(Almost) Free Solar!!! Tax credit/rebate madness!!!

Attached to the latest bailout plan passed by the Fine Folks on Capitol Hill, was an extension and amendment of the federal solar tax credit.  The tax credit is extended for an additional 8 years.  Before this renewal, there was a cap at $2000 for the tax credit.  No more!  The federal tax credit is now up to 30% and can be applied alongside other state and local incentives to go solar.

San Francisco is leading the way by encouraging homeowners and landlords to go solar.  In additon to being the first city to pass stringent green building ordinances, Gavin championed this little number below.

From dsireusa.org:

“The City and County of San Francisco, through the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), are providing rebates to residents and businesses who install photovoltaic (PV) systems on their properties. Systems must be at least one kilowatt (kW) in capacity, and there is no maximum size limit to participate. There are four distinct funding levels for residential installations. First, basic installations of systems are eligible for rebates of $3,000. Residential systems installed by a local installer qualify for a higher incentive of $4,000. Residential installations in lower income and racially diverse neighborhoods considered “environmental justice districts” because of their proximity to industrial sites and major highways are eligible for an even higher incentive of $5,000. Systems installed by individuals trained through the city’s workforce development system can receive an incentive of $6,000.

Commercial, non-profit and industrial installations receive a capacity-based incentive of $1,500 per kW, up to a maximum amount of $10,000. Multi-unit residential buildings that are operated by a non-profit may receive up to $4,500 per kW (depending on the number of units) up to a maximum of $30,000.

The San Francisco rebates can be combined with the state-level California Solar Initiative, in addition to the federal tax credit. To simplify the application process, San Francisco will approve of any system which qualifies for the California Solar Initiative.

The San Francisco Solar Energy Incentive Pilot Program is funded with $3 million from the SFPUC renewable energy fund, which comes from the sale of power generated by the Hetch Hetchy dam. The renewable energy funds previously provided funding just for solar installations on city buildings, which is expected to continue with a portion of the fund.”

So, if the Fed, Sacramento, and The City are all willing to pitch in, why wouldn’t you go solar?  It increases the value of your home, decreases your dependence on carbon-emitting fossil fuels, and give your home the certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ of cool, green cache.

I happen to know a few solar outfits here in The Bay.  If you’re curious about solar for your home or office, give me a call and I can set you up with the right folks to get the ball rolling.

Green Home in Potrero Hill for Sale

Yet another green home for sale in San Francisco.  It seems like Sellers are finally wising up to the growing demand for eco-friendly housing options.  In my opinion, there’s nothing more appealing than modern intelligent design and green building coupled with a facade that keeps its eye on the surrounding charm of one of San Francisco’s most beautiful neighborhoods.  It looks to have an amazing view as well.

If you’re interested in this property or others like it, contact me for exclusive Buyer’s representation.

This 2008 CH&D award winning eco-friendly home has an edgy modern style with traditional attributes offering 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, living & dining spaces, state-of-the-art kitchen, pentroom, 2 car parking. The outstanding entertainer’s view pentroom with walls of expansive windows; arched ceilings; two spacious terraces perfect for formal and informal gatherings, this dramatic space features picturesque views, wet bar, gas fireplace and powder room. The panoramic views fully encompass and span the downtown skyline, from Twin Peaks to the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge.

Listed at $2,195,000

This listing is courtesy of Mike Suyeishi at McGuire Real Estate

Green homes for regular people.

Written by Chris Schille, courtesy of GreenBuildingElements.com

The iconoclastic owner of the San Jose tract home featured in this article takes exception to the notion that green is expensive. Green, to him, is rooted in conservation of all resources, not the least of them being money.

Frank Schiavo’s compact, tract-built, three-bedroom ranch-style home in a modest San Jose neighborhood demonstrates that remodeling to create a cutting-edge green home is neither difficult nor expensive. Heated with sunlight and cooled by night air, his home is comfortable, quiet and tasteful, filled with light and local art. With only modest investments in a sun room, extra insulation, new windows, a very small array of rooftop photovoltaic and solar hot water panels, his electricity bill for the coldest, cloudiest months of the year averages a few dollars a month. His gas bill is even more modest.

What’s most impressive about Schiavo’s house isn’t that it’s so comfortable and practical for him to own, it’s that it demonstrates that lofty resource conservation goals can be achieved on a modest remodeling budget.

Passive Solar Energy is Inexpensive

Schiavo’s remodel performs so well, and for so little, because it focuses on conservation, not features. San Jose has plenty of sun, so Schiavo’s house exploits passive solar design. First, Schiavo thoroughly insulated. Next, he added heat-collecting thermal mass (in the form of a small sunroom addition) to store heat energy in the winter and stabilize temperatures. In the summer, he stores the cool of the night air. Interior walls sport an unusual finish detail that, at first brush, appears to have been motivated by modernist aesthetics.

Stacks of black, rectangular solids suggestive of consumer electronics protrude from interior walls extending from the floor to chair-rail height. As Schiavo explains, these are actually five gallon metal cans that have been painted black and fitted into steel support racks in key wall sections. The cans are filled with water, which has terrific thermal mass for its weight and volume. Many of these cans are situated in an interior wall that separates the interior from a south-facing sunroom. The water-filled cans store heat in the winter (and the cool of night air in the summer) and release it into the interior of his house.

Passive Solar Heating/Cooling: Operating the House

In the winter and early spring, Schiavo lowers special insulated doors in his sunroom, exposing the water-filled cans. Sun enters the windows of the sunroom and heats the brick-in-sand floor. The warm air in the sunroom then heats the water-filled cans. At night, Schiavo closes the insulated doors, and the water-filled cans radiate heat back into his house. This is an implementation of a passive solar Trombe Wall.

An added benefit of the sunroom space is that it makes an ideal place to hang laundry to dry. Schiavo admits he does use his gas dryer: about a minute or two per load, with no heat, to fluff-up his clothes and remove lint.

Schiavo Himself

A sustainability activist, passive solar design consultant, and retired environmental studies instructor from San Jose State University, Schiavo doesn’t shrink from publicity. A recent article in the San Jose Mercury News (4/5/2008, Is that a lion in the yard? S.J. fence-mural draws second looks) covers the extensive mural in Schiavo’s front and side yards, painted by a friend.

Schiavo first found the public eye in a well-publicized struggle with his local garbage company. Through a combination of disciplined purchasing habits, composting in his yard, and extensive recycling, he has virtually ceased to produce any trash. For years, he continued to pay the local garbage company for a service he wasn’t using. The mayor of San Jose found out and ordered the garbage company to stop billing him. His example led to the City’s composting program, run, incidentally, by a former student.

If you live near San Jose, you can see Schiavo’s house and mural at 1186 Bayard Drive. Look for footprints painted on the sidewalk, position your feet in them, and watch mural, building and landscaping meld into one large piece of art.

Use your tax rebate wisely. Buy Green.

We know that many of us will need to spend our tax rebate check on critical items like food or rent or paying off debt. But just in case you have some of your tax rebate check left and you’re looking for eco-friendly ways to spend the money, we have some ideas we’d like to share with you.

And we’ve geared these tips to supporting the US economy, so you get to do the right thing for the planet and be an eco-patriot at the same time! In coming up with our list of ideas we decided it would be good to recommend ideas that reduce our negative environmental impacts but also support US manufacturers and service providers. So here are five eco-smart ways to use your rebate to support the Earth, the US economy, and save your household money in the long run.

1. Buy a high-efficiency water heater. A high-efficiency water heater can cut your energy use, water use, carbon footprint and even utility bills (over the long run). For most homes you can get the heater itself for $600 – $1,200, but you’ll probably have to spring for installation as well. Models made in the US include the AO Smith Vertex (a storage model that beats the pants off of tankless HW heaters), electric models made by American Tankless Water Heaters, and natural gas tankless heaters made by Rheem (some made in the US). Click here to learn more about making the tankless decision, and click here to find local installers.

2. Upgrade your insulation. If you don’t have insulation (like many older homes in the Southwest), or you only have partial insulation, upgrading your home’s insulation is an excellent way to reduce your energy use (for both heat in the winter and cooling in the summer). It will also make your home more comfortable. Fully insulating your attic and walls will cost a few thousand dollars, but you can do it in installments to cut the cost. Start with the attic — that will run between $700-2,000, depending on the size of your home. Then you can move on to the walls at a later date. The insulation investment will pay for itself in less than five years. And your local utility company very likely offers substantial rebates, so be sure to check with them for incentives. You can also buy great insulation made in the US out of recycled and sustainable materials such as Cocoon cellulose insulation (recycled newspaper), Ultratouch recycled denim insulation, and BioBased insulation (made from soybean oil). Click here to see great insulation recommendations and you can find local insulation installers here.

3. Replace your oldest appliance with an Energy Star model. Old appliances are major energy-wasters and can also use excessive amounts of water as well. Old clothes washers, refrigerators and dishwashers are typically the biggest energy hogs. We highly recommend you upgrade to an Energy Star model — this will save you money in the long run as well. Like with insulation, many local utilities offer great rebates on appliance upgrades. You can find Energy Star appliances here, or you can go directly to the Energy Star site (part of the US EPA) and check the full range of makes and models. Unfortunately, there are few (if any) US appliance manufacturers left …

4. If you irrigate, replace a high-water area with drought-tolerant or native plants. Global warming deserves all of the media attention it gets, but our growing water-shortage crisis doesn’t get enough coverage. If you live in the Southeast or Southwest US, we need to be doing everything we can to reduce our water consumption. Grass lawns are water-hogs and it is a great idea to incorporate native and low-water-use plants into your landscaping. To learn more about native landscaping, click here. Any plants you buy are grown in the US, and you can also use the services of an eco-friendly landscape designer and/or maintenance team– find local landscape services here.

5. Swap out all of your lights and shower heads. Perhaps you’ve been waiting to change your incandescent lights to compact fluorescents or LEDs because the latter are expensive. Now’s the time spend a couple hundred dollars and get really energy-efficient lighting throughout your home– and for outdoors as well. Compact fluorescent lights will last ten times as long as standard bulbs, and LED lights will last 5-10 times longer than the fluorescents. You’ll save money and energy. Also spend $50 to get a few low-water-use shower heads. These shower heads can save you 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of water per person per year. And they work great. You won’t know you’re in a low-flow shower! Most low-cost items like this are made overseas these days, but at least you’ll be supporting your local retailer.

Of course, you might instead be thinking about using that stimulus check for a new flat-screen TV or computer. If so, make sure they’re Energy Star – here are links to the Energy Star pages for TVs and computers.

Posted by Jason Pelletier, Low Impact Living