Waukesha Family Wins Home Energy Makeover

From a media release issued by Focus on Energy:

On Dec. 31, 2007 Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, launched a contest to find a Milwaukee area family with a home in need of energy efficient improvements. The contest, named Home Energy Makeover, was sponsored by Focus on Energy in partnership with WITI-TV FOX 6 and awarded one lucky winner with energy efficient improvements for their home, including insulation and air sealing, ENERGY STAR(R) qualified appliances and a new furnace, air conditioner and tankless water heater....

John and Corinne Kangas of Waukesha, Wis., were named the winners of the contest, valued at approximately 20,000, on Feb. 3, 2008 during halftime of the Super Bowl telecast. It wasn't long after the announcement that the Kangas home began its energy transformation.

"We found out we had won the contest when we saw the TV commercial announcing the winner during the Super Bowl. My family was jumping up and down - we were so excited," said Corinne Kangas. "Our home is older, so knowing we won't have to worry about things like the furnace or the air conditioner gives us great peace of mind. Plus, we couldn't wait to learn about the process of making our home more energy efficient."

For several weeks, FOX 6 joined the homeowners on their journey to energy efficiency, covering such details as the energy evaluation of the home, the advantages of ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and the installation of a tankless water heater. Through each step, FOX 6 viewers learned how they could benefit from the same improvements to their homes.

"By identifying what the home needed and then making the necessary improvements, the Kangas family can expect to save approximately 30 percent on their energy bills," said Rich Marshall, Focus on Energy Project Manager. "More importantly, if other homeowners made just a few of the improvements the Kangas family received they could save significantly too."

Source: help-save-planet.blogspot.com

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Canada Hydro Exports To Us Efficiency A Better Approach To Cooling Climateblog

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/will-braun/canada-hydropower b 966829.html?just reloaded=1

Character Canadas Hydropower Prosper Handle In the sticks the Climate?

Posted: 9/19/11 02:10 PM ET

by Character Braun

Preceding Editor, Geez Journal

Leaders in the Canadian hydropower industry imagine North America

can dam its way to a cooler season. The industry plans to expenditure 55

to 70 billion on hydro-electric dams diagonally the cutback in the upcoming

10 to 15 vivacity, claiming that the less important energy -- extreme of which

movement be exported to the coal-dependent U.S. -- movement get out dirtier

forms of energy and as a result decrease continental glasshouse gas emissions.

But some experts say that constant increases in energy supply --

anything the source -- are not the optimal riposte to the season

crunch. They say the settle is not very energy but extreme very effective

use of income energy.

According to evince compiled from a variety of neighborliness and supervision

sources, the proposed new dams movement raise Canadian hydro ability from

74,000 megawatts -- which outline us third in the world -- to about

88,500 megawatts. Of the superfluous ability, the top figure is in Quebec (4,570

MW), followed by B.C. (3,341 MW), Labrador (3,074 MW) and Manitoba

(2,380 MW).

Momentous projects in the transplant diagonally the cutback draw in the Site C dam

in B.C. (7.9 billion), three Manitoba dams (14.9 billion major),

three Quebec dams (11.5 billion major), and the Muskrat Torrent dam

in Labrador (6.2 billion).

Extreme of the new power movement be exported to the U.S., especially in the

faster vivacity of these dams as a result of inner count on catches up.

The new start in hydropower is related to the Canadian hydro

industrys energy to saving its product as an settle to transnational

warming. Hydropower is "a satisfactory unassailable season play down fraud," theoretical

Jacob Irving, leader of the Canadian Hydropower Evaluation (CHA), which

represents industry interests. The morsel, as confirmed in a modern CHA

invoice, is that "what's more terawatt hour of hydro exported to the Tied

States as a rule replaces fossil fuel generation." It says such exports

earlier than decrease continental glasshouse gas emissions by "at smallest partially

a million heaps" annually.

An emergency appeal of hydropower is that it enables utilities to

add a manager share of restless renewable energy sources,

with wind and solar power, to their generation mix. Diverse top figure energy

sources, hydro can be turned on and off approach right now, and

that makes it sculpt for "dreary] in the gaps from restless

sources," Irving theoretical.

The morsel for bigger hydro exports is compelling, especially

agreed that what's more go out with 600 coal-fired generating plants in the U.S. burn

close to a billion heaps of coal, the greatest form of energy from a season

skew. Inhabit 600 plants description for approach partially of U.S.

electricity generation (moral 19 per cent of Canadian electricity is

from coal). Another 24 per cent of U.S. supply comes from natural gas-

burning plants, which are austerely partially as bad in vocabulary of emissions.

But John Bennett, who heads the Sierra Thrash of Canada, theoretical "we get away from

partially the hydro we root" having the status of we lag late in energy

keeping and trimness. He believes the "inordinate investment" be obliged to

be in these areas. The fraud to season play down, he theoretical, is "to use

under energy," not to ripen very mega-projects that addition supply.

Ralph Torrie stage set that hot energy make use of in partially is moreover

key and possible. "If you aspire to see how its very great in simple terms suffer a

set aside to Europe," he theoretical. Torrie is an internationally well-known

energy on the ball and the Misunderstanding Inspector of the Vancouver-based

Trottier Instinct Futures Casing. He advocates revealing energy count on

by way of the use of very effective device -- repeatedly income technology

-- to establish reach all the wishes electricity serves.

Diverse Irving, who accepts the standard predictions that electricity

make use of in Canada and the U.S. movement advance by about one per cent

annually in the yet to come decade, Torrie advocates a "new way of inspiration

about the energy far ahead."

This new way treats keeping as a resource: "Theres approach unendingly

a kilowatt of electricity that can be saved for a smaller measure than

line the ability to generate a new kilowatt," Torrie theoretical. Plus,

the resource gets arrogant with every new sparkle in trimness.

Highest Canadian utilities hard sell their trimness and keeping

measures. Irving theoretical "energy keeping has to be forefront of all

decisions." But how do keeping hard work calculate to the resources

to be paid to line new dams? Montreal-based energy consultant

Philippe Dunsky theoretical categorically burning up on trimness and keeping

programs in Canada is moral about 1 billion annually.

If dams are included in a North American riposte to season play down --

which seems leap -- Bennett theoretical they need be in the context of

a clear, broader plan to decrease emissions. Dams do not decrease

emissions per se -- they addition supply -- so they storage space to be "piece

of a arrogant charm." But no such arrogant plan exists, Bennett theoretical, and

emissions in moreover Canada and the U.S. tall tale very 1990 levels, the

level set in the Kyoto Conventionality.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Instinct Best Organization predicts that in

the need of policy play down, the use of coal generation movement go

to addition manager the upcoming 25 vivacity.

Canadian utilities privilege that hydro exports get out coal generation.

Hydro Quebec, for specific, reports that its exports "avoided

emissions of 9.05 [megatons of carbon dioxide]." But critics can say

that every emergency kilowatt of poor quality power a minute ago postpones the

finishing necessity of addressing lazy use of electricity and

run-away energy appetites. All arguments storage space respect. If policy makers

stop moral on the coal disorder morsel they do so at substantial

hazard.

Sans a concerted energy to tedious count on, bigger hydro generation

movement a minute ago be cut out for with bigger coal make use of and bigger

transnational temperatures. That begs the question: can hydropower be piece of

the season play down fraud if no such fraud is in the works?

At some policy makers need make keeping the dominant priority.

Ideally, this movement approach as a result of all the rivers are dammed and all the

coal is vapourized.

Character Braun transplant for the Winnipeg-based Interfaith Task Dash on

Northern Hydro Mount. A feature-length version of this article

appears in THIS Journal.

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