by jboullion | Jul 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
As temperatures creep higher, so do energy bills.
Fortunately, Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, has a number of simple tips to get your home ready for summer — saving you energy and money. The following are Focus on Energy’s top five tips for keeping your cool this summer:
1. Install a Programmable Thermostat. These help save money and keep homes
comfortable by automatically adjusting temperature settings while the homeowner is asleep or away. A tip for getting savings is to set it five degrees higher in the summer when the house is unoccupied for eight hours or more. Homeowners can save about $100 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings.
2. Replace an Outdated Cooling System. When replacing an air conditioner it’s important to look for the ENERGY STAR®, as these units can use up to 14 percent less energy than standard models. Also, consider a timer for window units. Set the timer for a half hour before you return home so it’s not running when no one is there.
3. Install a Ceiling Fan. Used in combination with your air conditioner, ceiling fans allow you to raise your thermostat setting by as much as four degrees without reducing your comfort. However, be sure to turn the fan off when you’re not in the room to save energy — ceiling fans cool people, not rooms.
4. Replace standard bulbs with CFLs. Turning off lights when you are not using them helps to keep a room cool, but another tip is to replace standard light bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs — they produce about 75 percent less heat, which helps cut energy costs associated with home cooling. Additionally, replacing your five most used light bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs can save at least $35 a year.
5. Install Window Treatments. Shut out the hot summer sun by closing windows and pulling shades or curtains on south- and west-facing windows. This helps to reduce the amount of solar heat coming through the windows.
by jboullion | Jul 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From the Green Squared Building Association:
Our group is devoted to promoting more energy-efficient and earth-friendly buildings in the River Valley Area.
We are builders, architects, building material manufacturers, contractors, consultants,
and other interested individuals.
Our Guiding Principles:
Efficient use of energy and water
Use of local materials and labor
Use of renewable energy and resources
Durability of Construction
Reuse and Recycling of materials
Creating buildings that are healthy for occupants and the environment
Founding Members:
Julie Kardatzke
Julie Kardatzke Architect, LLC
408 West Leeson Street, Spring Green, WI 53588
608 588 7105
email: juliekardatzke@verizon.net
website: JKarchitecture.com
Jim Birkemeier
Timbergreen Farm
S11478 Soeldner Rd
Spring Green, WI 53588
608 588 7342
email: Jim@timbergrowers.com
website: TimberGrowers.com Local Wood
David Schinke
David J. Schinke Contruction, LLC
3881 Schreiner Rd
Spring Green, WI 53588
608 583 2737
email: dschinke@merr.com
Log Homes, Timber Frames, Standard Construction
Alex Greene
Red Beard Lumber, LLC
PO Box 88
Spring Green, WI 53588
608 354 2585
email: alexander.m.greene@gmail.com
Red Beard Lumber – Spring Green, WI
Nate Robson
Robson Construction
E4655 Ruetten Dr.
Spring Green WI 53588
(608)574-1171 email: nrobson72@charter.net New Construction, Remodeling, Windows, Siding, & Decks.
Bryan Butteris
Butteris Construction and Woodworking, LLC
3698 Sinbad Rd
Dodgeville, WI 53533
608 574 8810
email: Bryan@Butteris.com
website: www.Butteris.com
Custom Homes, Timber Framiing
Jerry Anding
ASAP Heating and Cooling, LLC
Spring Green, WI 53588
608 588 2727
608 370 2727
Sales, Service, Installation of Heating and Cooling Systems
by jboullion | Jul 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an announcement on Next Step Wisconsin:
It’s time to see megawatts of wind up close and personal. In fact, you’ll have a hard time missing this awe-inspiring string of 20 towers slowly spinning a total of 30 megawatts of green power 330 feet over your head.
Carol Anderson has welcomed our Next Step group and friends for a tour of the 3 wind turbines she has on her property near Montfort on July 25th. . . . Carol will give us a lot of facts about the windmills on her property and wind energy in general. . . .
Food following? We will be brown bagging it at a local park. I’ll bring along ice water and drinking cups and emergency snacks for the not-so-prepared.
Contact Carol Gruba to confirm your tour spot-please email info@fullspectrumsolar.com
by jboullion | Jun 30, 2009 | Uncategorized
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From a news release issued by Madison Gas and Electric:
MADISON, Wis. – (Business Wire) Wisconsin’s first large-scale wind farm began producing clean, renewable electric power 10 years ago today in Kewaunee County. The 17-turbine, 11.22-megawatt facility built and owned by Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) is located near Rosiere. Since 1999, the facility has produced over 215,000 megawatt-hours of electricity, enough power to supply 3,000 homes annually.
The facility was built in direct response to MGE customers who wanted to purchase green energy for their homes and businesses. The wind farm’s generating capacity available for green energy sales was sold out in less than four months. Over the last 10 years, MGE has increased its wind energy portfolio by 12 times as strong customer support for renewable energy continues. MGE customers have one of the highest participation rates nationally in green energy programming offered by investor-owned utilities.
“We are grateful to the landowners and communities that support this project,” said Lynn Hobbie, MGE senior vice president. “We also thank the customers who have made our green pricing program so successful.”
“In 10 years, wind generation has completed the transition from boutique energy to a bulk power,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin. “Early commitments to wind power from utilities like MGE helped make that happen and were instrumental to that industry’s subsequent growth and maturation.”
At the time, MGE’s Rosiere facility was the largest wind farm in the Eastern United States. Today the wind farm is one of nine commercial facilities in Wisconsin. Wind-generating capacity in Wisconsin totals nearly 450 megawatts.
by jboullion | Jun 29, 2009 | Uncategorized
From the Iowa Renewable Energy Association (I-RENEW):
I-Renew’s Energy and Sustainability Expo 2009 will be a celebration of the change that persistence can bring. We’ve got a lot to celebrate. We’ll start by emphasizing the continued growth of green jobs in Iowa and finish by presenting a full spectrum of alternative energy and sustainability options.
Kate Gordon, Vice President of the Center for American Progress, is one of two keynote speakers. Ms. Gordon was, until June of this year, Co-Director of the National Apollo Alliance. The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, business, environmental and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution that will put millions of Americans to work in a new generation of high-quality, green-collar jobs. Kate is nationally recognized for her work on the intersection of clean energy and economic development policy, and especially for helping to shape the modern definition of “green-collar jobs” as “well-paid, career track jobs that contribute directly to reserving or enhancing the environment.” She has a long history of working for economic justice and labor issues. She serves on several boards, including the Midwest Agriculture Energy Network and the National Green Industries Policy Retreat.
