Energy Star

Consumers squeezed by rising prices for gasoline and just about everything else now have something more to worry about: Are those costly new appliances they're considering buying really as energy-efficient as the manufacturer and the federal government say they are? The results of a Consumer Reports investigation published in the magazine's October issue indicate that the federal Energy Star program's "lax standards" and outdated testing protocols could be putting appliances on the energy-efficient list that don't qualify.

Many shoppers for large appliances seek out the familiar Energy Star logo on yellow-and-black labels to see whether a washer or dryer would save them money on electricity costs. It's less well known that Energy Star, a federal program, also runs a voluntary rating system for schools and school districts to help raise awareness of the potential for energy savings on a larger scale. Of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts, about 50 participate in the program; 10 are in the Philadelphia area.

Every $1 saved each year in utility costs can add $20 to the market value of a house, according to research conducted for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Homes Program. The study, by ICF Consulting Group and published in the journal of the Appraisal Institute, found that buyers are willing to pay more for energy-efficient houses if anticipated fuel savings exceed mortgage-interest costs. The calculated costs are consistent with after-tax mortgage interest rates of 5 percent between 1991 and 1996.

People who know a lot about conserving energy are big fans of a portable industrial fan that's used to find holes in your house. It's the key piece of machinery for a blower-door test - a technique that the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency consider the gold standard for helping people cut their winter heating bills. Technicians fit the fan into a door frame in your house, shut all your windows and let 'er whir. Soon, the air pressure inside is lower than that outside, and it's easy to feel air rushing in through hidden gaps.

On March 20, the graduate business center at West Chester University will host training sessions about making buildings environmentally friendly. The session is meant to respond to developers' plans for several commercial buildings in West Chester that would be higher than most on the downtown skyline. On Dec. 19, the West Chester borough Council approved an ordinance that requires "any proposed building, structure or part thereof" between 45 and 75 feet to be greener than it might have been in the past.

Is your refrigerator eating you out of house and home? Chances are, if it's more than 10 years old, it's gulping enough energy to put a serious hurt on your wallet. Now that the federal stimulus bill is funneling $300 million into rebates for energy-efficient appliances, perhaps it's time to consider upgrading. Even though the money isn't available now and the rules haven't been set up, common sense says that whenever the program begins, you'll want to be ready. With 112 million households in the country, that $300 million won't go far. Over all, the trusty fridge is one heck of a guzzler, using anywhere from 5 percent to 8 percent of household energy, more than any other appliance.

Gasoline and home-heating costs are soaring and the threat of global warming is looming. More and more people are realizing that it makes sense to live a greener life, both to keep expenses down and to conserve the world's natural resources. It is actually our houses and apartments that are consuming the most energy, far more than automobiles.The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the typical homeowner spends almost $1,900 annually on utility bills, and much of that energy is wasted.

There's no way to miss the display that accompanies a touch-screen, front-loading washer at Home Depot in King of Prussia. "Save up to $100 every year," it proclaims, referring to the water and power use the $1,399 Maytag Neptune can cut. California's blackouts and the winter's high heating prices have sent a message about energy conservation, and the marketplace has taken note. At Home Depot, for example, premium clothes washers and refrigerators promising big energy savings are selling briskly, said Jim Kane, merchandising vice president for the Mid-Atlantic division.

While other small businesses across the nation are cutting back or closing in a slow economy, Brian Bovio has expanded his Gloucester County company's operations and tripled employment. That fact caught the eye of the White House staff and President Obama, who has been trying to convince Congress that an important route to recovery is through helping small businesses with loans and tax incentives. So Obama, whose schedule Wednesday included taping an interview in New York for The View and attending two Democratic fund-raisers, invited Bovio and three other New Jersey entrepreneurs to an Edison sandwich shop owned by one of them to talk business.

Brian Ott shivered or sweltered during services, depending on the season, when Hope Christian Fellowship, the church led by his brother Mark, shared a 1962 Woodbury synagogue building owned by Beth Israel Congregation. Ott, a mechanical engineer, said it reminded him of his youth, when he attended school in an old building that was once part of a missile-defense complex. "We went to Gloucester County Christian School, and that was built on an old Nike site in Pitman. No one in the 1960s worried about efficiency, and the buildings were impossible to heat or cool correctly," said Brian Ott. "But now we live in different times.

Many shoppers for large appliances seek out the familiar Energy Star logo on yellow-and-black labels to see whether a washer or dryer would save them money on electricity costs. It's less well known that Energy Star, a federal program, also runs a voluntary rating system for schools and school districts to help raise awareness of the potential for energy savings on a larger scale. Of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts, about 50 participate in the program; 10 are in the Philadelphia area.

YOU ARE green. And you don't even know it. If you own a rowhouse in Philadelphia, you have one of the most energy-efficient houses in the nation. It's true. You're green even if you're a Dallas Cowboys guy. Or a Tea Party gal. The walls you share with your neighbors - love 'em or hate 'em - help your entire block keep heating costs down in the winter and air-conditioners humming less frantically in the summer. And speaking of politics, both sides of the aisle these days are claiming green as their own, so this issue is as win-win as you can get. Conserving energy means saving money - green times two. As winter approaches and energy costs rise, think of those PECO and PGW bills when you're eyeing a heftier shovel for the snow.

While other small businesses across the nation are cutting back or closing in a slow economy, Brian Bovio has expanded his Gloucester County company's operations and tripled employment. That fact caught the eye of the White House staff and President Obama, who has been trying to convince Congress that an important route to recovery is through helping small businesses with loans and tax incentives. So Obama, whose schedule Wednesday included taping an interview in New York for The View and attending two Democratic fund-raisers, invited Bovio and three other New Jersey entrepreneurs to an Edison sandwich shop owned by one of them to talk business.

In Danny Seo's world, it is easy being green. That's green as in environmentally friendly green. Seo, whose birthday was Earth Day last week, celebrated by spending time on his favorite TV channel, QVC, presenting shoppers with a range of eco-friendly items - mostly for the home and garden. The products all reflected Seo's philosophy: Going green is easy, and you can find affordable solutions to your everyday needs, too. "Being green is very doable. That's really my whole approach.

To the casual observer, the Arcelor Mittal steel plant in Conshohocken hardly seems like it's in the vanguard of the effort to slow down global warming. In a process that evokes images of industrial-age smokestack technology, glowing slabs of steel are flattened, cooled, and reheated to improve their strength as they move through the mill, occasionally enveloped in dramatic gusts of steam. But this specialty rolling mill, where the world's largest steel company produces hardened plates for military armor and other applications, is among the operations the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized this month for their long-term commitment to fighting climate change through greater energy efficiency.

CHRISTINE Caripides' struggle with energy bills as detailed in her Jan. 27 letter is not an uncommon plight. Fortunately, for Christine and other Pennsylvanians who don't meet low-income criteria, there are still many funding opportunities available to help offset the cost of making energy efficiency improvements. Act 129 represents the largest opportunity for homeowners. It requires electric utilities in the state to meet energy-reduction goals by offering energy-efficiency and conservation programs to customers.

Everyone is into saving money these days, right? Right. So why are all those energy-saving measures you've taken over the last year or so failing to reduce your utility bills? The "Snackwell" effect. People on diets, often hungry until the blood-sugar levels drop, are easily swayed by advertising campaigns and start gorging on low-calorie/low-fat cookies, erroneously believing, in the words of Alliance to Save Energy president Kateri Callahan, that the calories "don't count" and they won't gain weight.

Is your refrigerator eating you out of house and home? Chances are, if it's more than 10 years old, it's gulping enough energy to put a serious hurt on your wallet. Now that the federal stimulus bill is funneling $300 million into rebates for energy-efficient appliances, perhaps it's time to consider upgrading. Even though the money isn't available now and the rules haven't been set up, common sense says that whenever the program begins, you'll want to be ready. With 112 million households in the country, that $300 million won't go far. Over all, the trusty fridge is one heck of a guzzler, using anywhere from 5 percent to 8 percent of household energy, more than any other appliance.