Since Bush passed the original bill for the tax incentives and Obama increased them, there have been a lot of questions about solar thermal.  My original post on solar thermal talks about the basics of how it works.  There are a couple of different options for a retrofit and for new construction.

One of the brands that we sell (Velux) has the option for a 80 gallon tank and 120 gallon tank.  In GA, you will get at least 80-85% (on average) of your hot water from the sun. To make up the difference there is an electric element in the tank just like other tank heaters.  This only kicks on when the sun cannot keep up with the demand for hot water.

As far as the configurations- if you have a new tank already installed and it is energy efficient, you can have a solar system installed as a preheat for your current system.  The electrical element for the solar tank will not be connected since the other tank will provide the backup heat.  In new construction you can install a basic systems for 3-4 people and install an electric back up, or you can upgrade to a 120 gallon tank (5-6 people) and add one more collector to the roof.

While the larger systems does cost more, it maintains it’s efficiency for the amount of people using the water so the payback is faster as well.

Here is how the pricing works (on average) here in GA:

80 gallon tank with 2 collectors

Retails cost- 8000

GA credit-     2500 (35% of cost with a max of 2500)

Fed credit     2900 (30% of cost with no cap for 2009_

Net cost         3100

This is about the same cost that a tankless system costs, however the efficiency is much greater- 5-8 times as efficient.  This is based on a tankless water heater outperforming a regular tank between 10-20% and solar providing 85% of the hot water.  When you divide 85% by the tankless efficiency you can see that Solar is the greener option and will save more money!

To see more of the rebates and credits here in GA visit Get paid to go green!

If you are in the Atlanta area and want to take advantage of the energy portion of the stimulus package there are a few different options for you.   One of the hottest topics that many people right now are very interested in is “Going Solar!”  You can start out with a solar yard lighting kit that you can buy off of the shelf or you can make a more sizable investment and get a great return by adding a solar water heater to you house or by adding solar power to you house.  The most affordable of those options right now is Solar Hot Water.  There are many brands out there so be careful when choosing a manufacturer.  At the Hoots Group we like to represent the best products on the market so we can sleep at night.  For Solar Water heating we are qualified to install many different brands, however our clients have been choosing one over the rest of them.  Velux- for solar water heating.  Their complete system is qualified for all of the tax incentives and it is also Energy Star qualified!

Here is some PR from their corporate office here in the states:

“I am pleased to inform you that VELUX Solar water heating systems are now ENERGY STAR qualified.  As you all know, the ENERGY STAR program is well recognized throughout the U.S. for identifying products that are energy efficient — ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.”

To find out how you can start to enjoy a Velux Solar water heater visit Fresh World

Most of the nation had the pleasure of experiencing record low temperatures late last week.  Here in Atlanta we saw temperatures dip into the teens.  If you have an outdoor pool, you probably wouldn’t even think about cleaning it, yet alone taking a dip in it.

What if there was a way to extend you swimming season?

In most climates, the middle of the summer is the perfect time to dip in the pool.  Spring and Fall are a bit cooler and the pool water is frigid.  If you are from Alaska or like to cut holes in the ice to go swimming then this post is not for you.   Traditionally, to regulate the water temperature in pools you had to add a supplemental heater. Most of these are gas heater and cost a lot to operate.  I had one client complaining about a $1000/month gas bill partly because of their pool heater.

Great- we can swim in warmer water but it will cost an arm and a leg!

Not so, you can heat your pool with the sun!  You have seen the other posts on solar water heaters for the house, well- there is a similar technology for pool heaters.  The Olympic pool for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta used the sun to heat the pool.  They also installed the largest Solar Power array in the SouthEast (that’s a whole story in itself).  The product that was used on the pool was heliocol.

The Hoots Group is an installer and dealer for Heliocol in the Atlanta area and beyond.  The technology is great especially since is can double you swimming season and it is saving you money in energy costs over a typical gas pool heater.

This may have worked in the 70’s, however, I am not sure that when people showered together that they actually saved water.  I think that other things might have been going on besides washing.

You still have the option to take a shower with a friends today,  but your friends may be getting tired of “shower dates” to save the world.  OR- they just aren’t buying the fact that getting bare is saving the world anymore, then you could turn to water saving devices.

The EPA has created a new standard for water efficiency called Water Sense.  Participating manufacturers that meet the stringent requirements can use the Water Sense label on their product.  This verification allows consumers and builders to feel confident that they are making a difference while buying these products.

BUYER beware! Low flow does not always mean that the product performs well.  For toilets, we have done the research to make sure the the toilet is low flush, plus it actually does flush.  Did you know that toilets have flush ratings?  Many of the more popular toilets out there don’t even have a good flush rating.

Solution: We have made a new list for our Hoots Group clients that shows the flow and the performance as well!  You have low flush that will actually flush!

BUYER beware! Low flow shower heads do use less water, however we have not seen any below 1.75 gallons per minutes that actually work well.

Solution: The standard is 2.5 gallons per minute so this is still a significant reduction.  On a retrofit, if you change out you shower head from a 5 gallon per minute to a 2.5 gallon per minute you are reducing the water consumption by half.  That is just by meeting the existing code.  You can still exceed it by lowering the flow to 1.75 gallons per minute.

Buyer beware! Tankless water heaters need about .6 gallons per minute of water flow to heat the water.  make sure the you don’t reduce your water usage to a trickle or you will not even get hot water from a tankless.  So what can you still do to be green?

Solution: Go Solar!  Solar is about the same cost as a tankless water heater on a retrofit (with the rebates) and it many times more efficient.  You can have over 80% of the water the you use heated by a free energy source- the sun!

So why are we sharing the “buyer bewares?”  Going green is the right thing to do, however, we do not want you to have to sacrifice performance by going green.  This is not the PR that we need for the movement.

The good news is that there are very viable solutions.  If you live in the Atlanta area, we have already done all of the research and can add solar to your house as well as do a complete Water Sense fixture retrofit so you too can do your part to help in our current drought.

I forgot to mention- there are still some rebates here locally that are still available to help cover the cost of the Water Sense retrofit.  There is still the $4500 rebate for Solar Hot Water as well.

Now that we have light from the sun, let’s use is it!  The catholic church is doing just that.  They have just installed a hugh array of solar panels on a portion of the Vatican.  Since the Vatican is technically a city is must be one of the greenest cities on the planet now (based on renewables per capita).

Last year the Southern Baptists stated that climate change is a real issue to be dealt with.  All faiths now join in to be more sustainable.  There is a local group in Atlanta called Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL and members are called gippies!) Whether you believe in God or not or climate change or not, you can still adopt some of the basic principles of each.  Back to the Judea-Christian ten commandments, following them does not mean that you have to believe in any particular God, it can mean that you just happen to want to get along with your fellow man.  Nothing wrong with that.

Climate change is still a debated subject that gets many fired up.  Some use it to thwart capitalism, while others that disagree choose to categorize all environmentalists as “tree huggers.”  We can all agree the saving energy is directly proportional to saving money and that is good (unless you own stock in a non-green power company,)  Clean air and a healthy environment are good as well so why fight about the basic issues?  Green is now apolitical.  It is okay to want to be green, however STOP making is a divisive issue.  We all agree on the basic facts yet we want to destroy the credibility if each others arguments and sustainable progress gets put on hold.

For more information on the Vatican story read on. more…

 New Year’s Resolution #2

Yesterday I blogged about reducing waste in our households and during the construction process.  Well, the way you occupy your house and the way that it performs can also be wasteful.

First time for housekeeping….

Many of our clients got, or will be getting rebates for their energy efficient upgrades that they did in 2008.  If you were one of our clients that make an energy efficient upgrade and are a GA Power client, you are eligible for up to 1900 in rebates from GA Power.  How’s that for a Happy New Year.  We can help you with the paperwork and get this in for you.

URGENT!!!!!!

If you are one of our clients that did geothermal, solar thermal, or solar power (or a combination of the 3- yes we did have some do all three!), you need to submit your paperwork to the state ASAP before the cut your off for your deductions.  JUST IN….”I spoke with GEFA…they say Dept. of Revenue is only looking at install date, so even late submissions to GEFA for certification will not jeopardize the 2008 credit since there is plenty of money left under the $2.5 million cap.”- Jason Rooks

However do not take your time.  Even though there is money left do not wait too long or you will loose it.  Hoots Group clients will get tens of thousands back.

Back to the Resolution.  #2 that is

Last year our clients saved tens of thousands due to rebates.  This year we are in a position to save our clients hundreds of thousands in rebates.  Wait- these are just rebates that we are discussing.  They will also save on their utility bills as well.  And comfort.  And health.  You get the point- reducing your energy costs pays back in saving and in rebates.  So do it now!

If you install a Solar Water heater with us- the upfront costs starts around 8K.  With the federal and state rebates the costs will be around 3.5K.  This investment is about the same cost as a tankless water heater.  I forgot to mention that it is many times more efficient as well.  The sun is a free heating source and can reduce your water heating costs up to 85%!

Our Resolution #2- Help our clients save on their utility bills and get paid to do so also.

Your Resolution #2- Start talking to your Efficiency experts to start on your sustainability plan to start reducing your energy costs and impact on the environment.

For a full list of rebates click here.

Happy New Year!

Next June at the Southern Building Show in Atlanta, I will be giving a couple of presentations on green building.  The first one will be on Advanced Performance Systems.  The target market is the builder and architect community that already has a basic understanding of green building, but anyone that is interested in the subject is welcome to attend.   Here a description as it will be promoted for the show:

“Are you a green builder, architect or building professional that know all of the basics of green builidng and want to take your knowleadge and business to the next level?   Green builder and Performance contractor, Matt Hoots will be going through the principles of advanced mechanical systems on buildings in a simple format.  At the end of the course, you will have the tools and knowledge to plan for systems such as Geothermal HVAC, Solar water heating, Solar power, and Advanced water systems.”

The Hoots Group is a proud participant in most of the green programs and events that the Southface Energy Institute hosts.  The are the local provider for EarthCraft House, Home Performance with Energy Star, LEED for Homes and other great green programs.

Twice a year they host a party at their Eco-office cebrating the shortest and longest days of the days.  These are known as the Summer and Winter solstices.  Last week hosted the Winter Solstice and it went off really well.  In the summer, they make solar ice cream.  This is ice cream that is made on site powered by a Solar Panel.

This is a fun tradition for all Southface members to enjoy.  To find out more about these events and other events at Southface go to Southface.org.

Thanks Southface for making green building well known in Atlanta and the SouthEast.

If you read Georgia Tech vs. Georgia Part I, you will be happy to hear the GA Tech is also working on green power as well.  UGA is doing great things with pine trees, while GA Tech is more focused on the sun.

In the wake of the presidential election lots of talk is coming to the surface about renewable energy.  In the post about GA, I talked about biomass technology.  In this post the focus will be on Solar technologies, specifically Photovoltaic (PV).  Our president elect has proposed that we stop the dependence on foreign oil once again and take out energy needs into our own hands.  By the year 2012, the US is aiming to produce 10% of it’s energy with renewable energy and by the year 2025, we are aiming for a 25% renewable energy portfolio.

GA is in a good position to benefit from this.  Last year a GA professor annoucened that he was going to take his research public and create solar cells here in GA.  The PV cells will be added to solar panels to create energy from the sun.  They have already begun production and have Billions of dollars of product in orders already.  This is good for GA and the US because it is being produced here in GA.

Here is a little about the company Suniva and it’s founder as found on their website:

“Suniva evolved from the work of Professor Ajeet Rohatgi of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics. A DoE Center of Excellence since 1992, UCEP has distinguished itself as the premier site for silicon PV research in the U.S.  Bringing a unique approach of uniting cell modeling, device design, process optimization and materials analysis and characterization, UCEP has consistently proven to be a valuable resource to government and industrial partners.  This competency has driven efforts of the Center to evolve from that of a purely academic research environment to one of being a hands-on industry resource focused on practical solutions for commercial processing of PV materials and devices.  This led to the formation of Suniva, which holds exclusive rights to over 32 granted and pending patents (from 20 patent families) of Dr. Rohatgi and UCEP.”

GO Jackets!  Go Solar!

I bet you all thought that I was talking about a football game.  Yes, I attended Tech and I was happy that they broke their losing streak, but no matter what the outcome of the game Georgians are all winners because of what these schools are doing for our future in energy.

They have something in common?  Besides both of the them being state schools in GA and both have top 25 rated football teams this year, they are both leaders in renewable energy research.

Let’s start with the University of Georgia in Athens.

A friend of the Hoots Group was recently featured in Georgia Trends for his work with the University of Georgia.  Ross Harding, vice president of business development for the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center was on the cover of the magazine promoting a bio fuel technology developed at UGA.

The basic concept is that GA has lots of pine trees.  They are able to use biomass technology to create ethanol.  Ethanol is an additive to the fuel that we use to drive our vehicles.  Some vehicles are able to run on higher concentrations of ethanol with out any problems.  This is good for may reasons.

• Since we will be able to grow the trees and process the fuel in GA this is good for Georgia’s economy
• Any energy that we can produce in the US is good for our economy and will lesson our dependence on foreign oil.
• Ethanol can be created out of other crops as well.  Currently, we growing corn to make ethanol on other parts of the country.  If we can protect our food sources and look to trees for the energy that we need this will lower the demand for corn based ethanol and lower the cost of our food in the marketplace.

Here is the article from Georgia Trends magazine:  Fuel In the Pines

Jerry Grillo published April 2008

Many of the Hoots Group clients got to take advantage of a tax credit for the work that we did on their house in 2006 and 2007.  Finally, back for 2009, there is a tax credit available for energy efficient improvements on residential houses.

According to the Energy Star website- “On October 3, 2008, President Bush signed into law the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.” This bill extended tax credits for energy efficient home improvements (windows, doors, roofs, insulation, HVAC, and non-solar water heaters). Tax credits for these residential products, which had expired at the end of 2007, will now be available for improvements made during 2009. However, improvements made during 2008 are not eligible for a tax credit.

The bill also extended tax credits for solar energy systems and fuel cells to 2016. New tax credits were established for small wind energy systems and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Tax credits for builders of new energy efficient homes and tax deductions for owners and designers of energy efficient commercial buildings were also extended.”

For a full list of rebates that we can offer click here.

A friend of the Hoots Group, myEnergyLoan.com,  has come up with a loan package for our Home Performance clients.  All of our Home Performance clients agree that the recommendations that we make for them make sense to do, however there is always that upfront cost that they have to deal with.

Lucky for them, we have suggestions based the the faster ROI so when they finance the project for any period that is longer than the anticipated payback they will be cash flow positive for the life of the loan.

If they go with  solar water heater that should pay for itself in 5 years and finance it for 10 years, then they will have a net savings over the life of the loan.  After the loan is paid off they still will be able to benefit from the savings of the energy reducing measures that we offered to them.

Here are some of the basic terms of the loans available per Jeff Cole with myEnergyLoan:

Rates will vary widely from 5% to 8% up to 95% CLTV (based on prime with 720 credit score).

Minimum $15,000 – Maximum is $500,000.

Credit score minimum is 660.

No closing cost scenarios may exist, but clients for these deals should anticipate paying from 1pt to 3pt broker compensation, less standard myEnergyLoan discounts of between .5% and 1%.

To go green with Hoots click here.  To get green financing for your Hoots Green Project click here.

Solar Thermal that is.

On the 2008 Southern Building Show Showcase house the Hoots Group encouraged the owner go with solar thermal as the water heating source for the majority of the house.

Since then, The Hoots Group, Atlanta’s Full Service Green Contractor, has been committed to Solar Technologies for some time now and just recently started installing Water Heater that can be heated by the sun.  To show our company wide commitment to solar thermal, I sent 4 of our project managers to an training last week to a training at the Velux headquarter in SC.

What is Solar thermal?  Click here.

Keep in mind that if you install Solar Thermal before the end of the year, you to can get have free hot water from the sun and get a tax credit up to $4500.  This credit is good for many more years to come also.

Since the tax credits make so much more sense now.  We are the only general contractor in the South that has made Solar Thermal the standard option for both our renovations and new construction clients.

One of the presentations that I give at conventions  has a green case study in it and lists the Hoots Group Top 10 things to consider while greenovating. Whether you are building or renovating this list is a good start towards creating a green house.

10.) Low VOC/ HAPS free finishes. By using products that do not have harmful off gassing, you are able to preserve the indoor air quality.

9.) Solar Thermal. One of the most efficient ways to heat your water is by the sun. In Atlanta you can have up to 85% of your water heated by the sun.

8.) Upgrade insulation. By using spray foam insulation you can decrease your heating and cooling bills up to 50%.

7.) Water conservation. We are currently in a level IV drought in Atlanta. There are many ways to cut back on water consumption. Low flow toilets, facets and shower heads are a great start.

6.) High efficiency HVAC. When you upgrade to a high efficiency HVAC not only do you save on your utility bills, but you also are more comfortable because they tend to be of better quality.

5.) Jobsite Management. Good management is a must on a green jobsite. The principles of Reduse, ReUse and Recycle are possible only with good jobsite management.

4.) Jobsite recycling. By recycling on the jobsite, The Hoots Group is able to divert up to 90% of the waste from the landfill. Some of the waste can be reused on the site as erosion control.

3.) Advanced framing. This type of framing uses less wood and allows for space for insulation. The extra insulation increases the R-Value for the house while decreasing energy bills.

2.) Site orientation. By keeping the house out of direct sunlight you are able to decrease the heating and cooling loads on the house and keep the occupants of the house more comfortable.

1.) Enforce the Energy Code. Most contractors like to brag that they found a way around the code. By just meeting the code you received a D-. Not only should you aspire to obey the code, but exceeding the code gives you a better structure that will last longer.

The sun is the most abundant energy source on the Earth.  As we continue to hear about how fossil fuels are running out, we must consider alternative energy sources.

The sun is probably the most fun out of all of the options that we have.  Some people look to burn waste, others want to create fuels out of organic matter.  These are great, but they still pollute the air.  Solar is truly a clean energy.

This diagram show how solar thermal works.  The sun heats the fluid in the collector and exchanges the heat with the water in the tank.

Why is this the gift that keeps on giving?  I thought that this would be an appropriate Holiday title, but it is also very true all year long.

1.  There is a 30% Federal tax credit plus here in GA there is a 35% state tax credit.  With these credits, there are up to $4500 in potential savings on the upfront cost of the system.

2.  With these credits the typical system pays for itself in 2-7 years.

3.  The good news is that over the life of the system you could have $15,000 or more in energy savings.

This truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Hint- if you are looking for a gift for your loved one that can also get you a tax credit.  This is the perfect gift!!