Monday, November 29, 2010

Sustainable Holiday Celebration - TONIGHT

Good friends, Good Food & Wine, Unique and Affordable Gifts, tonight at the 2nd annual Sustainable Holiday Celebration presented by Sustainable Midlands.

We will celebrate Sustainable Communities by coming together to shop locally, support local producers, artisans and non-profits that all make our community wonderful and unique! Some of our favorite sustainable restaurants and caterers, Mr. Friendly’s, Solstice, Spotted Salamander and Rosewood Market will be there to dazzle your taste buds. Cellar on Greene will offer a cash wine bar.

Visit www.sustainablemidlands.org for more information. We'll see you at 701 Whaley across from Olympia Mills today (Nov. 29) from 4:30p to 8:30p.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Scoring Home Energy Use, the 2011 Car Fuel Guide, and More Big Solar

Ten states and communities have been chosen as the sites for a new federal Department of Energy program that “scores” homes on an energy rating scale of 1 to 10. Appraisers, brokers and others in the real estate industry will be closely watching these projects – especially if it adversely affects the price of existing homes compared to new, energy-efficient ones.

More information on-line here.

The sites are Charlottesville, Va.; Allegheny County, Pa.; Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, Mass.; Minnesota; Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.; Indiana; Portland, Ore.; South Carolina; Texas; and Eagle County, Colo.


The federal initiative is one of the outcomes of Vice President Joe Biden’s “Recovery Through Retrofit” program that seeks to improve the energy efficiency of the nation’s housing while providing new green jobs for the construction industry. Other components include an FHA-insured financing program so homeowners can pay for the improvements, training requirements, and a series of recommended best practices for energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality.

The pilots end in late spring 2011. Later in the year, DOE expects to launch the Home Energy Score nationally, based on the findings from the initial programs. NAHB plans to closely monitor the program and submit comments on all its component parts. See more details in the story running in the Nov. 15 issue of Nation’s Building News.

For more information, please contact Calli Barker Schmidt at 800-368-5242, ext. 8132.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

SC Energy Office now accepting applications for BPI and HERS certified building analysts

The South Carolina Energy Office is assembling a list of pre-qualified home energy raters (HERS and BPI) in anticipation of possible residential energy efficiency incentives. This list will be made available to homeowners and others seeking energy audits through any of several financing programs and will also be accessible through the SC Energy Office website.

The SC Energy Office is not the employer and will not employ or reimburse BPI or HERS professionals who are engaged and reimbursed by homeowners, contractors, or others. To obtain necessary form and instructions, please visit www.energy.sc.gov and click on “news” or call 803-737-8025.