New Appliance Rebate Program for 2010

Soon, U.S. residents will be able to take advantage of a new Appliance Rebate Program that encourages homeowners to trade-in older, less energy efficient appliances for newer, more efficient models. The Appliance Rebate Program will run through February 2012, or until its budget of $300 million is spent.

Under this new program, people who recycle their old washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators etc. will receive $50-$100 from the government towards the purchase of new appliances to replace the old ones.

The State of Texas will implement a mail-in rebate program to help residents replace appliances with new, ENERGY STAR^® qualified and ultra-efficient appliances. The program is tentatively scheduled to begin in April 2010 to coincide with Earth Day activities, and will continue until funds are expended.

Eligible products include

• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Clothes washers
• Dishwashers
• Room air conditioners
• Gas condensing water heaters
• Gas storage water heaters
• Gas tankless water heaters
• Electric heat pump water heaterss
• Solar water heaters
• Central air conditioners
• Air source heat pumps

Customers may reserve their rebates online before the program begins, and can also obtain a bonus rebate by providing proof that their old appliances were recycled through a State Energy Conservation Office partner retailer or recycling center.

The State of Texas is scheduled to receive $23,341,000 in funding from the Appliance Rebate Program. It is best to take advantage of this program early before all the funding is spent.

For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Energy

Natural Gas Fueling Station Arrives at Austin Airport

In February, construction will begin on a new natural gas fuel station at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Yesterday, the City of Austin awarded Clean Energy Fuels Corp. from California a $1 million contract to build a 17,000-square- foot facility that will be open to the public 24-hours a day. The fuel station plans to support the growing number of airport and parking courtesy shuttles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG). In April, Clean Energy Fuels signed a contract with The Parking Spot to transition its shuttle buses to a CNG fuel system at all of their 18 locations, including Austin, Dallas and Houston.

Energy Efficiency Displays for Homes

Soon, homeowners will be able to install "energy efficiency displays" that provide information about their home's energy consumption. These displays will allow consumers to monitor their electricity use and make adjustments to optimize efficiency. This information will also be available online, thanks to the expansion of smart grid technologies and new software from Google and Microsoft that will allow people to track their energy usage over the internet. The goal of these "Smart Grid 2.0" programs is to make consumers aware of their energy consumption and help them live more energy efficient lives. Such web-based programs could be accessed on mobile devices, giving people access to information about their home's energy usage while they are away.

Part of the recent federal stimulus package for smart grid improvements (PDF) will be set aside for installing and testing home energy efficiency displays, with pilot programs planned for Colorado, Louisiana and Vermont.

Obama Proposes Additional Energy Efficiency Rebates

For the last two weeks President Obama has been promoting the next phase of the Cash for Caulkers stimulus plan, advocating that further funding will only expand on the current success the program has had on creating jobs and increasing energy efficiency. Last week, the Obama administration proposed a new program that would expand funding for homeowners' efficiency projects and for companies in the renewable energy and efficiency space. Under this proposed program, homeowners would qualify for a 50 percent rebate on both the price of the equipment and the installation, up to $12,000, with no income restrictions to determine eligibility.

At a speech on Tuesday, Obama again highlighted the need for continuing and expanding energy efficiency programs: "The simple act of retrofitting these buildings to make them more energy efficient — installing new windows and doors, insulation, roofing, sealing leaks, modernizing heating and cooling equipment — is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest things we can do to put Americans back to work while saving families money and reducing harmful emissions," Obama said.

He also disagreed with those who think energy efficiency isn't glamorous, stating "Here's what's sexy about it: saving money."

City of Austin to Suspend Toilet Rebate Program

The Austin Water Utility has stopped taking rebate applications for high-efficiency toilets. The rebate program has been part of the utility's conservation effort to promote newer, more efficient appliances that use less water. According to the city, high-efficiency toilets use 63 percent less water than older models. The toilet rebate program has become so popular and the city has received so many applications that it can no longer afford to accept any additional applicants.

The change comes a month after the City Council approved an additional $3 million for the program, as well as $500,000 for promotional efforts. Those funds will cover the rush of applications the department has received in recent weeks, but nothing more, according to Austin Water Utility's conservation director Daryl Slusher. He also said that toilet rebate applications already submitted will be honored if they meet the city's other eligibility rules, but that additional applications will no longer be accepted. Previously, utility customers could get up to $200 in rebates for replacing their toilets.

For more information, visit the Austin Water Utility.

New York City passes energy efficiency bills for buildings

On Wednesday, the New York City Council voted to pass a series of bills that aim to help reduce the city's carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2020. The hundreds of thousands of buildings in New York account for 79 percent of the city's energy use and carbon emissions. New regulations will require building owners to conduct an energy audit every 10 years and perform environmental maintenance, such as replacing weather stripping and insulating hot and cold steam pipes.

With New York City passing this kind of legislation, look for other major U.S. cities to propose similar energy efficiency bills of their own in the coming year.

Smart Grid Technology in Austin, Texas

Austin now has the first “Smart Grid” in the country, covering one million consumers and 43,000 businesses. A smart grid is comprised of the electric grid, a communications network, and hardware and software all integrated to monitor, control and manage the distribution, storage and consumption of energy. Smart meters, programmable thermostats, and sensors located throughout the grid all upload live data about power consumption patterns, allowing Austin Energy to optimize electric distribution, efficiency and performance. Smart meters provide information about demand, sensors monitor strain on the grid, and programmable thermostats control air conditioning systems during peak demand hours.

The 410,000 smart meters installed at homes and businesses around Austin relay consumption data to the smart grid every 15 minutes. These smart meters provide information about supply and demand, as well as give accurate reports of failures during power outages.

Austin Energy’s 86,000 programmable thermostats are linked to the smart grid and receive updates about the grid’s electricity load, which they use to program air conditioning cycles to run minimally during times of peak demand. Not only does this reduce strain on the grid and help prevent power outages, but it greatly reduces the consumer’s electric bill, as electricity used during times of peak demand is charged to the customer at a more expensive rate.

Further upgrades to the smart grid that are currently being planned include real-time meter reads, remote service turn-on and shut-off, quicker outage restoration, communication with smart consumer appliances, and hybrid vehicle plug-in stations.

There are currently around 70 smart grid test sites throughout the country, including programs in Houston, Miami and Seattle. With Austin Energy’s commitment to get 30 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020, this type of smart grid implementation will make it easier to create and manage further energy efficiency solutions.

Obama Supports Further Weatherization Incentives

Yesterday, President Barack Obama said that he plans to pursue an "aggressive agenda" to encourage homeowners to weatherize and insulate their homes. While the president has previously pushed for Americans to improve their home energy efficiency on the grounds of conservation, yesterday's statement comes from the context of job growth and creation.

Already, economic models are forecasting that within the next two years, current weatherization stimulus funds will lead to the creation of over 173,000 jobs. However, the president believes that further incentives are needed to keep the jobs growing. “We cannot hang back and hope for the best when we’ve seen the kinds of job losses that we’ve seen over the last year,” Obama said, and that creating incentives for homeowners and businesses to weatherize “can have an immediate, rapid impact.”

For more information, read a report (PDF) on the expected and already created job growth from weatherization incentives, prepared by Economic Opportunity Studies.

New Solar-Powered Plane Takes First Flight

A Swiss plane named the "Solar Impulse" briefly went airborne for a test flight today, marking the first ever successful flight of a solar-powered airplane. The plane made a controlled 400-meter trip, operating on battery power, above the runway at Duebendorf air base near the Swiss city of Zurich.

"A plane like that never flown before and it's extraordinary... because it's an area of flight that has been unexplored until now," said Andre Borschberg, chief executive of the Solar Impulse project.


The single-seat plane has a wingspan of a large jumbo jet, but only weighs as much as a medium-sized car. Most of the plane is constructed with carbon fiber, while fuel comes from electricity provided by 12,000 photovoltaic cells and four lithium batteries, and propulsion comes from four twin-blade propellers powered by electric motors. A first non-stop 36 hour flight through darkness is planned in Switzerland from spring 2010, with the prospect of a five-stage flight around the world in 2012.

For more information about the project, visit www.solarimpulse.com.

Department of Energy Invests in Small Green Businesses

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced more than $18 million in funding for small business innovation research, development and deployment of clean energy technologies. The 125 companies that are receiving funding were competitively selected from a pool of 950 applicants through a special fast-track process with an emphasis on near-term commercialization and job creation. Companies that demonstrate successful results with their new technologies and show potential to meet market needs will be eligible for $60 million in a second round of grants in the summer of 2010. Five Texas companies were selected to receive funding.

Grants were awarded to businesses for research in the following industries:

• Advanced Building Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Thermal Load Shifting, and Cool Roofs
• Water Usage in Electric Power Production
• Power Plant Cooling
• Advanced Gas Turbines and Materials
• Sensors, Controls, and Wireless Networks
• Advanced Water Power Technology Development
• Smart Controllers for Smart Grid Applications
• Advanced Solar Technologies
• Advanced Industrial Technologies Development
• Advanced Manufacturing Processes

For more information, see the Department of Energy's press release.