Conservation Pros, Asheville and all of Western North Carolina

Government working on ‘Home Star’ plan for energy-efficiency rebates (aka “Cash for Caulkers”)

dhull@mercurynews.com

Hoping to capitalize on the success of the federal government’s Energy Star label for appliances, the White House and business officials are pushing a new program dubbed "Home Star," which would give property owners rebates and other incentives to weatherize their homes and make other improvements to cut their energy use. Home Star is expected to be part of a broad jobs bill Congress is preparing to unveil in the coming weeks.

Although details are still being hammered out, several players involved in drafting the Home Star legislation say the program falls into two main categories. Short-term upgrades like air-sealing, insulation, and furnace and water heater replacement would give homeowners $250 rebates for each new appliance installed. Longer-term projects that reduce a home’s energy use by 20 percent could see households earning a rebate of as much as $4,000.

Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, who serves on President Barack Obama’s board of outside economic advisers, is a leading champion for Home Star, which he describes as "Cash for Caulkers." The idea has widespread support from big-box retailers, labor unions, environmental groups and the construction and contracting industries, which have been devastated by the collapse of the housing market. Although national unemployment remains at about 10 percent, almost a quarter of the nation’s construction workers are unemployed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"We are in an urgent moment where we desperately need jobs," said Bracken Hendricks, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and an architect of the Home Star legislation. "You have business and environmental interests aligned around making this happen, and happen now. I have never seen a coalition this broad and this committed."

Are WNC green jobs in the pipeline?

Asheville Citizen-Times, by Dale Neal 1/12/2010 

Photo by Erin Brethauer  (ebrethau@citizen-times.com)

ASHEVILLE — As the national and regional economies struggle through the worst downturn since the Great Depression, Western North Carolina hopes to see green jobs sprouting up in the coming year.

“There is a lot of promise, but the green jobs seem to be slow to take root,” said Carl Donovan of Conservation Pros, an Asheville-based company specializing in making homes more energy efficient.  “The business is certainly picking up, but I don’t see the jobs yet.”

That could change soon.

The federal stimulus package could provide $4.2 million to weatherize homes in four local counties over the next two years.

Another $1 million in stimulus has been awarded to Asheville and Buncombe County for weatherization and other energy efficiency efforts, but that money has yet to be spent as federal guidelines were worked out, said Maggie Ullman, the city’s energy coordinator.

In addition to weatherization, the region also hopes to build on strengths in solar energy and biofuels. The result could be the creation of more jobs in a much-touted but so far relatively small sector of the local economy.

A place to start

Western North Carolina has seen brutal declines in the number of manufacturing jobs since the 1990s, and that drop has continued during the current recession. The number of manufacturing jobs in the Asheville metropolitan statistical area — Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison counties — dropped from 20,600 in January 2008 to 18,000 in October, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

And that’s just part of the region’s struggling employment situation. In November, the unemployment rate for the Asheville MSA was 8.6 percent, which meant that nearly 18,000 people were actively looking for jobs.

“I don’t know that we can say that green is the magic solution to bring back those jobs,” said Matt Raker, the new senior director of AdvantageGreen, an initiative to promote green industry from economic development group AdvantageWest. “But we do have a lot of opportunity to bring solar panel manufacturing and other components here.”

AdvantageWest sees potential in the Asheville area not only in local solar companies, but also in biofuel and weatherization. There’s also a potential workforce developing through Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, which offers courses in green jobs. 

The first step, though, is deciding which jobs count as green.

“A green job doesn’t mean we go out and hug trees every day,” Donovan said. As for the weatherization work his company does, Donovan said, “It’s hard work. It’s filthy stripping out old insulation from houses. It’s like any other construction job.”

Depending on which study you pay attention to, North Carolina already has somewhere between 6,500 and 63,000 green jobs, Raker said.

The North Carolina Employment Security Commission has gotten $1 million in grants to inventory the number of green jobs statewide. Similar efforts are under way locally through Land of Sky Regional Council, another regional economic development group.

Success to date

WNC can point to progress in the past year. FLS Energy, for example, has grown from three employees to 45, providing solar hot water systems for area businesses and hotels. FLS is also working on a solar farm on the old Canton landfill, which will generate enough electricity for about 1,100 homes.

Sundance Power Systems, based in Weaverville, saw a 50 percent increase in business with solar photovoltaic systems as well as wind turbines, said company founder Dave Hollister. Sundance hired about eight more full-time workers, boosting the staff to about 30.

“And I’d say we put about 50 to 60 people to work this year, when you count the electrical contractors and engineers and others,” Hollister said.

As the company begins to work on projects that will use federal stimulus money in 2010, Hollister expects that trend to continue. “This is a whole industry that we’re trying to create,” he said.

The year ahead

The $4.2 million in stimulus money will be used to weatherize homes in Buncombe, Madison, Transylvania and Henderson counties.

Community Action Opportunities, the local nonprofit that administers federal weatherization funds, will coordinate efforts to update homes with insulation, more efficient furnaces and other upgrades.

The group generally takes applications from elderly and disabled residents and families who make up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $16,000 a year for an individual or $33,000 for a family of four.

In addition, the city of Asheville has received $804,700 from an Energy Efficiency Conservation block grant, to be spent in the next year, Ullman said. Buncombe County received about $124,000 in stimulus money for energy efficiency.

Under federal guidelines, that money could generate 15 or so new jobs. Local officials and people in the industry hope that’s just the start.

In the coming year, Raker sees the potential for a few hundred green jobs in weatherization, solar and wind power and other energy efficiency sectors across North Carolina’s 23 western counties.

Weatherization efforts financed with federal stimulus funds are still expected to pump new energy into the economy in 2010 while saving energy costs for a number of residents.

Community Action Opportunities has already completed 50 homes this year, with 83 in progress and 250 more on the list, said Ben Watts, the nonprofit’s director of economic development.

By the end of next year, 459 homes could be weatherized in Buncombe, Madison, Henderson and Transylvania counties, up from the 100 or so the nonprofit typically renovates in most years, Watts said.

“We’ve added about 12 jobs and there are more to come,” Watts said. “We’re also contracting with more electricians and plumbers, and buying Energy-Star appliances at the local Home Depot, Lowe’s and Sears — so all that money trickles into the economy.”

Do Your Part: Two quick fixes can cut your energy bill

 By Terri Bennett

Jan. 11, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune News Service delivered by Newstex) –

Most of us want to find ways to go green and maintain a budget. We need our dollars to go as far as possible.  At home, your best spending is to improve your energy efficiency. Unless you seal up the drafts in your home, you are letting money blow right out the window. Heating and cooling your home account for nearly 50 percent of a typical household utility bill.  Now is the perfect time to take on two very simple projects that will practically pay for themselves in a few short weeks.

We’ve all heard about the benefits of installing extra insulation and weather stripping around doors and windows, but there are two additional leaky culprits that you should know about. Both allow heat to escape from your home in the winter. Fortunately, both are not expensive to fix. Warm air rises.  If you have a fireplace, it’s likely rising right up and out of your home all winter long. Unfortunately, there are very few fireplace flues that offer an airtight seal. Also, many times we forget to close the flue between fires.  There is a simple solution: an inflatable balloon that fits just under the flue, sealing off leaks. It’s called a fireplace plug or chimney balloon and you can install one in less than five minutes.  A quick-release valve means the plug deflates in seconds when you’re ready to use the fireplace again. So for an investment of roughly $60, you can seal up one of the biggest sources of heat loss in your home during the winter.

The second place to save some serious money is by modifying your attic entryway.  Whether you have a pull-down stairway or a vertical door, attic entryways are rarely insulated.This provides the perfect escape route for air you’ve paid to heat. Conversely, during the summer it’s also a source of hot air leaking into your air-conditioned home.  Insulating attic entryways are usually an easy do-it-yourself project or you can purchase an insulated cover that fits your need.  Last summer, for about $40, I insulated my attic door with rigid insulation that included a heat-reflecting barrier.  A little heavy-duty glue and some weather stripping were the only other materials needed to complete this quick energy-saving project.

Doing your part to seal up the sneaky leaks in your home is a great return on investment. This is one smart investment that will yield an instant and long term return.

(Terri Bennett is an Earth scientist, syndicated columnist and mom; www.DoYourPart.com. 

Opportunities await, but more action is needed on jobs front

Editorial from From The Asheville Citizen-Times January 12th, 2010, Featuring Conservation Pros’ founder, Carl Donovan

Last week the Bureau of Labor Statistics put out employment numbers for December, and they were encouraging only in that they weren’t as disastrous as previous numbers. Nationwide unemployment remained unchanged at 10 percent, but the economy shed another 85,000 jobs.

Locally, unemployment in the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area (which includes Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison counties) wasn’t as bad, but still discouraging at 8.6 percent in November.

It’s painfully obvious our society can’t function without jobs, but the question is what should be done? Today we’ll look at two initiatives: The stimulus push and the effort to grow “green” jobs in Asheville. The stimulus push seems like a good idea.The nation’s infrastructure has been neglected for years, and work is needed on water, highway, rail projects, etc. Addressing that need while spurring employment is a fit that makes sense. However, an Associated Press analysis released this week showed transportation stimulus spending was, at least to date, barely affecting local unemployment rates. To quote AP, the “analysis found there was nearly no connection between stimulus money and the number of construction workers hired or fired since Congress passed the recovery program. The effect was so small, one economist compared it to trying to move the Empire State Building by pushing against it.”

Should the stimulus idea be abandoned? Not necessarily. Should it be targeted better? Absolutely. In August this newspaper reported WNC was getting short shrift when it comes to stimulus dollars For example, McDowell County, with a 16.1 percent unemployment rate, received zero stimulus dollars for highway projects and ranked 92nd out of the state’s 100 counties in overall funding per resident. Leaders from U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, to Gov. Beverly Perdue to newly-minted state Senate Majority Leader Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe, have to make sure numbers like that are turned around.

Green jobs is another push that makes sense, especially here in Asheville. That’s not simply because Asheville is more environmentally aware than other communities, but because of the environment-related ventures already here: The Climatic Data Center, NOAA, RENCI, solar power ventures, the N.C. Arboretum and much more. Those entities do offer jobs, but the hope here is that some promising shoots in related fields, from alternative energy to energy conservation, will yield fruit on the employment front.

So far, the results have been elusive. Carl Donovan of Conservation Pros of Asheville, which specializes in energy efficiency and weatherizing homes, said, “There is a lot of promise, but the green jobs seem to be slow to take root. The business is certainly picking up, but I don’t see the jobs yet.”

Matt Raker of AdvantageGreen, an offshoot of the venerable AdvantageWest economic development agency, said estimates on the number of new green jobs ahead for North Carolina range from 6,500 to more than 60,000.

Raker said, “I don’t know that we can say that green is the magic solution to bring back … jobs, but we do have a lot of opportunity to bring solar panel manufacturing and other components here.”

He’s right. There isn’t a magic solution, a single silver bullet, out there to solve the jobs crisis. We need not a single bullet, but a bandolier full of them. The green jobs field is a developing industry, and it would be wise to be in on the ground floor. Initiatives like the stimulus package, done right, can provide other jobs and tie in with the green push.

WNC has to get its fair share of stimulus funds, federal funds and attention from Raleigh. We need to protect existing jobs and develop new opportunities such as those on the green front.

Leaders in government and the business community have to realize we’re on the clock and be nimble in embracing new strategies to create new jobs. 

Above all, we need action. Now.

Ten Green Building Trends For 2010, from Dylan Rivera, The Oregonian

 Ten trends could fuel the growth of green building in 2010, according toEarth Advantage Institute, the Portland nonprofit that is the largest certifier of Earth-friendly homes in Oregon. 

The trends, which range from energy "scores" for homes to Web-based displays that track energy usage in real time, were identified by Earth Advantage based on discussions with builders, architects, real estate brokers, appraisers, lenders, and homeowners. 

"While we know the building industry had a rough year in 2009, not all of the industry has been in the doldrums," said Sean Penrith, executive director of the institute. "Green building has been a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster year, and Northwest design and building communities have been at the forefront." 

The 2009 McGraw Hill Construction report on the Green Home Consumerindicates that green homes are more secure from price erosion. 

The 10 trends identified by Earth Advantage are below. To read explanations and more detail, see the institute’s full article. 

• The smart grid and connected home.
• Energy labeling for homes and office buildings.
• Building information modeling (BIM) software.
• Financial community buy-in to green building.
• "Rightsizing" of homes.
• Eco-districts.
• Water conservation.
• Carbon calculation.
• Net zero buildings.
• Sustainable building education.

– Dylan Rivera