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Welcome to Greening Oakland Homes, where your Oakland neighbors want to promote energy and water conservation – without the intrusions of commercial interests! On a neighborhood by neighborhood basis, our goal is to bring together Oakland homeowners with contractors and service providers, at neighborhood fairs and even online! We think the time has come to get more practical – and rely on the credibility and recommendations of your neighbors.
–> Find hand-picked, recommended green contractors – click here
–> Search for ways to save and afford greening your home – click here
Did you know that California is the first state to implement a green building ordinance? On January 1st, 2011, all existing and new buildings will face stricter code requirements – whether residential, commercial or multi-family.
 These statewide requirements are part of California’s CalGreen building standards, created to ensure that residential buildings become “carbon neutral” by 2020, and commercial buildings by 2030.
How it works
In the new year, our California state building code will require a basic level of compliance for green building. At some point of time on or after January 1st , Oakland also will ask for extra requirements based on our uniquely local conditions.
What does this mean for you, the homeowner? If you need a permit for renovating/improving/repairing an existing building, you will need to implement green building practices. And the same will be true for new homes.
How will you be evaluated? For homes, a system developed by a non-profit organization called Build It Green will be applied. Your home will be awarded a certain number of GreenPoints (GPR) for each green feature. Soon, homes will be required to have a certain number of GPRs to conform to code. Separately, commercial buildings will be evaluated by the more stringent LEEDS requirements.
Get prepared now
Want to know more about Oakland? Keep up with the latest requirements by reaching the Green Building Resource Center (GBRC), which is prepared to answer your questions about renovations, construction and other green conservation concerns. You may visit them near Oakland City Hall, at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, or else call them at 510-238-SAVE (7283).
What’s happening next? Stay tuned for July, when the next draft of California’s Green Building Ordinance will come out. As a homeowner, don’t expect to become an instant expert – but make sure you double-check your plans with suppliers to ensure compliance. It’s a great time to be involved with green building!
Want to dive more deeply? If you’re ambitious, then you should check out the California Green Building Standards Code presentation in its entirety. For Oakland details, please keep up with the green building codes and news at our Green Building Resource Center online.
In Oakland, we’re extraordinarily lucky to have a tool lending library when doing home improvements or green retrofits in particular. When you need any kind of tool, you just stop by 52nd and Telegraph to pick one up.
Usually the Temescal Tool Lending Library staff is ready to assist you. And now they welcome a little advice and counsel as well, at their very-first “Oakland Tool Library Friends” gathering this weekend.
What: Oakland Tool Library Friends Meeting
When: Saturday, June 12th, 1pm – 2pm
Where: Tool Lending Library Lawn, 5205 Telegraph Ave (map)
Cost: No cost, for Oakland, Piedmont and Emeryville residents
Yes, interested Oaklanders can help the tool library. This inaugural gathering will take place on the lawn outside the Temescal Tool Lending Library, starting at 1pm. Their agenda is to agree upon a list of group goals, all to support this unique resource.
From our interactions with the librarians, we know this library wants to share knowledge as well as tools. They are considering all kinds of training classes based on the needs of patrons. We love them!
So take a quick hour and stop by the back of the library. Food will be provided, to lure interested tool borrowers and library supporters. While the meeting’s scheduled for an hour, it’s fine if some of you want to stay longer.
Today we were privileged to meet the inaugural Green Academy students at Oakland Tech. These mostly sophomore students are getting introduced to thinking about ways they might decrease Oakland’s carbon footprint – and achieve our city’s long-term climate action plan.
Under the guidance of their teacher, Dr. Deirdre Snyder, they have been focused on energy-saving opportunities at home, in local businesses, on the streets and throughout our city.
In this project, shown above, students were starting to consider alternative sources of energy as well as practical ways to reduce energy consumption. Check out the solar panels on the roof, and the bike lane on the city street. These recommendations are very sweet from 16 year olds!
We’re excited that high schoolers are studying greener options, as this bodes well for all Oaklanders. At the upcoming Temescal Street Fair, this Sunday, these Oakland Tech students will also volunteer at the Green Zone – on Temescal Ave and 48th Street.
The adults need all the help they can get, and the teens will be there to assist with sign-ins, answering visitor questions, and even discussing their projects. When it comes to improving energy consumption in Oakland, Greening Oakland Homes welcomes the next generation with open arms.
This Sunday, June 6th, we would like to invite everyone to stop by the Temescal Street Fair and look for our Green Zone – which Greening Oakland Homes has planned between Telegraph and 48th Street in Oakland. Look up and you should be able to see the zone signs.
There’s supposed to be a huge crowd, and we look forward to spending time with everyone visiting the zone. You’ll find green-minded people ready to discuss your home’s conservation opportunities.
- Nearly 20 exhibiting vendors and experts
- Well-informed Oaklanders to discuss the latest financial incentives
- Plus Oakland Tech students, who will be showing their projects
We are really excited about seeing you, this Sunday between 12 am and 6 pm. Be there!
P.S. In addition to the Temescal District team, we would like to recognize Ashby Lumber and Eco Logical Builders as official sponsors of our Green Zone.
The roof over your head may be even more useful than you know. With new incentives from the state and federal government, you can turn it into an energy generating machine and save money too. The technology involved is very reliable and scalable with long warranties. Plus you’re helping the environment by saving what equals about 10,000 miles in a passenger car per year!
This is how it works: Like all Oaklanders, you have a utility company which supplies electricity and offers a net metering scheme to residential customers who want to install solar panels on roofs. When solar panels generate electricity for use by homeowners, all the surplus electricity goes back to the PG&E grid. Thus solar-powered homes can draw from the grid during night-time, or anytime the panels are not working – and the grid functions like a giant battery.
These grid-tied systems save money.
Now, PG&E charges more for supplying electricity above the baseline amount – so the more electricity your home consumes above the baseline, the more you pay. Homeowners with roof solar systems have a part, or most, of their electricity needs met by their systems. Since energy taken from solar-powered homes is very close to the baseline, these homeowners pay less overall.
Over time, say 10 years, you would pay off the cost of the system which is tax-free and adds value to the home, rather than paying off a utility bill. Based on how much power is put back into the PG&E grid, and what is drawn from it, a household can have an almost zero dollar electricity bill, though they cannot “sell” the surplus as such.
What drives your solar success?
To make solar panels work for you, your roof should have a life of 7-10 years left although it’s best to install them on a brand-new roof. Additionally, the system requires direct uninterrupted sunlight, and preferably a roof facing south, west, or east. The normal roof angles work well for solar too and, in fact, you can even have a flat roof. We’re lucky the California climate is very well-suited to solar installations.
Financially, the initial price tag looks steep since you are paying for 30-40 years of electricity upfront. This is offset by rebates, which can be “cash upfront” for smaller systems. In addition, there are federal tax subsidies and depreciation “write-offs” available. We understand that low-interest loans are coming down the pike, which get paid back through long-term property taxes.
When you step back, your roof really could become a cost-effective energy generator! It’s important to consider the upfront costs – and equally relevant to factor in the inevitable, rising electricity prices.
More info: Find recent updates on rebates at California Solar Initiative. Check out thermal and solar resources at Find Solar. Start searching for Oakland-based solar suppliers online. Also we invite you to stop by the Temescal Street Fair on June 6th – where Greening Oakland Homes hosts a Green Zone with solar experts ready to explore your opportunities.
At a recent seminar about energy audits, we learned that your home ducts are the place to save energy. “Please replace your ducts,” declared expert Scott Lowery, who works with Building Solutions.
It turns out that some 30 percent of energy leaks through the average Californian homeowner’s ducts. Yet something this elementary, which pays back quickly, commonly gets ignored. We asked Lowery why people don’t pay attention to the basics and he laughed, “it’s boring.”
According to Building Solutions, “testing and sealing duct systems is one of the most cost-effective energy improvements available for residential buildings. In addition to energy savings, proper sizing, sealing or replacing ducts can lead to dramatic improvements in indoor air quality and comfort.”
You should also examine the sealing around plumbing and other penetrations, because leaks happen there too. If these entries are insulated, then you will reduce energy consumption – not to mention block out rodents, a twofer.
Through an energy audit, many systems are checked out as well as every room in your home. The fundamentals boil down to testing insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, lighting and appliances. It seems worth your time and energy, and essential to qualify for various rebates, tax breaks and other financial incentives coming down the pike.
P.S. We suggest reading this article by Oaklander Gene Anderson, who arranged for an energy audit and shared what he learned – plus there are some cool pictures of the testing devices!
Save on your energy bill and enjoy a healthier home! Come to a special seminar, on Saturday, May 8th, to learn about home energy auditing, with expert Building Solutions.
What: Getting Started – Home Energy Conservation
When: Saturday, May 8th, 11am – 12pm
Where: Temescal Tool Lending Library, 5205 Telegraph Ave (map)
Cost: No cost, it’s free to all comers
Get the prescription for “green” ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency and comfort from Building Solutions’ staff. Learn how a home energy audit works, what the most cost-effective solutions are – and how you can get started. This is an educational hour worth your time, and definitely not a sales pitch!
It’s conveniently taking place at Oakland’s Temescal Library which has a lending tool library. So after the seminar, perhaps you will be inspired to check out a few tools and begin tinkering at home as well.
Well, we’re kidding but the State of California is offering several rebates that Greening Oakland Homes needs to bullhorn, since they are a limited time offer. Act now!
If you have an environmental clunker, then you may be eligible. The specific rebates are $200 for refrigerators, $100 for washing machines and $50 for room air conditioners. The cash for clunkers, appliance edition, runs from April 22nd through May 23rd – first come, first served.
We encourage you to take a look at the California rebates program by clicking here. Or you may immediately check the lists of qualifying clothes washers, refrigerators or room air-conditioners right now.
This economic lure is attractive, especially if you already planned to upgrade your appliances. The rebate amounts strike us as sizable, relative to appliance street prices. All the typical East Bay and national chains can help you with the upgrades, just check out who’s participating right here.
Paperwork ahead. By April 22nd, the rebate form should be available online or at the retailers. You will need to complete the form, as well as get a signed recycling form from the retailer or hauler.
To obtain that “free money” from the State of California, send along the rebate form, recycling form, sales receipt, utility bill (residency proof) and Energy Guide label from the new appliance to: Cash for Appliances, P.O. Box 12150, La Crescenta, CA 91224.
More info: California Cash For Appliances Program – California Cash For Appliances Rebates – Flex Your Power Rebates
We’re hearing from plenty of Oaklanders, especially with all the green-type events happening this month. Greening Oakland Homes will participate at the Earth Expo tomorrow, downtown, along with nearly a hundred dynamic green exhibitors. Stop by during your lunch break!
This year’s Earth Day festivities feel a bit more diverse to us, as Oakland aims to make progress on all Urban Environmental Accord actions. Recently the City Council had a special meeting to consider energy reduction goals, including transportation and home energy consumption targets.
When you bring up greening initiatives these days, we think it’s about individual accountability too. Neighbors naturally bring up retrofits they might do to reduce their carbon footprints and save dollars – which aren’t mutually exclusive goals.
There seems to be increased interest in “doing something” this summer, and Greening Oakland Homes intends to provide a helpful hand. We’re now developing a new green presence at the Temescal Street Fair on June 6th, and expect to coordinate resources and suppliers for Oaklanders there.
Anyway, we hope to see you in person soon. In the meantime, please reach us with your questions and ideas at greeningoak@gmail.com.
Did you hear about those proposed changes in PG&E rate plans? In essence, there would be three rather than five rate tiers. The proposal translates into price breaks for heavier users and higher rates for lighter users. It almost feels like you are getting hit for conserving energy.
Check out the potential impact, reported in today’s news:
Customers who use 1,500 kWh per month would see their average bills drop by $108.62, from $480.08 to $371.46. But customers who use 550 kWh per month would see a $10.73 increase in their average monthly bill, from $77.40 to $88.13.
While this PG&E proposal is based on costs per kilowatt hour (kWh), keep in mind that all hours aren’t created equal anyway. Charges differ depending on whether energy is consumed during peak, part peak or off peak hours.
In this chart below, you can see the rates kick up in the middle of summer days as depicted by the purple-blue columns. The black parabola-shaped line shows energy demand, which aligns with those higher-rate times of day.
What can be done during this summer? To reduce the temperatures in your home, take a look at some window treatments that can prevent the green-house heating during the day. If you do have air-conditioning, then check the timing and controls this year.
Of course, many Oaklanders don’t even have air conditioning because our climate’s pretty moderate. We know people who do things the old fashioned way, with a couple ceiling fans and open windows to promote air flow. The air conditioning units are cranked only on the worst handful of days.
Besides the places where you consume more summertime energy, don’t forget those energy-stealers around your home. You know about light switches, but also make a little time to check out your TVs, computers and appliances that are constantly using electricity. Remember to turn off as well as unplug all these contraptions!
Start thinking about conservation again. With electricity rate changes on deck, it’s human nature to consider ways to cut consumption whenever possible. PG&E is asking for public responses to their proposal this year and expects to enact some rate adjustments by 2011 – yet there’s no excuse to put off additional home improvements.
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