Category Archives: Saving Money

Cambridge Thermal Imaging Project

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This winter photo shows brightness where the most heat is escaping this home.

Cambridge! It’s finally here: a chance to vividly see the cool or warm air leaving your drafty home, without having to pay hefty fees to a thermal photographer. Thanks to the Thermal Imaging Project on which HEET has partnered with Sagewell Inc., Cambridge homeowners can request thermal (infrared) images of the outsides of their homes.

The images are taken with car-mounted cameras similar to those used for Google Maps street view, and taken on a “first come, first served” basis – with highest priority given to locations with highest demand.  With the slight air of a Groupon deal, Sagewell has asked for 400 requests from Cambridge before they will release our thermal images for free.

Because of fossil fuel prices skyrocketing and scientists projecting Cambridge’s summer temperatures will soon start looking more like Atlanta, GA temps, everyone’s heating AND cooling bills are only on their way up. High efficiency in your home is valid for every season.

Even better, the easiest time to work on your home’s energy efficiency is spring and summer, when the wait for weatherization services is short!

Request yours on Sagewell.com now.
It should take about a minute to do so;  just enter your address at the bottom of the home page, hit enter, and then enter your information on the next page that shows up by clicking the green “HERE” (see following photo).

This page appears after you enter your address at the bottom of Sagewell.com's home page.

There have already been over 100 requests for thermal images, so if 300 are generated in the next month, everyone will get to have this great service free of cost.  Tell your neighbors! We all want to save money and live a little lighter on the planet, don’t we?

The Extra Goods
You and other homeowners, condo owners, and landlords can access their images and an individualized report free of charge online via a password-protected account when the images are available (Sagewell will email you a link).  The individualized report shows what to work on, how much it will save you, and connects you with the needed free and rebated services. Commercial building owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their images and analysis for a small fee.

Not all buildings can be analyzed (due to blocked views from trees, etc. or private way constraints), but Sagewell has agreed to image around 22,000 buildings in Cambridge!

The Thermal Imaging Project will enable residential and commercial building owners to lower costs while supporting our city’s climate and emission reduction goals. One more great tool to wield for average citizens and environmental warriors alike. Get to http://www.Sagewell.com now!

If you have any remaining questions, please contact Sagewell at info@Sagewell.com or HEET at heet.cambridge@gmail.com.

Cities Lead the Way

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Last night, I attended a meeting hosted by SF Environment, a department of the city and county of San Francisco.  I was in awe and inspired by how much one city can accomplish when it comes to educating the public about energy efficiency and environmental consciousness.  Not only is San Francisco leading the domestic urban composting charge with a city-wide composting program, whereby the city mandates composting in addition to recycling, but the city is making the process of being an ecoconsumer easier and easier.

When I relocated here two months ago, I was astounded at how commonplace composting was – the city simply places compost bins throughout the city and provides them to each city resident.  In addition, SF Environment provides free compost containers for your kitchen so you can easily discard of food scraps.  The city has also instated a ban on styrofoam and plastic bags and provides easy access for toxic waste disposal and removal. Thus far, the plastic bags ban remains in effect predominantly at larger retailers, however, SF Environment expects to push this ban across a wider market.

And the data is impressive. Over 5,000 restaurants and businesses, in addition to city residents, compost over 600 tons of food scraps and other compostable materials each day. This compost is then used to produce and foster the organic food sold to these same restaurants and consumers.  The cycle is continuous and is saving the city money by reducing the amount of food waste that goes to landfills. In fact, today SF recovers a remarkable 77% of the materials it discards, bringing the city closer to its goal of zero waste by 2020.

Like San Francisco, Cambridge has also focused on recycling and waste reduction for several decades, which is why waste currently contributes only  1% of greenhouse gas emissions. Residents can bring compost to the DPW recycling center and to the local Whole Foods stores.  While composting and waste reduction are excellent everyday actions that residents can do to reduce waste, there are also other ways to make a big impact on the City’s greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency in one’s home or business.  Heating, cooling and lighting buildings contributes to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions.  In addition, a free home energy audit can address energy waste, helping move Cambridge toward zero-waste in both recycling and energy usage.

Cities like San Francisco and Cambridge are leading the way in the United States when it comes to progressive environmental measures and programs.  It’s truly a win-win situation that other cities across the United States, and the world, should emulate for a more prosperous, sustainable and localized economy.

Water saving tips

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What is common between the beach, the pool , cold showers and lemonades ?

Water !

Even though water seems like it is an unlimited resource, is in reality a limited resource because there are no known new sources of water. Americans consume about 150 gallons of water every day, which is twice the world average. Water needs energy to be transported and has a huge environmental impact. More water required means more dams and reservoirs, which in turn means more damage to marine habitat.

Check out National Geographic’s water footprint calculator to discover how you use water and calculate your footprint.

Here are things you can do to conserve water and do your part to save the environment :
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Go here for more products that help conserve water.

Fun Facts

  • Running a cold-water faucet for 5 minutes uses as much energy as letting a 60-W bulb run for a week !
  • Water supply and treatment facilities consume about 56 bn KWh per year, which is equivalent to powering 5 million homes for an entire year !
 Save water, save energy, save the planet


Meet the Interns, pt. 1: Ilona and Ben

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This is the first installment in a series of featurettes on our current interns’ summer projects.

Ilona Shmulevich in action!

At CEA, our overarching aim is to spread better energy efficiency to buildings in the city of Cambridge.   We target this goal with what can effectively be described in four steps:  First, we encourage residents to sign up for a free energy audit through MassSave.  Second, an auditor visit is scheduled and carried out wherein they perform a full assessment of a building’s energy usage, providing a list of recommended improvements.  Third, the residents learn about available rebates and decide what improvements they are willing to invest in.  Finally, a MassSave or independently-appointed contractor comes and does all the installations, leaving the residents with increased building performance and predictions for fuller wallets in months and years to come.

When the program *doesn’t* work as smoothly as all that is described above, we have a plan for that, too.  That’s where our research interns Ilona Shmulevich and Ben Baldwin step into the scene.

Ilona and Ben have designed and launched an online survey to gather feedback on the effectiveness of the program–both in terms of participation and realized energy cost savings.  If you’re a Cantabridgian who’s ever expressed any interest with us in getting audited, there’s a good chance you’ve been emailed about this survey!  Ilona is interested in uncovering where so-called  “service gaps” lie–that is, in what ways do CEA and MassSave need to be more helpful?  Ben is hunting for data from participating homes and businesses on their energy savings–information which has so far been hard to obtain. Ben is also seeking out information on peoples’ experiences with financing their energy efficiency improvements.

Ben and Ilona will present us with important findings by summer’s end and help us take our services to the next level!

Stay tuned for more Intern Featurettes in weeks to come.

Something to Learn From: Biking in the Netherlands

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Cycling in Groningen, Netherlands

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to the Netherlands and visit many different areas within the country. I landed in Amsterdam and took a train roughly 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the city of Groningen in the northern part of the country. The trip took about as long as it takes to get from one end Boston to the other via the green line (sadly I’m only half joking here). It doesn’t take long to notice the public transportation system in the small European country is as efficient any.

Stepping out in Groningen, we made our way to catch a bus to the apartment where we would stay for the next few days. Finally outside of airports and train stations, I was able to take in Holland for the first time. Before I could enjoy it all, a bike flew by a few inches in front of me, bell ringing and some Dutch shouted in my direction. I was standing right in the middle of a bike lane that had more “traffic” than the road running parallel to it. I quickly came to realize why the Netherlands is the bike capital of the world. Bikes are locked up all over the place. There are even special garages to lock your bike up for an extended period of time. Thousands of bikes are housed in these garages at train stations every day.

Bike Garage outside of Central Station, Groningen, Netherlands

When cycling in Holland, almost every road has a separate bike lane, usually two lanes, running along side it. In Boston and other U.S. cities, we are used to the little bike lanes painted on the side of the road, with car traffic speeding by only inches away. Not here. Almost everyone owns a bike and can safely traverse the city at their own pace without worrying about car traffic. The bike lanes even have their own traffic lights. It gets a bit busy at major intersections; with traffic lights for car, bike, and pedestrian traffic, but they are all well labeled, making it easy to safely navigate even the busiest of areas.

There is no need to own one of the $1,600 road bikes that cruise many U.S. roads, either. In Holland, a majority of bikes are fairly basic – one speed, and pedal breaks – making this mode of transportation affordable for everyone. This also makes it a bit more bearable to find your bike stolen; a couple hundred Euros lost is much better than over 1,000. Still, bike theft is becoming more of a problem, and police are turning to arresting those who purchase stolen bikes in an attempt to cripple the black market. So, if you’re looking to get a bike, make sure its from a legitimate bike shop (they’re as frequent as Dunkin Donuts are in New England). Of course, nobody wants to lose their bike no matter how cheap it is, so a strong cable bike lock is necessity, along with a neat fixed lock on the rear tire that owners have to put a key into, and leave in to unlock the back wheel. Usually this key is attached to all your other keys, so you’ll never ride your bike away from home without your keys again!

I had the pleasure of enjoying some cycling of my own after settling in. We took the bikes out to get dinner on the other side of the city. It took us maybe ten minutes, with no problems. Its quite the rush cycling on your own road, or safely with traffic. In Holland, for the most part cars will stay well behind you until its completely safe to pass. Bikes are just a part of traffic, something that people have a hard time accepting in the United States it seems. Both the individual and collective benefits of this attitude are simple.

Bike and car traffic at an intersection, Groningen, Netherlands

Individually, transportation costs are incredibly low. The upfront cost for the bike depends on what you want of course. You can buy an expensive new bike, or go used for as little as a hundred Euros. Along with locks and repairs every once and while, that’s all it will cost you. Cycling being a major mode of transportation also benefits the community as whole. The emission of greenhouse gases is significantly reduced because there are many fewer cars on the road. Also, since its not always great weather for biking, the trend makes it even more important for the city to have an efficient public transportation system for those who rely on cycling but cant because of the weather, or any other reason for that matter.

While in Boston it is unlikely a bike lane can be added to every street, it is still important to continue to integrate biking onto our city streets. There is already good work being done with programs such as the growing bike-share program. The more work put into bike safety like that in the Netherlands, the more people will ditch their cars for a bike. It is truly a site to see more bikes at an intersection than cars. Cycling, a staple to Dutch society, is something that cities and countries around the world can learn from as part of bigger plans to curb carbon emissions, transportation costs, and increase energy efficiency.

Cycling through the bike garage, Groningen, Netherlands

Energy Star Rating Standards to Tighten

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Energy Star Logo

The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced updates to its Energy Star Rating requirements on televisions and cable boxes. The revisions are the first in a list of about 20 products that will receive updates to their Energy Star Rating requirements this year.

Currently, Energy Star rated televisions hold at least 70% of the Market Share. The stricter standards mean, according to the EPA, “substantial overall energy bill reduction, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reductions.”

The new standards are requiring a 40% reduction in watt usage. For example, a 60 inch television currently averages about 282 watts, but the come September the same 60 inch TV will be required to use less than 108 watts to receive an Energy Star Rating. Talk about saving a watt!

In its announcement, the EPA states that if all U.S. homes had Energy Star rated TVs and cable boxes under these new requirements, savings would reach $5 billion a year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of taking over 700 million cars off the road.

Convincing Businesses to Go Green

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Toits de Bedzed

Solar panels are just one of many possible investments that can save businesses money in the futur

Business owners, when confronted with the decision of moving towards more sustainable practices, are sometimes weary of giving such an idea the green light. For owners, almost every decision is made with the bottom line in mind; a business that does not earn profit simply will not survive. The potential for high up front costs is enough for many owners to say “no thanks” and stick with the same practices that have been in use for years. Owners may think, “If a company is making a profit, why change anything?”

Well, when looking at a switch to sustainable business practices as an investment rather than a cost, the decision can be a lot more beneficial to the bottom line than one would think. This is exactly how L. Hunter Lovins presents the switch to sustainable practices for businesses. She recently sat down with The New York Times to talk about the non profit Natural Capitalism Solutions of which she is president. In order to promote sustainability, the company provides “innovative, practical tools and implementation strategies for companies, communities, and countries”.

NCS’s strategy is to present the switch to sustainability as an investment, and focuses on finding the areas of a business that can be more efficient, thus effecting the bottom line in a positive way. It is important to show that there can and will be a return on the investment, not just a large up front cost. For example NCS worked with Scandic Springs, a metal manufacturer in California. The company made a small change in the amount of cardboard used in their packaging, saving them $8,000 a year. While they paid very little to make this happen, other investments in sustainability can cost a lot more up front, so it takes more to convince some businesses.

Lovins says that they stay away from presenting any arguments about climate change or global warming, and choosing instead to stick to the economic benefits. This way, business owners who may not believe in global warming can still be swayed to make changes towards greener practices. It has become another way to help solve climate change without actually talking about climate change. In fact, according to Lovins, it is easier to convince those who are skeptical or may not know much about climate change, rather than those who consider themselves believers.

With their success working with businesses, NCS is able to show interested companies the progress of others who have worked with them to help find a place to start. Even small businesses can start changing towards more efficient practices and get a quick return. According to Lovins, one of the quickest returns is efficient lighting by switching to compact fluorescents from old fluorescents or incandescent bulbs.

Lovins also stresses the importance of following trends in your area. Local, state and federal laws regarding energy efficiency are changing, so it is important to stay ahead and be prepared to make changes to comply with new efficiency codes. Also, keep up (or better yet, ahead) of competition. On top of the savings from sustainability, there may also be a competitive advantage especially if a business is in a community where it’s important to residents that companies do good within the community.

Today, energy efficiency and sustainability are more than just fashionable trends. They are good business. More and more local small businesses are doing it, and even large worldwide corporations are making green changes. As Lovins said, “Why is Wal-Mart going green? Trust me, it’s not out of the goodness of their heart. They are going green because they are saving money.”

Ultimate Greening Your Home Seminar

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Residents of Cambridge, MA were introduced to a new opportunity on February 8th, 2011. Energy efficiency is on the minds of renters, condominium owners, and homeowners alike as the environmental, financial, and physical benefits become more prominently appreciated. Usually when energy efficiency information is available, it is more general and further discussion with specific professionals is suggested, since the process of making home energy efficiency improvements is tailored to unique home and ownership characteristics and often entails several detailed levels of complexity. On February 8th, those professionals were brought together in one place for an evening of sequential enlightenment for curious attendees, with an added bonus of networking amongst their industry peers and less-assumed partners, Green real estate agents.

When the Cambridge Energy Alliance and Coldwell Banker Agents Amy Tighe and Robin Miller designed this new collaborative seminar, their focus was on approaching one seemingly under-served demographic: condominium owners and associations. [This group will, luckily, begin to be served more as the NSTAR 5+ unit (“Multifamily”) energy assessment program rolls out.] That said, this successful design would clearly be valuable to other demographics (e.g. home owners) in addition to condominium owners/associations.

Beginning with the simplest in-home steps and leading to discussion of assessments, retrofits, and financing of projects, Sustainable Life Solutions, Next Step Living Inc., S & H Construction, CPCU Credit Union, CEA, Robin, and Amy engaged enthusiastic condo owners and association representatives in energy efficiency learning in a way that simply made sense. Speakers explained each of their areas of expertise thoroughly in their limited time, intermittently questions were asked and answered comprehensively, sometimes by the several professionals that were in the room, and when presentations were through, meaningful inquiry-fueled conversation rounded out the evening. A happy closeout to the seminar was the drawing of the raffle winner, who took home a wonderful green-living package that was generously donated by Whole Foods.

The results of this innovative event were remarkable: A valuable seminar was put together by unprecedented collaborators in a replicable format; speakers were able to answer significant questions jointly, and see how they might work together effectively in the future; seminar attendees were able to walk out with a mental arsenal of energy efficiency tools, feeling utterly aware of a previously mysterious process, with proper contacts in hand, and ready to share with their peers. This type of event is unquestionably beneficial for all involved, so watch out for announcements of the next installment in months to come!

Are you living in a hot air balloon?

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Pittsfield Hot Air Balloon Rally - 2006 by Heartlover1717 Although double-hung windows are quite common in the Boston area, it seems many people do not take full advantage of their features. With proper use, windows can increase comfort, and all but eliminate the need for air conditioning; and on the odd days where lemonade and mind-over-matter won’t cut it, visit a local library or catch a movie.

How can you take full advantage of windows? If you have two, placing a fan in one to blow warm air out during the evening will pull cool air in the other, especially with a closed door. If you have only one window, a window fan with two fans blowing in opposite directions will also pull air through a space. These are rather obvious practices, but there is a no-cost technique particular to double-hung windows: opening the top sash.

IMG_1548 by dawniecakes If you have but one window, open both the top and bottom sash’s part-way. If you have two windows, you can open the top sash of one and the bottom sash of another. Using the top sash allows for a natural convection current to develop. Since warm air rises, it can more easily flow out of the top sash, while cooler air replaces it from the bottom. If you open only the bottom sash air above the window is caught in a bubble (like a hot air balloon), and will only cool down through dilution as the air in the top and bottom of the room slowly mix.

Storm windows can complicate the procedure of getting windows into the above configurations, but the problem is not insurmountable. You may also be concerned about bugs, since many double-hung windows only contain a single screen. Use the screen to cover the bottom opening. Since bugs naturally fly up to escape windows, any errant insects will be able to easily evacuate your home over the top sash.

Volunteers Take Energy Efficiency to Cambridge’s Main Streets

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CEA canvassing interns: Stephanie, Mira, Danit, Trevor, Federico, Laurence

On July 7th CEA’s six volunteers took to the streets for the first time, canvassing businesses in Inman Square, and eastward on Cambridge Street. Over the next three weeks, they would reach out to over 440 people in small local businesses—barber shops, cafes, hardware stores, book stores, florists, bars, convenience stores, restaurants, bike shops, you name it—in North Cambridge, Leslie and Porter Square, Harvard Square and Church Street, Mount Auburn and Brattle Street, Dana Hill, Bow Street, Central Square, Lafayette, Concord Ave, Huron, East Cambridge, and Broadway.

In 90+ degree heat, over previously unfamiliar terrain, and sometimes through rain storms, the teams of interns  met with over 190 business owners and discussed energy efficiency opportunities—programs and incentives from NSTAR—while also providing information on other sustainability resources, as detailed in my first canvass blog.

These canvassers, our 14 to 18 year-old Northeastern University Summer Discovery and Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment interns—Stephanie, Federico, Danit, Laurence, Mira, and Trevor—distributed information and opportunity all over Cambridge, and gained valuable life and work experiences. For that, they thank the small business community of Cambridge.

We can all thank them for something, too.

After canvassing for 12 days and following up with phone calls to visited businesses, CEA has received 100 requests for energy assessments through NSTAR’s Direct Install, Small Business Program. We expect many more to accrue, as folks have time to browse the literature and call to talk with our Energy Advisor, or sign up online.

If you own a small business in Cambridge, please feel free to call CEA to talk, or sign up online at any time; our canvassers have gone home, but the operation is not over, by any means.

Thanks to NSTAR, CEA, and our six interns, Cambridge has now taken one step further in the direction of reducing its carbon footprint, and thereby, toward taking a concrete stab at the Climate Change caused by Global Warming. Congratulations, Cambridge businesses!