "Environmentally Proud," the city plans next year to begin dispensing cash rebates to its 25,000 residents for being more environmentally friendly.

Residents who install low-flow toilets or shower heads will get $150. Replacing an old air conditioner with a more energy-efficient one brings $100. Buying a hybrid car? An additional $200 cash back. And the list goes on.

Based on an estimate of 1,000 residents participating in the rebate program during the first year, the city predicts it will cost up to $100,000.

Many states already offer similar rebates and incentives through tax breaks, loans and perks such as allowing hybrid-car drivers to use car pool lanes.

Once U.S. Attorney, Jim Letten, put all of the corrupt culprits away, maybe New Orleans can be the next city to roll out its' environmentally friendly plans.

Forstalling Efficiency

Is this what the New Orleans' grinch had in mind when he looted the contract?

At the international climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, this month, delegates from New Delhi resisted efforts by industrialized nations to set mandatory targets for reductions in carbon emissions, arguing that India's per-capita emissions are far lower than those of wealthier, developed countries. Countries with emerging economies have also argued that climate change goals should not be imposed at the cost of growth.

India's severe power shortages are already forcing some business owners to look for energy-efficient solutions -- both to cut costs and to remain globally competitive. In the past two years, the government has introduced energy-efficiency labels for some consumer goods and trained architects how to meet new, environmentally friendly building codes. The government has also mandated energy audits for large factories this year and is proposing tougher fuel economy standards.

Audits would have helped New Orleans from the Grinch.

Flat Screen TV's Jack Up Energy Prices

Prices for big-screen television sets are dropping, but the cost of home entertainment may still be headed up. That is because the fancy screens shoppers are lugging home this holiday season consume far more electricity than their old-school predecessors.

Consider that a 42-inch plasma set can consume more electricity than a full-sized refrigerator - even when that TV is used only a few hours a day. Powering a fancy TV and full-on entertainment system - with set-top boxes, game consoles, speakers, DVDs and digital video recorders - can add nearly $200 to a family's annual energy bill.

Most consumers aren't made aware of extra energy expenses when they are shopping for a TV. Energy Star tags, a government program that identifies the most energy-efficient models, won't begin flagging the greenest televisions, when turned on, until late next year. Today, Energy Star judges energy consumption only in standby mode, limiting its usefulness.

Global Warming May See Santa Claus In Shorts

If the most dire climate forecasts come true the tourism industry in Europe's far north, already feeling the effects of global warming, may find itself promoting a Santa in shorts and a camel-drawn sleigh.

Each year at the end of autumn, residents, shopkeepers, travel agencies, reindeer herders and even politicians in the Finnish Arctic town of Rovaniemi - home to Santa Claus' Village, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Finland - look to the skies in the hopes of a snowy winter.

Energy Efficiency Contract Thief Gets Temporary Reprieve

Stan "Pampy" Barre was granted a temporary reprieve, from the federal pen, during this holiday season. The ex-political operative and confidant of former New Orleans' mayor, Marc Morial is awaiting sentencing for his role in looting from a massive energy efficiency contract that was awarded during the final year of Morial's administration.

Mr. Barre is now scheduled to be sentenced in April. Let's hope he receive the sentence he so richly deserves.

Taming Climate Change Threat

Britain's National parks - enjoyed by 100 million visitors a year - must undergo a conservation revolution if they are to meet the challenges of climate change and the introduction of new farming practices.

This is the stark warning of leading environmentalist Adrian Phillips, who has warned the National Parks Societies that our most precious landscapes will have to adapt in the near future. Phillips wants planners to encourage small renewable energy projects, such as wind turbines, hydroelectric schemes and solar water heaters. He warned that new planning laws will have to be introduced to make new buildings carbon-neutral and the parks entirely so.