700 billion in bailout money – doesn’t sound like financial good news, but there’s one addition to that bill that’s worth knowing about. On December 31st there was a tax credit due to expire: $2000 toward the installation of solar panels. That’s been changed with this bill; now, if you install and connect solar after January 1st, you are eligible for a tax credit worth 1/3 the cost of your installation. For the panels I’m putting on my roof, that amounts to an extra $3500 in my pocket.
Now the solar primer:
What does it take to install solar panels? A solar installation company will examine your roof – these days they can look up your address on Google maps and see your roofline from their desks. They see which direction your roof faces, how much space there is for panels, how much shade you have, and they’ll ask you for your past year of PGE numbers. From this data, they can calculate how much electricity would be generated annually on your home and provide you with some options for different sized systems.
How do you store the electricity? No, you won’t have any batteries – just the panels mounted on the roof, a cable running to an inverter, connected to your meter. During the day, when your panels are producing electricity, your meter will run backwards. Then at night, when you turn on your stuff, the meter runs forwards.
Will I have no electricity bill? This depends on the size of the system. More panels, more electricity, but also, more cost. Notice the tiered pricing system on your PGE bill. For every kilowatt after a baseline amount, you pay a higher price (200% tier), after another set amount, the price goes even higher. So, if you put in a small system, which takes you off that 300% tier, your return on investment is greater. A medium system to take you off the 200% tier will leave you with just your baseline costs – $20-$25/month.
So why do this green thing? Even the most financially conservative person on the planet must look at these numbers. If you pay $125/month in electricity, that’s almost $20K in 13 years (at current prices). If you put in a medium sized system, with the CA rebates and the 1/3 tax credit, you may be out of pocket about $14K. Let’s assume that sized system brings your bill to $25/month. At current prices, that system pays for itself in 11.5 years, but who expects PGE prices to remain constant for 12 years? So the break even for power use alone will be more like 7-10 years. With a lifespan for solar panels of at least 25 years, you’ll add over $20,000 to the value of your home, even after the break even. And if you stay in the home, you’ll be getting over $1500/year from the sun (with inflation costs included for PGE). For a long term investment right now, which makes more sound financial sense, the market or a solid guarantee of savings with solar panels?
Like everything I have tried to put in this column, making a sound green decision like installing solar will help both the environment, and save you money. For the environment, this medium sized system will reduce CO2 by about 7000 lbs every year (about 8000 miles of driving with a Volkswagen Passat). One note, CA rebates for installations will go down next year and continue to reduce; the tax credit is in place now, and companies are busy with so many people wanting to take advantage of this tax credit. Because of increased demand, the installation costs will go up. Sure solar panels pricing might drop in a year, but each year you wait for that, you spend another $1500 to PGE. There seems to be no better time to install solar.
http://www.find-solar.org/ – for lists of installers and a great calculator to estimate costs and savings
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Following our carbon footprints: from cows to beer
In the last two weeks I outlined some of the big carbon footprint numbers – your home, your car, your air travel, and then some ways of reducing and offsetting portions of your carbon footprints. This week, I thought I’d give you some surprising specifics.
There is a growing trend in manufacturing to track a product’s carbon footprint – some stores in the UK are even printing this data on the products they sell. Since cars are some of the biggest products we buy, let’s start there. My New England upbringing would encourage me to “run a car into the ground” with the environmental logic being: it would do more harm to the environment to manufacture a new car with better mileage, than to continue driving my less efficient model. Turns out, that’s not the case. In the lifespan of a typical car, only about 4% of it’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the manufacturing of the car. So replacing an old Volvo for a Prius isn’t a bad idea. However some would argue that replacing it for a Honda Fit and putting the price difference into solar panels would be a better net gain for the environment.
How about shoes? Leather shoes made in Berkeley, or canvas high-tops from China – which creates more CO2? Timberland found out that transportation of the product from China, accounted for less than 5% of it’s carbon footprint. The major culprit? Leather. Cows produce a huge amount of methane – 25 times as damaging to the atmosphere. A single cow produces the equivalent of 4 tons of CO2! That’s amazing – about the same as running your VW Passat 10,000 miles – from only one cow! But, the cow is raised for the beef, so the leather is free – not really, about 7% of the cows value is in it’s hide.
Clothing? Again the shipping part is minimal, the real culprit is the material – polyester starts with oil.
OK what about the beer? Turns out the biggest culprit here is the refrigerator in the store, not the transport or the raw material.
———————–
Carbon Footprint -
OK, first step, what is a carbon footprint? Quite simply it’s the amount of carbon dioxide that you create with everything you do – the footprint you leave on the environment with every facet of your life. Carbon dioxide, of course, being one of the main causes of global warming. There are a number of calculators online that will help you calculate your carbon footprint – most are rough averages that look at your home energy consumption, vehicle type, and airline flights traveled (see web links below).
To give you a rough idea, here are some examples of CO2 produced from various sources:
Home
($150/month PGE) = 13,350 lbs CO2/year
Auto
⁃ 2007 Toyota Prius (10,000 miles) = 4,150 lbs CO2
⁃ 2001 Volkswagen Passat Wagon (10,000 miles) = 8,500 lbs CO2
⁃ 2005 Ford Expedition (10,000 miles) = 13,000 lbs CO2
⁃ 1995 Volvo 850 Wagon (10,000 miles) = 9,300 lbs
⁃ 2000 Chevy Venture (10,000 miles) = 9,800 lbs CO2
⁃ 2007 Hummer H3 (10,000 miles) = 12,200 lbs CO2
Air travel
⁃ SFO – JFK = 2,000 lbs CO2/person
⁃ (same distance by train – 2,150 lbs/person, same distance by car = 4000 lbs)
⁃ SFO – Honolulu = 2,300 lbs CO2/person
⁃ SFO – Rome = 5,325 lbs CO2/person
Some of these numbers are quite surprising. A local paper recently said my town was a green city because of the number of Prius’ registered here. However, the ability to buy a Prius over another car, doesn’t necessarily make someone green. As you can calculate above, a Prius driving family of five that takes a flight to NYC for vacation actually produces more CO2 than a Hummer driving family that drives to Tahoe for vacation.
So what steps can you take to reduce your carbon footprint? There are hundreds of things you can do to lessen your impact – some that you won’t even notice and won’t cost you anything, others that will costs some money up front but save you money in the long run, and also habits you can change
Sample reduction amounts:
⁃ Become vegetarian – save 3 tons CO2/year
⁃ Decrease meat you consume – save about 1 ton
⁃ Eat more organic food – save close to a ton
⁃ Recycle and compost green waste – save about 1400 lbs CO2
⁃ Check you air filter and tire pressure in your car – save about 1 ton CO2
⁃ Change from a mid-size to a small car – save a ton
⁃ Change to a hybrid – save 3 tons
⁃ Change from a large car to a hybrid – save 4.5 tons
⁃ Carpool
⁃ Fly less
OK, some of these are doable, but not everyone can stop eating meat, stay home, and not drive a car. So what can you do to make up for some of the CO2 producing activities that you need to do?
Carbon Offsets – a certificate representing the reduction of one metric ton of CO2 emissions. Developers of projects that reduce CO2 emissions can sell these credits for cash to finance their projects. The idea of carbon offsets has been a controversial concept that some argue is like sinning, then going to confession and having your sins erased – buying your way out of being green. I recently read a better comparison – aligning carbon offsets with the idea a swear jar – where you put a quarter in a jar each time you swear. You may do something bad, but each time you do, it costs you and you are forced to think about it, and after a period of time, you have enough money to pay for therapy to overcome your problem.
Offsets projects are verified by accredited third party organizations to confirm that the projects funded meet various carbon reduction protocols. You can buy carbon offsets from a variety of sources (listed below), but one of the simplest ones is the Climate Smart program from PG+E. You sign up once, then PG+E adds $3-$5 to your bill each month depending on your usage. You won’t notice the amount, and the money goes to fund carbon reducing projects like wind power through a third party assigned by PG+E. Other simple ways to offset your carbon emissions are to buy offsets when you purchase airline tickets – many airlines now offer this after online ticket purchase – redirecting you to a third party that will sell the offset for that flight. And, any business can write off the cost of buying carbon offsets
Sample Offset costs:
⁃ 4 bedroom home = about $83
⁃ 2001 Volkswagen Passat (10,000 miles/year) = $53
⁃ Airline flight from SFO-JFK = $18
Carbon footprint calculators:
⁃ http://www.carboncounter.org/offset-your-emissions/personal-calculator.aspx
⁃ http://www.carbonfund.org/site/pages/individuals/category/Carbon%20Calculators/
⁃ http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
⁃ http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/
Buy carbon offsets:
⁃ http://www.pge.com/climatesmart/
⁃ http://www.terrapass.com
⁃ http://www.carbonfund.com/
⁃ http://www.carbonfootprint.com/
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front yard gardens
Buy organic, Eat locally, Join a farm co-op (CSA) – all good ideas, but how about going the most organic and local as possible – Grow your own. More and more people are turning to their own yards as a food source. If you’re going to plant something, why not vegetables?
Sure, you may have raised a few tomatoes in a tucked-away corner of the back yard, but why not take it up a notch -
Clear a small area in your yard.
Circle a tree with stones, take up the grass, add a little organic soil.
Build a raised bed out behind the garage with a few nails and some 2x10s (not pressure treated)
Or, why not turn the planting bed between the neighbor’s yard and yours into a garden?
Or, how about the front yard – few of us use the front yard much, why not plant vegetables there?
In this climate, with some good soil, a little water, and not too much effort, you can be going out to the yard every night for your salad. Teach the kids a little responsibility, maybe even interact a bit more with your neighbors. Last weekend, my son went door to door with extra tomatoes and came back with a basket full of lemons, apples and pears.
I’d recommend starting small, with plants that are easy, grow quickly and produce a lot – tomatoes, peas, zucchini, summer squash, or lettuce. Have the kids do some pumpkin plants – a sure fire way to get them excited about the garden. Once the area is ready, it should only take a few minutes to put them in the ground – try to weed once a week, but every other should work fine. And, try this – plant a six pack or two of marigolds to keep out the pests – plus they’ll keep blooming, adding color to your garden.
Thanks to our mild climate, you can start anytime. Local nurseries will tell you what’s best to plant at different times of the year.
Websites:
http://cultivatinglife.com/
http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/
Bubbles, bubbles
Continuing on my attack on bottled water, let’s now look at sparkling water and sodas. In my house we drink a ton of sparkling water, so I set out to find out if there was a more environmentally responsible way of serving it, without lugging all those plastic or fancy Italian glass bottles into the house. Turns out you have 3 options:
The first one will bring you back to the 60′s, or maybe 50′s – the seltzer bottle. Quite simply, it’s a steel bottle that you fill up with your own water, attach a CO2 cartridge, carbonate the water and voila, fizzy water at home. 50 years later it still works well. While you can recycle the CO2 cartridges for the metal content, the only downside in this system is that the cartridges only last for about 2 bottles.
Option two – this one is the pricey option, but an excuse to get another kitchen gadget – you can buy an under the sink machine that will carbonate water on the fly. Have a plumber hook it up to your water line, and your set. It will certainly add to your home barista talents, but it will set you back over $4000 – quite a lot of fizzy water.
The last option is my favorite. There is a company called Soda Club, that makes a small device that hides a large CO2 cartridge in a small housing. You fill up their specially designed bottles with your own water, insert it into the housing, press a lever a couple times, and you have a bottle of sparkling water. They even sell soda flavoring or you can experiment with your own, to make your own home-made sodas. The device comes in two models ($100-$300), the more expensive of which uses glass bottles instead of plastic. The thing I like about the company is when the CO2 cartridges are empty (40-60 bottles), you mail them back to the company and for about $25, they send them back refilled – closed loop except for the mailing.
Websites:
http://www.SodaClub.com
August 27, 2008
99 bottles of ….
But what should the bottles be made of? It’s back to school time, time to make sure your kids have a water bottle with them in school, and at soccer practice. Plastic or metal? Personally I prefer steel; here’s the reasoning:
Plastic: Some types of plastics have been found to contain Bisphenol A, or BPA (the stuff you’ve been getting junk mail about). While some dispute the safety concerns, for my family, I’d rather avoid it. BPA is found in plastics with the #7 on the bottom, mainly polycarbonates – the hard plastic, clear colorful ones you see. Other plastics to avoid are #3 (contains phthlates – interfere with hormone development) and #6 (contains styrene – possible carcinogen). OK plastics are #2, #4, and #5 – recyclable and no known chemical leaching. #1 (the plastic in disposable water bottles) is OK for one-time use, but DON’T refill it and use it again.
Metal: Your options are steel or aluminum. The latter is typically lined with a coating, some say avoid it because the coating may contain some plastic you want to avoid. Personally, I avoid the aluminum because my kids and I tend to drop our water bottles, and if the outer aluminum dents, you never know if the inner lining is cracked. Then you’d be left with your water sitting against aluminum – and that’s not supposed to be too healthy. So, while the risk is minimal, I opt for the slightly heavier all steel water bottles. Klean Kanteen sells various sizes, including options for use with sippy cup lids. I’ve also purchased a double steel walled bottle by SIGG, a Swiss company that also sells a lot of aluminum bottles. The double walled bottle is heavier than the Klean Kanteen bottles, but it’s insulating, keeping liquid cold or hot. I also like a bottle made by Guyot Designs – it has a wide mouth which makes it easy for drinking, and you can even screw on your water filter when out backpacking – same size screw top as the large Nalgene bottles.
So you buy a steel bottle for your kids lunch, then you go to work and buy a bottle of water with lunch – don’t! Yes, drinking water once from a #1 plastic bottle may be safe, but it’s not environmentally friendly. Most bottled water is nothing more than someone else’s tap water, yet trucked or shipped from far away. One popular bottled water comes from the South Pacific – container ships are not Prius’ and even after the water bottle hits port, it may ride on 2 or 3 diesel trucks before you grab it. And then what do you have? 12 ounces of water! But it’s from Fiji. Local water quality at many municipalities is excellent, and, in case the carbon footprint argument doesn’t get you, tap water is almost free. Don’t buy bottled water. So get yourself a steel water bottle too – keep it with you, it’s healthy, green, and cheap. But, write your name on the bottom, they’re a bit pricey when your kid loses them at camp.
Websites:
for buying bottles – http://www.reusablebags.com/
for more arguments against bottled water – http://blog.myspace.com/dontbuybottledwater
August 20, 2008
Light – but what kind?
Incandescent is out, do I buy CFLs? Yes, there is no question CFLs are a great alternative to the old fashioned light bulb – the swirly bulbs use about a third less power, and these days their light output is much better than what you might remember from the florescent bulbs of the 70s and 80s. I like the warm toned bulbs sold at Ace Hardware, and discounted from PG+E. Without a doubt, replace all exterior bulbs, and try some interior bulbs. If you use dimmer switches on some interior lights, you may need to stick to incandescent for now. There are dimmable CFLs, but I haven’t seen one work well without flickering. Do CFLs have a downside? Yes, they contain a small amount of mercury. Though they should last longer than a regular bulb, eventually you’ll need to deal with disposal, and at the moment, there aren’t too many options for this – though now you can bring spent CFLs to Ikea or Home Depot – but don’t throw them out, they are considered hazardous waste.
What’s next after CFLs? Remodeling now, what should you do? CFLs are expected to be a bridge from traditional incandescent bulbs to the even more energy saving LED bulbs – regular sized bulbs made up of many small warm light LEDs. You can buy 70 Watt equivalent LED bulbs that use as little as 9 Watts of electricity. An equivalent CFL would use about 18 Watts. The catch – at the moment they are pricey, but this could be your chance to save yourself some trouble, save a lot of energy and potentially save some cash – LED bulbs last. While CFLs should last 4-10 times as long as a traditional bulb, LEDs could last up to 60 times as long (10-15 years). If I was putting in a new light fixture over the stairs, 15 feet up, I’d spring for the $65 bulb as save myself the hassle of ever replacing it. Google LED bulbs for online ordering.
June 11, 2008
Junk mail, catalogs: Here’s a summer project – get off those mailing lists for good. Here’s how.
You can call each of the catalog companies individually, but that will only get you off their lists for 6 months, and as soon as they buy your name again, you’re back on the list. Time for bringing in the professionals. There are companies out there that you register your name with and then you tell them which catalogs you no longer want to receive. They take care of the rest. They contact the companies on your behalf, and continue to monitor the requests. And, it works. Keep a pile of the catalogs you’re getting, log on, add these to your off list. Keep on it, and your mailbox will have more room this holiday season, and you’ll save a lot of trees. Check out the following sites and get started – make it your summer homework.
http://www.greendimes.com/
http://www.catalogchoice.org/
June 4, 2008
Your car
Drive less, yes, but since we all need to use our cars, here’s a practical and cost saving tip that will also help the environment. 75% of all California drivers change their car’s oil every 3000 miles – contrary to the recommendations of their car’s manufacturer. Most automakers recommend changing oil every 5000, 7000 or even 10000 miles. Even Tom and Ray Magliozzi, hosts of NPR’s Car Talk say “…for the vast majority, 5,000-mile oil changes will help your engine last to a ripe, old age.”
Check out your manual or use the website below to find out how often you should change your oil.
http://3000milemyth.org/
May 28, 2008
Your hot water heater is cold – give it a blanket.
By wrapping your hot water heater with an R-12 insulation blanket (available at most hardware stores), you could save up to 10% on your water heating costs. Considering that 25% of each energy dollar goes to heating water, and keeping it hot, that’s a significant energy and money savings. Wrapping the heater is very simple and takes about 15 minutes. You may need to remove the earthquake bracing first, but be sure to reinstall these metal straps. Check first to see if your hot water heater manufacturer does not recommend blankets – some are already well insulated. If you are in the market for a new hot water heater, check out this link for details on the various cost/energy savings options available:
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/appliances/waterheaters.html
May 21, 2008
How else can I cut down on water use?
Our biggest water uses are watering our lawns and doing laundry, and if you’re using a top loading washing machine, you’re using a lot more water than you need to. Today’s front loading washing machines use less than half the water and half the power of top loading washing machines, and they get clothes cleaner! But to go out and replace a washing machine??? PGE is offering incentives of up to $200 credit to help you replace that water guzzler. And, you’ll see a drop in your power and water bills – it will be like being paid to get a new washer that cleans better.
May 14, 2008
Did you leave your TV on?
So who has been watching your TV when your not home? You may not have realized that even if you use your plasma TV for a few hours per day, it may be consuming more power when it’s off than when it’s on. Plasma TVs in stand-by mode (waiting for you to hit the remote control’s on button) can consume up to 7% of the power they consume when on. So, even when you’re away, your TV is using a lot of juice – as is your stereo, your VCR, your DVD – anything with a remote.
What can you do? Put the TV/stereo on a power strip. When you’re not using it, turn off the strip. That way off is off. And, TVs and stereos are not the only vampire power consumers, all those charging bricks – for cell phones, laptops, hard drive and printer power supplies – they all consume power when not charging. So, when your phone’s done charging, pull out the plug, or put these chargers on a power strip too. Using power strips are better for the environment, but you’ll also notice a significant savings on your next PGE bill.
If you’re in the market for a new TV, consider LCD TV’s – they consume up to three times less power than plasmas. Then again, there’s always the library.
May 7, 2008
Rain – there hasn’t been enough this Spring, so water levels are low. Time to adjust your sprinklers – spend 15 minutes on a weekend with your kids turning on each set of sprinklers and make any adjustments.
1. Check the timers – are all sections getting appropriate water, and not too much. Watering early in the morning results in less evaporation from heat and wind (set it for 5 or 6AM).
2. Longer periods, less frequently – don’t water grass everyday. Add a few minutes and set it for only 2-3 days/week.
3. Adjust heads – don’t water the sidewalk, it’s not growing. Make sure the heads are pointed in the right direction and not stuck under grass. Turn on each section – you can do this with the timer, or just by turning the top of each valve manually – let the kids run around and inspect each sprinkler head.
4. Change broken or leaking heads – if any area is drying out, before you add more time on the timer, determine whether all sprinkler heads are working properly.
5. Monitor your water bill – you’ll be surprised how much more water you use in the summer – remember to turn off your timer when the rains start in the Fall.
Safe and Unsafe Plastics
April 22, 2008
Plastics are typically classified by a number from #1 to #7, each number representing a different type of resin. That number is usually imprinted on the bottom of your container; flip it upside down, and you’ll see a recycling triangle with the number in the middle.
The plastics to avoid are numbers 3, 6 and 7. Why?
#3 (polyvinyl chloride) contains softeners called phthalates that interfere with hormonal development; its manufacture and incineration release dioxin; and vinyl chloride, its primary building block, is a known human carcinogen.
#6 (polystyrene) can leach styrene (considered a possible human carcinogen) into food; and it may also disrupt hormones or affect reproduction.
And #7 (mainly polycarbonates) is composed of a hormone-disrupting chemical called bisphenol A.
The healthiest plastics are numbers 2, 4 and 5. They transmit no known chemicals into your food and they’re generally recyclable. #1 is safe for single use (for example, in disposable water bottles), but don’t reuse.
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