Tapped out of energy grants
July 28, 2008
If you thought that affixing solar panels to your roof would reward you with cheaper electricity bills as well as a kickback from the state government, think again.
Those solar panels will eventually pay for themselves with energy savings, but it might take a little bit longer, now that the state’s solar and geothermal program well of grants has run dry.
The Maryland Energy Administration announced Thursday that it awarded a record $591,000 in grants to residents who installed solar water heaters, solar panels and geothermal systems, but now it’s out of money. Residents snapped up the grant money after it became available on July 1.
The state is looking for more ways to pay you back for going green, but until then, you’ll have to sit on the waiting list.
Grants still exist for the administration’s Windswept program, which gives up to $10,000 to residents who put up small scale turbines on their property.
If you’re looking for an immediate way to show off your green side and get some money in return, you can always be like eco-centric Ed Begley Jr. and install a wind turbine on your house.
DANIELLE ULMAN, Business Writer
In the market for a (used) car?
July 25, 2008
Consumers seem pretty tired of watching money flow endlessly out of their wallets and into their gas tanks.
I’ve read plenty of articles that say the sky-high cost of fuel has prompted some people to change their habits – that means more walking, taking public transportation, carpooling and downgrading from gas-guzzling SUVs to more eco-friendly options. (Check out this smartmoney.com article on why it actually may be smarter to hold onto that SUV).
Now reports are surfacing that the trend has spread to used economy cars, which makes great sense, but has had an unintended and expensive impact.
I’m all for buying a used car, but the increased interest in the market has made buying a fuel-efficient used car nearly as expensive as purchasing a new one, which seems to me like it’s really defeating the purpose.
DANIELLE ULMAN, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentHow would you like every Friday off?
July 10, 2008
When I read last week that Utah state employees are switching to a four-day workweek to reduce energy costs, I thought it was only a matter of time before someone in Maryland got on board.
Which is why I wasn’t surprised to read that Howard County Executive Ken Ulman (subject of a story in our Wednesday paper) is proposing a similar plan for county employees.
From the AP story:
[Ulman] believes an alternative work schedule would save fuel, reduce stress for employees and cut pollution.
According to Ulman, the best options are four 10-hour days each week or eight nine-hour days and one eight-hour day in a two-week period.
He also proposed flex time so employees could adjust start and ending work times to avoid traveling during heavy commuting hours.
What I wouldn’t give to be a Hoco employee if this pans out.
Seriously, if the work won’t suffer, this seems like a no-brainer to me. The key is, as Ulman acknowledges, “maintaining services for residents.”
I’ve got no hope of such a switch here; four-day workweeks for the newsroom would leave either Business Friday or Maryland Lawyer readers without an issue. (Not to mention the resulting irony of the name “The Daily Record”).
Could your office make it work? Would you prefer putting in some extra time in exchange for a three-day weekend?
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentSaving the earth, one CFL at a time
June 27, 2008
We’ve all heard that if we want to save the planet, and perhaps a bit of money on our electricity bills, compact fluorescent light bulbs are the way to go.
The problem is that the swirly bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, and recycling options haven’t exactly been accessible. So, when CFLs land in the trash heap, we’re possibly doing more damage to the Earth than we were back when using incandescent bulbs was in vogue.
People who wanted to dispose of used CFLs in an Earth-friendly way once had to live near an Ikea or True Value, where they have recycling programs, or buy special kits to mail them back to manufacturers — but not anymore.
This week, Home Depot announced it would accept all unbroken CFLs at its retail locations for recycling, allowing tree huggers and carpenters alike to dispose of CFLs properly, and just a little closer to home. The company estimates that 75 percent of Americans live within 10 miles of a Home Depot.
According to The New York Times, Ron Jarvis, Home Depot’s senior vice president for environmental innovation, said the company is just “trying to do the right thing.”
Home Depot also stands to bring in some heavy foot traffic if people latch onto the idea.
I guess the question is what’s worse for the environment, burning a gallon of gas on that round trip to the Home Depot or throwing out your bulbs with the rest of the garbage?
DANIELLE ULMAN, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentUsing food for fuel
June 17, 2008
A few years ago, using food to produce fuel seemed like an inspired idea. Instead of buying all of our gasoline from oil-rich nations, we would forgo eating a few ears of corn each summer, and voila, a cleaner version of petrol would flow into our tanks.
In 2007, Congress mandated that refiners blend 15 million gallons of corn-based ethanol with our gasoline by 2015.
Now, some environmentalists and food industry experts argue that the legislation has pushed the price of corn and soybeans sky high, not to mention most items on the average grocery shopper’s list.
On Tuesday, local food organizations, like the Maryland-Delaware-DC Beverage Association, the Maryland Retailers Association and restaurateurs joined the national Food Before Fuel Campaign to urge Congress to revise its ethanol policies.
Their argument is that although other factors like high energy prices, poor weather and rising agricultural demands are contributing to the rise in food prices, the increased demand for ethanol is an unnecessary part of the equation. Legislators may not be able to control the weather – including floods ripping through the Corn Belt – but they can do something about the ethanol mandate.
Not everyone agrees. The Maryland Grain Producers suggest that the production of corn-based ethanol only accounts for 3 percent of the rise in food prices, while energy costs have a much bigger responsibility for the increase. (PDF)
The grain group quoted analysts at Merrill Lynch, who said without biofuels, the price of a barrel of oil would be $13 higher than it is today.
Too bad for us, the price of a barrel could easily jump $13 in the next week.
DANIELLE ULMAN, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentOutages could become more frequent
June 5, 2008
Were you in one of the more than 200,000 homes that lost power yesterday?
A couple of us in the newsroom were, and it got us thinking: Is this a taste of what the rolling blackouts, predicted as early as 2012, could be like? You may remember a December PSC report that found blackouts could come from our aging power transmission system.
As Danielle Ulman reported last month, the latest installation of transmission lines will secure adequate power through 2012.
Todd Chason of Maryland Energy Group and Bert Wilson of South River Consulting said a lot depends on supply and demand.
Chason, who I spoke to earlier today, suggests that if Marylanders can’t find ways to reduce their usage and if new transmission lines aren’t built, then the summer of 2012 could be a disaster.
Depending on the peak temperatures that summer, there could be a more confined power outage, only affecting 10-20 thousand households, or something much more widespread.
RICHARD SIMON, Multimedia Reporter
Sphere: Related ContentIs the PSC powered by energy bars?
May 30, 2008
At today’s Public Service Commission meeting, a strange thing happened: Chairman Steven B. Larsen called for a 45-minute lunch break.
The utility company representatives and energy efficiency experts stood around awkwardly, not quite sure of what to do.
That’s because recently the commission has rarely taken more than a 15-minute lunch break – just long enough for someone to get down to the lobby of the William Donald Schaeffer building, with its elevators that move at the pace of molasses.
Word around the PSC is that the commissioners run on energy bars. Insert your own joke here.
DANIELLE ULMAN, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentBaltimore, with a green roof overhead
April 29, 2008
Baltimore’s a leading city in the creation of green roofs, says an organization set to convene tomorrow in town.
Green Roofs For Healthy Cities says Baltimore came in third for square footage of green roof projects built in 2007. (We had 122,000 sq. ft.). Chicago and Wilmington, Del. surpassed Charm City, while D.C. and Philadelphia came in seventh and eighth.
Green roofs use plants to absorb rainfall and provide insulation while reducing energy consumption.
Anyone know where all the green roofs are in town? Here’s a few, including a BP gas station on Key Highway.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentCelebrate Earth Day at an auto dealer?
April 4, 2008
What do you get when you cross Al Gore with oil changes and tire rotations? That’s right, Earth Day at an auto mall!
Apparently, Fitzgerald Auto Malls have gone “green” crazy. There’ll be lots going on there during the eco-friendly week of April 14-19, including an energy-efficient auto show, energy-saving products mini expo, Healthy Food Day, and the old reliable standby of all public exhibits of environmental enthusiasm: tree planting.
Also, all Fitzgerald locations will be accepting recyclable materials from the public — including oil, antifreeze and vehicle batteries, some of the nastiest stuff for the planet to digest.
To be honest, I’m kind of burned out from this “green” environmental lovefest that has been dominating the media for quite a while now. I mean, come on, press people, let’s at least pick a new color — or a rotation of colors — to attribute to someone caring about the planet.
Our new color-cycle designation for the media to celebrate eco-consciousness could look like this: blue, yellow, green, of course, and then Gore (I think he’s done enough for us humans that we can create a color in his honor).
Does anyone else agree with my creative color pattern, or is my “green fatigue” the result of me being one of those self-absorbed media types?
FRANCIS SMITH, Special Publications Assistant Editor
Sphere: Related ContentState, Constellation need to settle ASAP, Ehrlich says
March 20, 2008
Constellation Energy Group Inc. and Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration could be hammering out a deal to settle their dueling lawsuits as you read this blog post.
Former Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. sure hopes the two sides will see eye-to-eye sooner rather than later. As he sees it, the lawsuits are “a loser for both parties and we hope it gets settled pretty quickly.”
Ehrlich was governor during the General Assembly’s special session in 2006 where the $386 million deal was sealed, but he wasn’t happy with it then, and he isn’t happy with it now.
“If the right thing would have been done in 2006 there wouldn’t be a lawsuit,” he told me.
In fact, Ehrlich vetoed the legislation in favor of giving customers $600 million, but only if Constellation’s merger with Florida Light & Power went through. As you might recall, that deal went up in smoke, which would have left ratepayers without any relief for the 72 percent rate hike.
What do you think? Was Ehrlich’s deal the better option?
DANIELLE ULMAN, Business Writer
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