Pennsylvania to Host National Solar Energy Conference in Philadelphia
HARRISBURG (April 30) – Pennsylvania will host the first-ever PV America Conference and Trade Show to be held June 8-10 in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia.
The conference will focus exclusively on solar photo voltaic (PV) panel technology, the fastest growing segment of the solar industry. Solar photovoltaic panel technology converts sunlight directly into electricity and is commonly seen on rooftops. Despite the economic downturn, PV grew an impressive 81 percent in 2008 compared to 2007. The Mid-Atlantic market is poised for considerable growth in 2009.
Solar PV manufacturers, developers and installers will want to attend to market directly to businesses and consumers and for more than 50 valuable educational sessions on policies, workforce development and business growth strategies. Small business owners and entrepreneurs will gain from great networking opportunities and information on becoming part of the emerging PV industry.
DEP Secretary John Hanger will be one of the featured speakers at the conference.
The public is welcome to come and see PV technology and its applications for homes and businesses at Public Night on Tuesday, June 9 from 5 p.m.–8 p.m., where 200 companies will be represented in the expo hall. Admission for Public Night is free.
To register for PV America or to learn more, visit http://enews.state.pa.us/m/99dGd0v-o92DmjpFJ2oc_pUruIQnjsQ4SweOefVpk7Th08BGrA or contact Brian Mahar (bmahar@tigercomm.us, 703-302-8393).
Pennsylvania Sunshine Solar Program to Open Soon
The Pennsylvania Sunshine Solar Program will provide $100 million in grant funding to help fund solar electric (referred to as solar photovoltaic, or PV) and solar hot water (solar thermal) projects for homeowners and small businesses in Pennsylvania.
Funding will be deployed in the form of reimbursement grants for residential and small business projects. Grants will be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis to approved applicants. Households may receive one solar PV grant for up to 10 kilowatts (kW) of installed PV generating capacity plus one solar thermal grant not to exceed $2,000. A small business may only submit one PV and one solar thermal application at a time and must complete the project and grant process prior to submitting another application.
Learn more:
http://enews.state.pa.us/m/531Gd0v-o92DmjpFJ2oc_pUruIQnwYBmgG8Lgxq4AaYvpjGK3g
Pa. Conservation Works!
The commonwealth is accepting comments on a new grant program that will help local governments and non-profit entities make shovel-ready, energy efficient or conservation projects a reality.
More than $23 million will be available to local governments and non-profit entities through the new Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.
Learn more:
http://enews.state.pa.us/m/a42Gd0v-o92DmjpFJ2oc_pUruIQnynWFoSYdfex972pC3uBGag
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Fertilize Your Plants-Organically
First, why should you fertilize your plants? Proper nutrition for plants is important for the same reasons proper nutrition is important for you and I. Your plants will look healthier because they are healthier. Your plants will develop more roots.
As a result, they will be able to absorb more moisture making the plant more likely to make it through a drought. Disease resistance is improved. Stronger plants are also less susceptible to insects. But what fertilizer should you use? There are two types of fertilizer. The first is synthetic plant foods and the second is natural organic plant foods. We are going to concentrate on natural organic plant foods. An organic fertilizer is derived from any material that originates from animal, plant, or minerals that contains one or more essential nutrient required for plant growth. Regardless of the type of fertilizer all plant foods feed plants in the same chemical form. The big difference is the way in which natural organic plant foods deliver nutrients. With organic fertilizers you are feeding the soil that feeds your plants. Plants are dependant on the soil surrounding them. Organic plant foods are digested by microorganisms in the soil which in turn release nutrients in a form that is available to the plant. This process results in the production of humus. Humus provides better soil structure that improves air, water and nutrient uptake. The nutrients in organic fertilizers are not readily available to the plants until they are digested by the soil microorganisms. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, organic fertilizers are extremely low in salt index. This significantly reduces the likelihood of plant burn during a drought or if over applied. Also unlike synthetic fertilizers natural organic plant foods are very resistant to leaching from the soil. And since most organic plant foods are derived from organic ingredients as a result of byproducts it is just like recycling. Secondary, trace elements, vitamins, minerals and plant hormones are also beneficial ingredients found in organic plant foods. Examples of organic ingredients are bone meal, blood meal and kelp meal. Natural organics are the primary source of nutrition in the Tone product line by Espoma found at your local garden center
This article was contributed by Shane Holderer of Landscape Plus LLC
Shane Holderer
Landscape Plus LLC
4734 Applebutter Road
Pipersville, Pa. 18947
215-646-1235
Landscape Plus LLC
As a result, they will be able to absorb more moisture making the plant more likely to make it through a drought. Disease resistance is improved. Stronger plants are also less susceptible to insects. But what fertilizer should you use? There are two types of fertilizer. The first is synthetic plant foods and the second is natural organic plant foods. We are going to concentrate on natural organic plant foods. An organic fertilizer is derived from any material that originates from animal, plant, or minerals that contains one or more essential nutrient required for plant growth. Regardless of the type of fertilizer all plant foods feed plants in the same chemical form. The big difference is the way in which natural organic plant foods deliver nutrients. With organic fertilizers you are feeding the soil that feeds your plants. Plants are dependant on the soil surrounding them. Organic plant foods are digested by microorganisms in the soil which in turn release nutrients in a form that is available to the plant. This process results in the production of humus. Humus provides better soil structure that improves air, water and nutrient uptake. The nutrients in organic fertilizers are not readily available to the plants until they are digested by the soil microorganisms. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, organic fertilizers are extremely low in salt index. This significantly reduces the likelihood of plant burn during a drought or if over applied. Also unlike synthetic fertilizers natural organic plant foods are very resistant to leaching from the soil. And since most organic plant foods are derived from organic ingredients as a result of byproducts it is just like recycling. Secondary, trace elements, vitamins, minerals and plant hormones are also beneficial ingredients found in organic plant foods. Examples of organic ingredients are bone meal, blood meal and kelp meal. Natural organics are the primary source of nutrition in the Tone product line by Espoma found at your local garden center
This article was contributed by Shane Holderer of Landscape Plus LLC
Shane Holderer
Landscape Plus LLC
4734 Applebutter Road
Pipersville, Pa. 18947
215-646-1235
Landscape Plus LLC
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Is Your House Cold?
The weather is weird: 24 degree on Thursday and 55 degrees on Sunday. Apparently this is part of Climate Change, aka Global Warming. Thomas Friedman calls it “global weirding” in his book Hot, Flat and Crowded, because, yes some places will be hotter over all, but others will be wetter, dryer, cooler, or just different. To me what is crystal clear is that the weather will be unpredictable. Something does stay the same though – I still get my PECO gas and electric bill at the end of the month, whether its 24 or 55 degrees outside.
PECO will be raising their electric rates in 2010, when the rate caps come off. Does that seem weird to you, higher rates? We are already paying some of the highest rates in the US. We need to fight back in a way that saves us money, helps PECO, contributes to our nation’s energy independence and lessens climate change. I am talking about Conservation of energy resources. If we do not conserve we will be paying even higher energy costs in the coming years.
The severe cold weather of the last few weeks has gotten a lot of people worried about paying their heating bills, especially in the terrible economic downturn our country is in right now. There are two basic ways to lower energy bills. First, modify the way you live in your house by turning off unused lights, lowering the thermostat, replacing bulbs with compact florescent or LED bulbs, and behavioral choices. The second way to lower bills is to tighten your home’s exterior walls (the building envelope) so that the heat can not escape as easily. A little investment now will pay you back the same amount and more over the years. It is an excellent investment, for you and the environment.
There are three steps to tightening up your home’s building envelope:
1) have a comprehensive Energy Audit done by a trained professional auditor. An Energy Audit consists of an interview with you about your house to ascertain the issues you have experienced such as hot/cold rooms, drafts, etc; a blower-door test; an Infrared Camera analysis; a computer analysis of your energy bills; and a safety check of your HVAC equipment. The blower-door test and Infrared camera are used to identify the places in the house where air is leaking in. The Auditor will present you with a comprehensive, detailed report about what you need to do to tighten up the building’s envelope.
2) hire a trained Energy Efficiency remodeling contractor to provide you with a detailed estimate based on the findings in the Energy Audit Report. Typically there are air infiltration issues in the basement, bedroom and bathrooms and in the attic. The contractor must be knowledgeable about how your house works as a system of component parts (HVAC equipment, insulation, ventilation, moisture, to name a few), not just a specialist such as an insulation contractor who thinks all problems can be solved with a few more inches of fiberglass in the attic. Beware of the specialist who knows nothing about Building Science.
3) Spend the money getting the lowest cost work done first. Typically, unless a window is really bad, it does not make sense to spend money on windows and doors first, as the pay back is many years off. Plugging the infiltration holes with expanding foam or caulk, sealing the ceiling below the attic, adding an attic access cover, foam receptacle covers and other modest improvement can have a major impact on comfort and energy savings.
4) After the air sealing and insulation is done consider windows and doors, Energy Star appliances, a new furnace and/or siding. If you are planning a home renovation such as an addition, a new kitchen or a new bath room, talk to your contractor to make sure they understand the energy efficiency details required to make the renovation as energy efficient and Green as possible. It can cost less in the long run to consider the Building Science at the being.
We all benefit when we move to save money on our energy bills and reduce our energy usage. It all begins where it should, at home.
This article was contributed by Thomas G. Wells
THOMAS G. WELLS CONSTRUCTION L.L.C.
105 Pennsylvania Avenue
Yardley, Pa. 19067
Tel: 215-321-4818
Fax: 215-321-2179
Cell: 215-378-4048
PECO will be raising their electric rates in 2010, when the rate caps come off. Does that seem weird to you, higher rates? We are already paying some of the highest rates in the US. We need to fight back in a way that saves us money, helps PECO, contributes to our nation’s energy independence and lessens climate change. I am talking about Conservation of energy resources. If we do not conserve we will be paying even higher energy costs in the coming years.
The severe cold weather of the last few weeks has gotten a lot of people worried about paying their heating bills, especially in the terrible economic downturn our country is in right now. There are two basic ways to lower energy bills. First, modify the way you live in your house by turning off unused lights, lowering the thermostat, replacing bulbs with compact florescent or LED bulbs, and behavioral choices. The second way to lower bills is to tighten your home’s exterior walls (the building envelope) so that the heat can not escape as easily. A little investment now will pay you back the same amount and more over the years. It is an excellent investment, for you and the environment.
There are three steps to tightening up your home’s building envelope:
1) have a comprehensive Energy Audit done by a trained professional auditor. An Energy Audit consists of an interview with you about your house to ascertain the issues you have experienced such as hot/cold rooms, drafts, etc; a blower-door test; an Infrared Camera analysis; a computer analysis of your energy bills; and a safety check of your HVAC equipment. The blower-door test and Infrared camera are used to identify the places in the house where air is leaking in. The Auditor will present you with a comprehensive, detailed report about what you need to do to tighten up the building’s envelope.
2) hire a trained Energy Efficiency remodeling contractor to provide you with a detailed estimate based on the findings in the Energy Audit Report. Typically there are air infiltration issues in the basement, bedroom and bathrooms and in the attic. The contractor must be knowledgeable about how your house works as a system of component parts (HVAC equipment, insulation, ventilation, moisture, to name a few), not just a specialist such as an insulation contractor who thinks all problems can be solved with a few more inches of fiberglass in the attic. Beware of the specialist who knows nothing about Building Science.
3) Spend the money getting the lowest cost work done first. Typically, unless a window is really bad, it does not make sense to spend money on windows and doors first, as the pay back is many years off. Plugging the infiltration holes with expanding foam or caulk, sealing the ceiling below the attic, adding an attic access cover, foam receptacle covers and other modest improvement can have a major impact on comfort and energy savings.
4) After the air sealing and insulation is done consider windows and doors, Energy Star appliances, a new furnace and/or siding. If you are planning a home renovation such as an addition, a new kitchen or a new bath room, talk to your contractor to make sure they understand the energy efficiency details required to make the renovation as energy efficient and Green as possible. It can cost less in the long run to consider the Building Science at the being.
We all benefit when we move to save money on our energy bills and reduce our energy usage. It all begins where it should, at home.
This article was contributed by Thomas G. Wells
THOMAS G. WELLS CONSTRUCTION L.L.C.
105 Pennsylvania Avenue
Yardley, Pa. 19067
Tel: 215-321-4818
Fax: 215-321-2179
Cell: 215-378-4048
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
