SCE&G will begin accepting contractors to participate in its Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program. The rebate program offers SCE&G’s electric customers up to $2,500 for air sealing, insulation, duct sealing, HVAC equipment and improvements and water heating equipment. This program is for EXISTING HOMES, not new construction.
Customer Eligibility
Rebates are available to SCE&G electric customers (see attached service territory map) living in separately metered, single family (attached or detached) residences who hire a program participating contractor to install qualified measures which meet program efficiency level requirements. Rebates are only available to customers who purchase and install energy efficient measures through a participating SCE&G Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor.
How to Become a Participating Contractor
To participate in the Program, contractors must complete an online Contractor Participation Agreement and submit documentation including a current South Carolina General Contractors License, BPI BA Certification, and a Certificate of Insurance.
For more details about the program, please register to attend the Program Overview Session by replying to this email with the session that you’d like to attend or email us at energyteam@sceg.com.
Program Overview Sessions
Charleston Area
Wednesday, March 2
Time: 1:30-3:00 pm
Sand Dunes Club
1735 Atlantic Avenue
Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482
Columbia Area
Friday, March 4
Time: 1:30-3:00 pm
Lake Murray Training Center
1888 North Lake Drive
Lexington, SC 29072
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Nationally Recognized Solar Training Comes to South Carolina
Greener Product in association with Midwest Renewable Energy (MREA) has opened a solar training facility in Charleston, SC. Please see the attached news release for details. People looking to be training for the coming “green jobs” or others interested in expanding their knowledge in this growing field are welcomed to register.
With the recent announcement that “80% of the energy by 2035 will come from clear/renewable energy” and the new wind research facility in North Charleston, we believe that renewable energy training will be of considerable interest to the people of South Carolina.
We are very fortunate to have Mr. Clay Sterling, Education Director, MREA and one of America’s leading solar educators, lead the sessions. Clay is the only ISPQ-certified instructor in the country to hold certifications in both small wind and photovoltaic. Recently the IREC Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) recognized Clay’s accomplishment and commitment to excellence in renewable energy training by awarding him their prestigious Affiliated Instructor Certification in both small wind and photovoltaic technologies.
MREA, a non-profit established in 1990, is one of the Nation’s oldest and largest providers of solar, solar thermal and wind programs. Through their 38 NABCEP certified instructors they train over 2000 people a year.
The initial program will be presented March 7th and 8th in Charleston and lead to a Certified Solar Assessor accreditation. Click here to learn more and register for the program.
With the recent announcement that “80% of the energy by 2035 will come from clear/renewable energy” and the new wind research facility in North Charleston, we believe that renewable energy training will be of considerable interest to the people of South Carolina.
We are very fortunate to have Mr. Clay Sterling, Education Director, MREA and one of America’s leading solar educators, lead the sessions. Clay is the only ISPQ-certified instructor in the country to hold certifications in both small wind and photovoltaic. Recently the IREC Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) recognized Clay’s accomplishment and commitment to excellence in renewable energy training by awarding him their prestigious Affiliated Instructor Certification in both small wind and photovoltaic technologies.
MREA, a non-profit established in 1990, is one of the Nation’s oldest and largest providers of solar, solar thermal and wind programs. Through their 38 NABCEP certified instructors they train over 2000 people a year.
The initial program will be presented March 7th and 8th in Charleston and lead to a Certified Solar Assessor accreditation. Click here to learn more and register for the program.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Green Your Current Home
Are you making any resolutions for the New Year? If saving money is on your list of things to do for 2011, we have some suggestions, PLUS these ideas will help you "green up" your home saving resources and adding to your quality of life.
This list includes very easy things that you can start doing on January 1 to save energy and go green. These include letting the sun shine in your home on cold days, setting your home computer to "sleep mode" or turn it off when not in use, and taking off your shoes before you enter your home.
Looking to save more? We have bigger suggestions, too. Of course, before you tackle any of the larger items on the list, we suggest you have a home energy audit performed on your home. This simple scientific test will pinpoint the energy-stealing culprits in your home and help you spend your repair budget on fixing the right things.
See a list of our members at www.columbiagreenbuilders.com to find home energy auditors and a variety of local green-minded professionals to help you green your current home.
This list includes very easy things that you can start doing on January 1 to save energy and go green. These include letting the sun shine in your home on cold days, setting your home computer to "sleep mode" or turn it off when not in use, and taking off your shoes before you enter your home.
Looking to save more? We have bigger suggestions, too. Of course, before you tackle any of the larger items on the list, we suggest you have a home energy audit performed on your home. This simple scientific test will pinpoint the energy-stealing culprits in your home and help you spend your repair budget on fixing the right things.
See a list of our members at www.columbiagreenbuilders.com to find home energy auditors and a variety of local green-minded professionals to help you green your current home.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
New Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit Renewed, Extended
With the two-year extension of all of the 2001 and 2003 Bush-era tax cuts as its centerpiece, Congress last week approved a major tax-cut package negotiated by President Obama and top Senate Republicans that is designed to provide tax relief for all working Americans and spur job growth.
H.R. 4853 — The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 — cleared the Senate by an overwhelming 81-to-19 margin on Dec. 15 and was approved by the House a day later by a vote of 277 to 148. The President sign the bill into law on Dec. 17.
For builders and developers considering building energy-efficient homes, this new law brings good news.
The New Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit (45L credit) for 2010 was renewed and extended it through the end of 2011. The section 45L tax credit is the only federal incentive available for efficiency in new home construction; about 10% of all new homes sold in 2009 qualified. The program provides $2,000 tax credits to builders and developers for the construction and sale of homes that achieve a 50% reduction in their energy consumption.
** The credit was renewed retroactively, so builders may be able to take advantage for Green Certified homes built this past year.
Click here to see more key points of the new law.
H.R. 4853 — The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 — cleared the Senate by an overwhelming 81-to-19 margin on Dec. 15 and was approved by the House a day later by a vote of 277 to 148. The President sign the bill into law on Dec. 17.
For builders and developers considering building energy-efficient homes, this new law brings good news.
The New Energy Efficient Home Tax Credit (45L credit) for 2010 was renewed and extended it through the end of 2011. The section 45L tax credit is the only federal incentive available for efficiency in new home construction; about 10% of all new homes sold in 2009 qualified. The program provides $2,000 tax credits to builders and developers for the construction and sale of homes that achieve a 50% reduction in their energy consumption.
** The credit was renewed retroactively, so builders may be able to take advantage for Green Certified homes built this past year.
Click here to see more key points of the new law.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Ask the Right Questions When Buying or Building
The most common question a potential client asks a home builder is “How much do you build per square foot?” Without getting into the endless questions a builder must ask to give a somewhat accurate answer to the question, they should be asking “How much does it cost to live in the home?” There are builders out there who will build a home for a very low cost per square foot, but the home will cost more per day to operate than another home built at a higher cost per square foot.
When looking to build a home, you must look at all of the factors that go into a home and not just dollars per square foot. Yes, it is important to get as much square foot as you can afford but ignoring the operating costs will leave you in a worse financial situation than you planned.
Let’s look at some (make believe) numbers. If you were to build a 2000 square foot home for $85 per square foot your contract price would be $170,000. The same house at $100 per square foot would be $200,000 – a $30,000 difference. Let’s say that the utility bills (electric/gas/water/sewer) were an average of $120 less in the more expensive home, this home would have a savings of $43,200 over 30 years.
Numbers aside, the comfort level, durability, improved air quality all would be better in the more expensive home. Funny how these questions never come up in the initial conversations of a custom home. Over time these are really the most important questions to consider.
Home building is an ever evolving industry that is driven by consumer selection. Right now the most popular question is “how much per square foot,” but with the information age upon us there is a channel out there for every interest. Soon consumers will understand that the performance of a home over time will be a better measure of value and start asking about the operating costs.
For those builders on the front edge of this technology, there is a report card on every home they build. It is the HERS score and it is posted on the electrical box of every home that is built using the current building science. I encourage you to ask about this with your next builder or renovator and see if they are willing to measure how good their homes perform.
- Submitted by Stan O'Brien, CGP of Paradime Construction, Inc. Editor's Note: In addition to the HERS Score, the DOE is testing a new 1 - 10 Scorecard for homes and our state is a test site. More info. is on this blog and more is sure to come.
When looking to build a home, you must look at all of the factors that go into a home and not just dollars per square foot. Yes, it is important to get as much square foot as you can afford but ignoring the operating costs will leave you in a worse financial situation than you planned.
Let’s look at some (make believe) numbers. If you were to build a 2000 square foot home for $85 per square foot your contract price would be $170,000. The same house at $100 per square foot would be $200,000 – a $30,000 difference. Let’s say that the utility bills (electric/gas/water/sewer) were an average of $120 less in the more expensive home, this home would have a savings of $43,200 over 30 years.
Numbers aside, the comfort level, durability, improved air quality all would be better in the more expensive home. Funny how these questions never come up in the initial conversations of a custom home. Over time these are really the most important questions to consider.
Home building is an ever evolving industry that is driven by consumer selection. Right now the most popular question is “how much per square foot,” but with the information age upon us there is a channel out there for every interest. Soon consumers will understand that the performance of a home over time will be a better measure of value and start asking about the operating costs.
For those builders on the front edge of this technology, there is a report card on every home they build. It is the HERS score and it is posted on the electrical box of every home that is built using the current building science. I encourage you to ask about this with your next builder or renovator and see if they are willing to measure how good their homes perform.
- Submitted by Stan O'Brien, CGP of Paradime Construction, Inc. Editor's Note: In addition to the HERS Score, the DOE is testing a new 1 - 10 Scorecard for homes and our state is a test site. More info. is on this blog and more is sure to come.
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