Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 11:56 am
Gallons of oil by which daily U.S. consumption would drop if SUV's average fuel efficiency increased by 3 mpg: 49,000,000.
Gallons of oil per day that the proposed drilling of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is projected to yield; 42,000,000.
Does this put it in perspective for you?
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 11:54 am
• Conservation means wearing sweaters or T-shirts in drafty, inefficient buildings. Efficiency means investing in the new designs, systems, and components that have been proven to save 30-50% or more in new homes and commercial buildings, at very low added capital cost. Saving even a conservative 1 kW per new home and 10 kW per new commercial building means that in 2020, we can avoid another 100 300-MW powerplants. (estimate is peak-coincident)
For a free home energy assessment to determine how you can save money on your energy bill, please contact Solare Energy at (800) 411-SOLAR, or visit us at www.SolareEnergy.com
Thursday, October 14th, 2010 11:34 am
The California Solar Initiative Rebate is about to take a step down. If you want to take advantage of the higher rebate amount, now is the time to do so!
For a free home energy assessment and to reserve your CSI rebate, please visit us at www.SolareEnergy.com or call (800) 411- SOLAR.
Friday, September 24th, 2010 10:04 am
You cannot store conventional power but you can store solar power for future use. The sun's energy comes to rescue even in the times of darkness! Storing it also ensures a 24x7 supply of power, thus saving you from any power outage.
For a free home energy assessment to determine how you can save money on your energy bill, please contact Solare Energy at (800) 411-SOLAR, or visit us at www.SolareEnergy.com.
Thursday, September 9th, 2010 4:01 pm
Hello,
Solare Energy is conducting a customer survey in order to better understand customer preferences regarding the purchase of solar power systems. Please fill out this short survey (it will take you less than 5 minutes) and you will be automatically entered into our drawing to win a free iPad.
Click here to enter survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZYRB8L6
Thank you for your time,
Solare Energy
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 10:26 am
By ERIC WOLFF - ewolff@nctimes.com
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. has asked regulators for its largest increase in revenue in at least 30 years as part of an initial filing to raise rates for electric and gas. In a draft application submitted Friday, the utility said it needs $310 million additional dollars, a 7 percent increase from 2010 revenue, to cover the cost of insurance premiums and anticipated growth in the number of customers. The application includes a formula based on inflation and productivity for how rates would continue to rise in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Ratepayer advocacy groups said the requested increases were too high, particularly given the poor state of the economy. If the amount is approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the electricity bill of the average residential customer would rise $3.34 a month, and a gas customer using 33 therms a month would pay an additional $3.21, the application said.
The filing, called a "notice of intent," is the opening stage in an 18-month regulatory process in which the PUC will gather input from ratepayer advocates and the public to determine how much electricity and natural gas rates will change for the four-year period starting in 2012. Southern California Gas Co., a utility owned by SDG&E parent company Sempra Energy, also filed a notice of intent on Friday with a request for a $310 million increase in revenue, a 7.3 percent increase from 2010. On July 19, Southern California Edison asked for $903 million in additional revenue in 2012, a 7.9 percent increase compared with 2010 income, the company said. Lee Schavrien, the Sempra executive responsible for both the SDG&E and SoCal Gas filings, said the San Diego utility needs the additional money for operations and to cover insurance costs. "The fact that we've had substantial increases in liability and medical insurance premiums are reflected in this case," Schavrien said. Of the requested increase, $62 million is allocated to liability insurance for wildfires. SEC filings by Sempra Energy have said costs from lawsuits related to the 2003 and 2007 wildfires may exceed the utility's insurance coverage, and thus the company needed to purchase more coverage. Schavrien also said $16 million was needed for increased medical insurance premiums for employees and $21 million because of inflation.
Those reasons didn't persuade members of consumer advocacy groups, who were briefed on the applications but have not completed their analyses of the official filings. The Utility Reform Network, an advocacy group in San Francisco, said the utilities could save money by reducing the pay and perks of top executives. "They should be looking for ways to lower rates, not to raise them," said Mindy Spatt, a TURN spokeswoman. Michael Shames, executive director of the San Diego-based Utility Consumers' Action Network, said his analysts will pore over the application to figure out why the utility hasn't been able to lower expenses the way so many other businesses have. "I figured there would be greater sensitivity," Shames said. "In the midst of the Great Recession, this is not the time to be asking for more Christmas gifts from Santa Claus." Shames, Spatt and members of the public will have plenty of time to offer input. The notice of intent starts an 18-month process in which the utilities, advocacy groups and the PUC's Division of Ratepayer Advocates will negotiate and litigate revenue and how that revenue is collected. There will also be meetings for public input in the utilities' service areas.
November's gubernatorial election also could complicate the decision. The governor appoints the five members of the commission, subject to confirmation by the state Senate. The terms of two commission members will expire in early 2011, and the temporary appointment of Commissioner Nancy Ryan could expire before the Senate confirms her. "The commission that's going to be judging this next rate case decision may be entirely new," Shames said. "The governor will have a rather strong impact on how the utilities are regulated."
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 5:17 pm
In recent years manufacturing costs of photovoltaic cells has dropped by 3-5% per year while government subsidies have increased. While to some such facts about solar energy seem trivial, this makes solar energy an ever-more affordable energy source.
For a free home energy assessment to determine how you can save money on your energy bill, please contact Solare Energy at (800) 411-SOLAR, or visit us at www.SolareEnergy.com.
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 11:12 am
sales of Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) nearly doubled last year; in 2007, 290 million CFLs (which use approximately 75% less energy) were sold and now account for more than 20% of the U.S. light bulb market; furthermore, LEDs now coming into the market use five times less power than CFLs.
For a free home energy assessment to determine how you can save money on your energy bill, please contact Solare Energy at (800) 411-SOLAR, or visit us at www.SolareEnergy.com.
Thursday, July 1st, 2010 4:46 pm
By the end of 2008 energy efficiency investments had slashed United States energy consumption (as measured per dollar of economic output) to half of what it was in 1970, from 18,000 Btus to about 8,900 Btus; in one year alone such investments are estimated to have generated approximately 1.7 quads of energy savings.
Thursday, July 1st, 2010 4:33 pm
Lower the temperature on your electric water heater to 120 (F) degrees. Turn it
off when leaving for extended periods of time. Electric water heaters can be set on
timers; gas heaters must be set manually.
|
|
