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Green Your Home-Combat Global Warming!
 Once again, Greening Oakland Homes is partnering with Energy Upgrade California in Alameda County and the City of Oakland in a Home-Energy Forum. If you are considering retrofitting your home and are looking for ways to make it easy and affordable, this seminar is a must as your first step!
Learn about real Rebates and Incentives, and talk to the experts.
Energy Upgrade California is a one-stop-shop for home improvement projects that will save you money, lower your energy use, and make your home healthier and more comfortable. Homeowners can get up to $4,000 back in rebates when you make your home more energy efficient, and there are local contractors who are trained and ready to do the work today. You can also get a $300 rebate on a comprehensive energy assessment through February 2012.
A new program called Energize for the Prize also donates money to local schools when you get an energy upgrade! Learn how it works and get your school on the list at here.
Please join us for a homeowner information event in Oakland where you can learn about these incredible opportunities, meet Participating Contractors, and have all your questions answered. This event is free.
Tuesday, January 31, 6:30 to 8:00pm
Rockridge Library
5366 College Ave, Oakland, CA
RSVP here
Join us for a FREE seminar to learn how to make your home more comfortable and energy efficient through Energy Upgrade California:
- Access new low-interest loans to help finance upgrades
- Get up to $4,000 in rebates for energy efficient home improvements
- Hear from a Rockridge resident who recently completed an upgrade to her vintage 1937 home
- Ask a participating contractor about energy upgrade work
- Learn how Home Energy Assessments evaluate individual building performance to identify energy savings
- Reduce your carbon footprint-Save the planet!
When: Tuesday, July 26th, 7 – 8:30 pm
Where: St. Peter’s Anglican Church
6013 Lawton Avenue (Lawton at Broadway)
Oakland
Sign up for FREE!
For more information call Jeffery Liang at (650) 387-5799 or email.
This free seminar is sponsored by Energy Upgrade California and Greening Oakland Homes affiliated with Volunteering For Oakland/Montclair Community Action Group.
The CHF Residential Energy Program helps homeowners to finance home energy efficiency improvements with a 3.00% fixed interest rate 15-year loan with no limit on loan amount as long as the savings can be verified by audit.
Upon qualifying for the loan, the homeowner will also be eligible for a grant, up to $1,250 per home, to be put towards the project cost and a grant to cover the before and after inspections of the home. Qualifications include verification that the homeowner is current on the mortgage, property taxes and have a current source of income within the Program limits. There are no minimum credit score or appraisal requirements. Additional guidelines apply and are available from CHF.
The energy efficiency program is funded through a $16.5 million grant awarded to CHF by the California Energy Commission State Energy Program as part of the federal stimulus American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
An example of 100% financing of qualified retrofit projects under the CHF Residential Energy Retrofit Program is based on a 15-year, fixed-rate CHF Loan: payment on a $10,000, 15-year fixed-rate CHF Loan at 3.00% interest would be $69.06/month and the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) would be 3.1083%.
 With today’s high energy costs and increased emphasis on energy conservation and environmental restrictions, more homeowners need an Energy Audit to improve energy efficiency, increase energy savings, lower heating costs and help the environment in the process.
Not only will a Home Energy Audit save you money in the future, it can help you:
- Prioritize home improvement projects
- Calculate your potential savings
- Help with choosing the right contractors
- Make you eligible for local, state and federal rebates and tax credits!
And now, Greening Oakland Homes is pleased to announce a new program jointly subsidized by the City of Oakland and PG&E that will reimburse $200 to any Oakland homeowner who gets a Home Energy Audit from an approved Home Performance Auditor. In most cases, this is enough to cover 100% of the cost for the Audit.
Not Just Solar
Audit analysis is not limited to just solar solutions for energy savings. They use a whole-house energy savings approach. Each on-site audit is customized to the property, and uses the latest technology and computer modeling to assess which measures will be most beneficial, both in terms of cost and actual energy savings.
This joint endeavor is administered by the COMMUNITY ENERGY SERVICES CORPORATION (CESC) SmartSolar Program. Here are the steps to apply for your $200 Home Energy Audit Reimbursement:
Step 1 - Visit their website at http://www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar-residential/
Step 2 - Click the ebenergy.org link to begin the enrollment process
Step 3 - CESC will do a free analysis of your energy usage and your home’s suitability for solar installation without obligation to initiate a project.
Step 4 - After your Home Energy Audit is completed and paid for, CESC will reimburse you $200 for the audits, which will be enough to cover the entire cost of the Audit in most cases.
Upon request, CESC offers independent consultation to help with decision-making and choosing green-certified contractors.
For more information and to apply for this Home Energy Audit reimbursement, contact CESC at 510.981.7750 or send an email to smartsolar@ebenergy.org – By Vicky Friedman
Have you been thinking about renovating your home, but are concerned about the chemicals you frequently smell when new carpet or cabinets are installed. Do you wonder how they may be impacting your health? Or does someone in your family have respiratory problems exacerbated by VOC-emitting building materials that you would like to identify and remove?
 Creating a home environment that is functional, beautiful, healthy and environmentally friendly can be achieved without the use of toxic building materials. Greening Oakland Homes can help to connect you to architects and contractors who have the expertise to work with you on your home renovation projects.
To help you get started, Greening Oakland Homes will be giving away two hours of professional advice from LEED-certified architect and prize-winning author Cassandra Adams at the Rockridge Out & About Street Festival on Sunday, September 26th from 12:00 – 6:00. Look for Greening Oakland Homes with other like minded green organizations on College Avenue between Claremont Avenue and Chabot Road.
Stop by to register to win and learn more about local resources for those projects you may have been considering but haven’t quite had the time to research, or know where to go to in order to get started. We hope to see you there.
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
Rain water is a consistently available natural resource, and collecting and conserving it is an efficient way to cut down on the cost of water in your house. Placing a rain barrel underneath the gutters of your home can provide a barrel full of rain water in a downpour, which in turn can be used to water your garden or wash your car. And rainwater is better for your plants anyway!
You can buy a rain barrel and water diverter from home and garden stores for a little as $100. Some cities, like right here in Oakland, have rain barrel programs where you can get them at deeply discounted rates. Check out one you can buy for $45 rather than $150 this weekend.
 - The Water Cycle and your Rain Barrel
Rain barrels can help the water cycle to normalize. In the water cycle, water that evaporates from lakes, streams and even the sea falls as rain and re-charges ground aquifers. This water again flows back to the lakes and sea, and is also used by people. Now with increasing concrete and buildings, the water does not fall into the ground anymore.
What happens when the water cycle breaks? The water table drops and water shortages occur, and we end up paying higher water bills. And the rain gets diverted into sewers so it flows into the bay with all the garbage and pollution, which also causes erosion. Inadvertently, through human activities, one part of the cycle is out of sync, causing a lot of harm.
Rain barrels act like your own reservoir! On one hand, they help you hold down water bills. On the other, they prevent erosion, which can be important if you live on a hillside. And you do your bit to prevent excessive runoff and pollution – how can you resist?
More info: Check out the Rain Barrel Guide website, to learn how to harvest and use rainwater. Oaklanders may purchase 65-gallon “Moby” barrels online here – and pick them up at Kaiser Elementary, 25 South Hill Court (map) on various Saturdays scheduled by the city.
It’s time to plan ahead…for your retrofit projects.
In case you didn’t hear the news, Oakland will soon participate in what’s lovingly known as the “CaliforniaFIRST” program. This financing opportunity enables homeowners to borrow money for their home improvements now, and pay it back through property taxes over the next decade or two.
You may be able to afford air sealing, wall and roof insulation, energy efficient windows, tankless water heaters, low-flow toilets and even solar panels. In other words, investigate your needs and go shopping stat!
According to Oakland Public Works, this program should be launched by June. The application criteria and financing details aren’t available yet, so stay tuned for updates.
Our Greening Oakland Homes Fair is coming up this Saturday, March 6th! And some of our vendors are offering some great gifts and discounts. It’s important to save a little money on your home energy conservation efforts, right?
Everyone who comes to the free fair, taking place at 1650 Mountain Blvd, will be able to sign up and enter a drawing for these freebies:
- Ashby Lumber – a free cordless tool (worth $100)
- Moore Mechanical – a free ductwork inspection and evaluation (worth $250) and a free precision furnace tune-up (worth $125)
- Building Solutions – a free home energy audit (worth $300-500)
For Oaklanders who attend the fair, vendors will be ready to share their knowledge in an unpressured environment. But they will be ready with substantial discounts on their goods and services, too.
Energy audits are a recommended first step, and Building Solutions will offer a 20% discount to anyone who signs up for an audit this Saturday. In addition, Ashby Lumber will give out 10% off coupons during this fair, which are good for all purchases.
Hey, this kind of financing sounds good to us.
Today the State of California is putting finishing touches on a statewide green building code, effective next January. California plans to levy fees based on greenhouse emissions, rather than wait around to see what Uncle Sam’s doing to impact climate change.
There’s been plenty of buzzing about homeowners and what’s expected of them. If we decrease our energy consumption, then families should expect tax breaks or dividend checks worth up to $1,000 – pretty sweet!
The Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee, a 16-person state panel, is behind all these conservation plans. Unfortunately, there’s a political problem because their recommended green standards aren’t, well, standard. And there’s a two-tiered approach that’s a bit confusing right now.
Meanwhile a more stringent and generally-accepted set of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (aka LEED) standards are already followed by builders and contractors these days. Some 50 California cities and jurisdictions already comply with these standards, too.
The new statewide code won’t meet these LEED requirements. It’s no surprise that protests have already begun, with all the national green and environmental groups delivering a letter to Sacramento. We are pleased with any progress, but ignoring the accepted standards is a head-scratcher!
More info: USA Today - LA Times - The WSJ - SF Chronicle – Twitter Search Results
January 14th Update: As expected, California’s green-building code was approved on Wednesday. This first-in-the nation standard goes live next year – and is an important progress point.
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