List of suggested uses for REC dollars presented at the City Council March 21 Work Session</h1> <article> <h1>List of suggested uses for REC dollars presented at the City Council March 21 Work Session</h1> <p>2016-05-05T19:00:53+00:00</p> <p>Click below to download a copy of the REC project ideas from the March 21 City Council Work Session. They have been compiled into a single document. Print copies are available at the Oberlin Public Library as well.</p> <p><a href="images/easyblog_images/54/all rec dollar use suggestions for city council may 2016.pdf" target="_blank">all rec dollar use suggestions for city council may 2016.pdf</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>Oberlin Receives Bicycle Award</h1> <p>2015-06-11T18:44:24+00:00</p> <p dir="ltr">On Tuesday, June 9, 2015, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Oberlin, Ohio with a bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC<sup>SM</sup>) award, joining 350 visionary communities from across the country. With the announcement of 42 new and renewing BFCs today, Oberlin, Ohio joins a leading group of communities, in all 50 states, that are transforming our neighborhoods.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We applaud this new round of communities for investing in a more sustainable future for the country and a healthier future for their residents and beyond,” said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists. “The growing number of leaders taking up bicycling as a way of solving many complex community problems is encouraging. We look forward to continuing to work with these communities as we move closer to our mission of creating a bicycle-friendly America for everyone.”<br> <br>The BFC program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while allowing them to benchmark their progress toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. With this impressive round, there are now 350<br> <br>BFCs in all 50 states. The bronze level BFC award recognizes Oberlin’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.Over the past few years the Oberlin Community has made significant improvements for cyclists. Oberlin College received bronze level for the University category in the fall of 2013. This spring Oberlin City Council passed the first Complete Streets policy in Lorain County. In addition, there have been improvements in the downtown area for designated bicycle parking that increases safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. Continued efforts are planned to assist Oberlin's move from bronze to silver level designation in the future.The BFC program provides a roadmap to building a Bicycle Friendly Community and the application itself has become a rigorous and an educational tool in itself. Since its inception, more than 800 distinct communities have applied and the five levels of the award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve.To apply or learn more about the BFC program, visit <a data-cke-saved-href="http://t.sidekickopen02.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs2zW-gFW643TQn3N1wS-W3Ljg7x56dzdmf2KTgs802?t=http%3A%2F%2Fbikeleague.org%2Fcommunity&si=5265152876740608&pi=a1b29be8-291a-4b51-af55-23c1fbc66cf0" href="http://t.sidekickopen02.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs2zW-gFW643TQn3N1wS-W3Ljg7x56dzdmf2KTgs802?t=http%3A%2F%2Fbikeleague.org%2Fcommunity&si=5265152876740608&pi=a1b29be8-291a-4b51-af55-23c1fbc66cf0" target="_blank">bikeleague.org/community</a>.<br> <br><strong>About the Bicycle Friendly America</strong><strong><sup>SM</sup></strong><strong> Program</strong>The Bicycle Friendly Community<sup>SM</sup>, Bicycle Friendly State<sup>SM</sup>, Bicycle Friendly Business and Bicycle Friendly University<sup>SM</sup> programs are generously supported by program partner Trek Bicycle Corp. To learn more about building a Bicycle Friendly America, visit <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.bikeleague.org/BFA" href="http://www.bikeleague.org/BFA" target="_blank">www.bikeleague.org/BFA</a><br> <br><em>The League of American Bicyclists is leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. As leaders, our commitment is to listen and learn, define standards and share best practices to engage diverse communities and build a powerful, unified voice for change.</em></p> </article> <article> <h1>Oberlin among elite communities across the nation leading the way on energy efficiency</h1> <p>2015-01-15T14:24:57+00:00</p> <p align="center" style="text-align: left;">Oberlin, Ohio – January 14, 2015 – Today, Oberlin officially advances to the Semifinal round of the <a href="http://www.guep.org">Georgetown University Energy Prize</a>, a national competition that is challenging communities across the U.S. to rethink their energy use. At a press event in Washington, D.C. today, Oberlin was announced as one of the 50 communities who are leading the way on energy efficiency.</p> <p>“Oberlin has made a commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions below zero by the year 2050 and energy efficiency is a huge part of that equation. Right now, the average Oberlin home is losing an estimated $450-500 per year in missed energy savings at today’s energy prices. We have access to efficiency programs that will, in most cases, nearly triple a homeowner’s investment. Some income-qualified programs pay for all the work. Collectively, over the course of the two-year competition, the status quo in Oberlin will lose us nearly $8 million. So while winning the $5 million prize purse will help these efforts, we have an opportunity to “win” a far greater amount of money in the process. And those savings will continue after the competition ends.” – Sean Hayes, The Oberlin Project</p> <p>“Oberlin, as well as mayors and executives across the county, have told us that this Prize gives them the momentum to accelerate their energy efficiency efforts,” said Dr. Francis Slakey, Founder and Executive Director of the Georgetown University Energy Prize. Slakey continued, “these Semifinalist communities are leading the way for other small- and medium-size cities and counties to secure their energy efficient future.”</p> <p><strong><i>"Our experience with POWER was very positive, from start to finish! The process was very easy to navigate and there were minimal out-of-pocket costs. We are grateful our home is now more energy efficient and are already seeing some of the benefits in our monthly energy bills." - Melissa Thompson, Oberlin Resident</i></strong></p> <p>Oberlin joins 1 other community from Ohio [Athens, Ohio] in this friendly competition to improve energy efficiency for all.</p> <p>“The competition looks truly like America,” said Dr. Slakey, “not only do these communities come from across the map, they come form across the political spectrum, represent all socioeconomic strata, and include demographically diverse populations. Some are paying the highest prices for energy, some have the ambition to be carbon net-zero, but all communities share the goal of transforming America's energy future.”</p> <p>To learn more about the Georgetown University Energy Prize and to track the competition’s progress, visit <a href="http://www.guep.org">www.guep.org</a>, or follow the Prize on Twitter (@GUEnergyPrize) or Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/guenergyprize">www.facebook.com/guenergyprize</a>).</p> <p>For more information about Oberlin’s efforts and ways you can get involved, please visit <a href="https://oberlinproject.org">www.oberlinproject.org</a> or contact Sharon Pearson, Program Coordinator of the Oberlin Project at 440-775-6473.</p> <p><strong>About Oberlin</strong></p> <p>Oberlin, Ohio, population 8,286, not far from the shore of Lake Erie and a half-hour from Cleveland, has it all - the quiet air of a small town combined with the art, music, culture and history of a big city. Often called the "most cosmopolitan small town in America" and “the town that started the Civil War,” the community was founded in 1833 - at the same time as Oberlin College, one of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges. As an institution of higher learning, the College was a pioneer in the joint education of the sexes, being the first to accept women and students of color as a matter of policy.</p> <p>The community has played a key role in many of the major reform movements-from abolition and the Underground Railroad to temperance, woman suffrage and civil rights. In 1961, Oberlin was the first city in the State of Ohio to pass a fair housing law and third in the nation behind Pittsburgh and New</p> <p>York City. Quality of life issues such as housing, equal opportunity, the environment,</p> <p>and historic preservation all have strong advocates and are as prevalent today as in the past.</p> <p>Oberlin citizens represent many cultures and interests, and its strength and appeal lie in this richness of diversity. Even though the average median income is $47,334, nearly 24% of the population is at or below the poverty level and about 45% of school children are on the free or reduced lunch program. Oberlin boasts a vibrant downtown shopping district, tree-lined streets, unique and popular restaurants, and is active in preserving its history. <strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>About Georgetown University Energy Prize</strong></p> <p>The $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize challenges small- to medium-size towns, cities, and counties to rethink their energy use, and implement creative strategies to increase efficiency. To compete for the Prize, local governments, residents, utilities, and others will need to work together to demonstrate success in sustainably reducing energy consumption over a two-year period. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.guep.org" title="Link: <a href=" http:="" www="" guep="" org="">http://www.guep.org</a>">www.guep.org.</p> </article> <article> <h1>2013 Green Energy Ohio Oberlin Guided Tour</h1> <p>2013-09-24T19:41:48+00:00</p> <p style="text-align: justify;" align="center"><strong>Over 200 Open Houses at Over 100 Tour Sites, 7 Guided Tours Across Ohio </strong>will showcase clean energy and green design in events throughout local areas. Oberlin is offering a guided tour on Saturday, October 5 from <strong>10 am – 3 pm.</strong> The public is invited to take the FREE<strong> “Green Energy Ohio Tour”</strong> and network with friends and neighbors using renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green design. </p> <p>For the last 11 years, the educational non-profit organization Green Energy Ohio (GEO) has sponsored the tour on the first weekend in October tour to showcase the industry across the state. A few years ago GEO changed the "Ohio Solar Tour" name to the<strong>"Green Energy Ohio Tour"</strong> to more accurately describe the tour that features not only solar, but tour sites with wind, energy efficiency, biomass and other green energy technologies. </p> <p>The Oberlin guided tour commences on Saturday, October 5 with a <strong>10:00 am kick-off</strong> at the Adam Joseph Lewis Center. This building was named one of the most important green buildings since 1980 based on feedback from green building experts and advocates. The <strong>second stop</strong> will be at Trail Magic, Oberlin’s first home that uses a variety of innovations to achieve energy neutrality and sustainability. The <strong>third stop</strong> is at the Oberlin College solar array. Oberlin College has entered into a power purchasing agreement with Spear Point Energy to purchase electricity from a 2.27-megawatt (MW) solar array to be constructed on college property. It is the largest photovoltaic array on any college or university campus in Ohio. The power generation is interconnected with a power grid to enable the sale of safe, clean energy. The <strong>fourth stop</strong> will be</p> <p>for lunch hosted by Oberlin Municipal Power in conjunction with Public Power Week and a guided tour of the solar array and diesel/natural gas peaking power plant. A <strong>fifth stop</strong> is being planned but not confirmed yet. </p> <p><strong>Participants of the 2013 Oberlin Green Energy Tour will also be offered special discounts</strong> from Slow Train Café, Cowhaus Creamer, and Magpie Pizza. All these businesses are located in the sustainable building complex called the East College Street building.</p> <p>Over 200 Open Houses at over 100 Tour Sites are registered for the 4 days of the GEO 11th statewide tour event stretching across 37 counties. GEO Executive Director Bill Spratley said: “A solar unit is installed every 4 minutes in the U.S. and Ohio now ranks 11th in new solar installations. The free GEO Tour is a great opportunity for Ohioans to learn first-hand about the latest in solar, wind, biomass and energy efficiency. Many previous tour-goers have adopted sustainable energy for their home, business and community and now provide their own green energy for a cleaner environment and new jobs.”</p> <p>The <strong>Ohio Development Services Agency </strong>(formerly ODOD) is the Presenting Sponsor of this year’s Tour along with <strong>Ecohouse</strong>, <strong>Appalachian Renewable Power</strong>, <strong>Solaris Blackstone </strong>and <strong>Zane State College</strong>. The GEO Tour is part of the <strong>American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour</strong>.</p> <p><strong>ABOUT GREEN ENERGY OHIO </strong>- GEO is statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economically and environmentally sustainable energy policies and practices Formed in 2001, see more at www.greenenergyohio.org. GEO is the Ohio Chapter of the <strong>American Solar Energy Society</strong>. ASES leads national efforts to promote solar energy education, public outreach, and advocacy, see more at <a href="http://www.ases.org">www.ases.org</a>.</p> <p>A complete list of tour sites and times are available online at <a href="http://www.greenenergyohio.org">http://www.greenenergyohio.org</a> on the guided tour section of the 2013 Tour page. Feel free to attend the entire Oberlin tour or join at a stop along the way. A carpool caravan will be led from the Adam Joseph Lewis Center, 122 Elm Street (first location on the tour, by Sharon Pearson, Oberlin Project Program Coordinator. For more information and for list of tour sites and map, contact Sharon Pearson at The Oberlin Project offices, by calling (440) 775-6473 or <a href="mailto:spearson">spearson</a>@oberlinproject.org . This tour is co-sponsored by Green Energy Ohio and The Oberlin Project.</p> <p> </p> <p></p> </article> <article> <h1>Grow Your Way to Less Carbon</h1> <p>2013-07-29T17:44:26+00:00</p> <p>Why have a vegetable garden?</p> <p>Oberlin Community Service’s June networking lunch was crowded—perhaps 50 people were there. A panel of nine represented the diversity of local food and gardening projects in Oberlin from school to neighborhood gardens.</p> <p>None of these existed two decades ago; most are just a few years old. Oberlin’s farmers market was a handful of booths when we arrived in 2008. And it was only during the growing season. Today it’s a year-round Saturday morning social event and fills a good portion of the City Hall parking lot.</p> <p>A recent survey found that over 40% of Oberlin residents grow food in a portion of their yards, some in the front yard. Oberlin reflects the recent national movement back to garden fresh food. My father had a victory garden in the 1940s, but it was for the war effort. The present movement has different motivations.</p> <p>A vegetable garden provides delicious healthy food. Eating just-picked green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and even zucchini is a sensual delight. When planting, weeding, and harvesting, you are out-of-doors getting exercise. The garden connects you to your food and the natural world. You save money, too. Equally important you have the satisfaction of growing a portion of your food.</p> <p>Most of these positive attributes of vegetable gardening were considered or implied by the OCS panel. Unintentionally, they let slip by one very important benefit; growing your own food reduces the use of fossil fuels.</p> <p>Industrially produced food requires substantial energy inputs. Experts estimate that the average number of Calories of fossil fuel used in the United States to put ONE Calorie of food on your table is 10 Calories. That’s right—each Calorie of conventionally-raised food you eat took 10 times the amount of energy to produce and deliver it to your table. Is this a sensible or sustainable food system? </p> <p>We’ve had a garden for many years because we love freshly harvested vegetables as well as root crops and squash that provide “garden-fresh” produce through the winter. More recently we’ve realized our garden reduces our contribution to climate change.</p> <p>Very little energy is used in raising garden produce, perhaps one Calorie to put a Calorie of food on the table, thereby off-setting nine Calories of fossil fuel. Because Calories are only used as a food energy unit, the offset would be 36 British Thermal Units (BTUs) where one Calorie equals four BTUs. Based on the mix of crops grown in our garden last year—potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, lettuce, okra, carrots, tomatoes, beets, egg plant, peppers, green beans, soybeans, onions, Swiss chard, yellow and zucchini squash—each pound harvested off-set about 750 BTU of fossil fuel.</p> <p>Based on this estimate and the size of our garden, you can offset about 1.5 million BTUs of fossil fuel with a modest size garden (30 feet by 20 feet). For comparison, the average U.S. house runs annually on about 100 million BTUs of purchased energy. Alternatively 1.5 million BTUs is the energy in 12 gallons of gasoline—a lot of energy.</p> <p>Enjoy the delicious vegetables from your or a local garden! As you savor the taste and texture, know too that you are reducing your carbon footprint.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Do Electric Vehicles Make Sense in Oberlin?</h1> <p>2013-03-11T15:42:24+00:00</p> <p>Several months ago my wife and I, along with a friend, drove our new Prius plug-in hybrid 40 miles on state roads to an evening picnic. The battery was fully charged and on arrival the dash board display showed 100 miles per gallon (mpg) for the trip. Being the first local trip out of Oberlin on which I noted the mileage, I was surprised and said to our friend, “That seems high.”</p> <p>On the way back we were in hybrid mode, which means the car is powered by a gasoline engine as well as an electric motor using electricity generated by the engine and when the car coasts or breaks. Each of us made a guess for the return trip mpg: my wife, 65; our friend, 70; and I guessed what I thought would certainly be too high, 75. Back in Oberlin, the dashboard display showed 73 mpg. We were impressed!</p> <p>We purchased a Prius plug-in hybrid because we wanted our local travel to be powered by our solar generated electricity. Toyota reports that the Prius can go 13 miles on a fully charged battery before using any gasoline. For local travel we’ve calculated an average of 15 miles per full charge or 4.6 miles/kilowatt hour (kWh). At 10 cents/kWh, the cost would be about 2 cents/mile. In a car that averaged 30 mpg and with gasoline at $3.50/gallon, it would cost 6 times more!</p> <p>Most of our local travel is less than 10 miles, so on these trips our car is powered by solar electricity. In the last four months (mostly short trips) we filled the gas tank twice, 8.5 gallons each time. In these four months we averaged 106 mpg. On long trips that are in hybrid mode, we’ve averaged 56.2 mpg.</p> <p>In the Prius, electricity is 3 times more efficient than gasoline. That is, a gallon of gasoline contains the equivalent of 35 kWh of electricity but only moves the car about 56 miles. However, 35 kWh stored in battery form moves the car about 160 miles.</p> <p>Since purchasing the Prius, we have traveled 7,398 miles using 101 gallons of gasoline which means that 78% of our mileage was powered by gasoline and 22% of it was powered by sunlight. We’re averaging 73 mpg.</p> <p>Examined from a cost perspective, we’ve spent $321 at an average price of $3.18/gallon. Had we purchased a standard vehicle getting an average 30 mpg, we’d have used 246 gallons or 145 gallons more, saving about $460. And we released no carbon dioxide for about 1,628 of those miles.</p> <p>Current plug-in hybrids are transition vehicles to fully electric cars that in the future will reduce even further the cost for transportation fuel and carbon dioxide emissions, if the source of the electricity is carbon neutral. Because OMLPS has aggressively pursued carbon neutral sources of electricity, 90% of Oberlin’s electricity will be carbon neutral in 2015. That means electric cars plugged into Oberlin’s grid will cause almost no carbon emissions.</p> <p>Do electric vehicles have downsides? Yes, of course. Batteries are heavy, expensive, and have to be replaced and recycled. Charging currently takes much more time than pumping gas. Present ranges are limited to just over 100 miles in fully electric cars.</p> <p>Are electric cars for Oberlin? Yes, plug-in hybrids are perfect for driving around Oberlin and the surrounding area. And fully electric cars are currently an excellent choice except for trips beyond their mileage range. A few fully electric cars are already on the roads. As the Oberlin community addresses the challenge of becoming a climate positive community, electric transportation will certainly play an important role.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Oberlin Participates in 10th Annual Green Energy Ohio Tour</h1> <p>2012-09-21T15:37:39+00:00</p> <p>The public is invited to take the FREE<strong> “Green Energy Ohio Tour”</strong> and network with friends and neighbors using renewable energy, energy efficiency and green design. There are many open houses and guided green energy tours taking place across the State of Ohio.<strong> </strong>Oberlin will be participating with a guided tour on Saturday, October 6 from 10 am – 4 pm.</p> <p>For the last 10 years, the educational non-profit organization Green Energy Ohio (GEO) has sponsored the tour on the first weekend in October to showcase the industry across the state. A few years ago GEO changed the "Ohio Solar Tour" name to the<strong> </strong><strong>"Green Energy Ohio Tour"</strong> to more accurately describe the tour that features not only solar, but tour sites with wind, energy efficiency, biomass and other green energy technologies. </p> <p>The Oberlin guided tour commences on Saturday, October 6 with a 10:00 am kick-off at the Adam Joseph Lewis Center. Architect Magazine named the Lewis Center the most important green building since 1980 based on feedback from green building experts and advocates. The second stop is a residential home that features a 3.8 kW solar system and rainwater collection system. The third tour stop will be for lunch hosted by Oberlin Municipal Light & Power in conjunction with Public Power Week and a guided tour of the solar array and diesel/natural gas peaking power plant. The fourth stop will be at the Oberlin College solar array. Oberlin College has entered into a power purchasing agreement with Spear Point Energy to purchase electricity from a 2.27-megawatt (MW) solar array to be constructed on college property. It will be the largest photovoltaic array on any college or university campus in Ohio. The fifth stop will be at Energy Developments, Inc. (EDI). EDI runs an electric generation facility using the methane gas collected from the landfill just outside of Oberlin – by using this resource to generate electricity, EDI is recycling a material that would otherwise be burned as waste and reducing the demand for fossil fuel-based generation. The power generation is interconnected with a power grid to enable the sale of safe, clean energy. The guided tour concludes with a stop at Trail Magic, Oberlin’s first positive energy home that uses a variety of innovations to achieve climate neutrality and sustainability – to date, Trail Magic has exported over 6,300 kWh back to the grid.</p> <p>A complete list of tour sites and times are available online at <a href="http://www.greenenergyohio.org">http://www.greenenergyohio.org</a> on the guided tour section of the 2012 Tour page. Feel free to attend the whole tour or join at a stop along the way. A carpool caravan will be led by Sharon Pearson, Program Coordinator for the Oberlin Project, from the Adam Joseph Lewis Center, 122 Elm Street (first location on the tour.) For more information and for a list of tour sites and map, contact Sharon Pearson at The Oberlin Project offices, by calling (440) 775-6473 or <a href="mailto:spearson">spearson</a>@oberlinproject.org. This tour is co-sponsored by Green Energy Ohio and The Oberlin Project.</p> <p>Tour Sites Information located at:<strong> <a href="http://www.greenenergyohio.org/page.cfm?pageID=3301">http://www.greenen</a></strong><strong><a href="http://www.greenenergyohio.org/page.cfm?pageID=3301">ergyohio.org/page.cfm?pageID=3301</a>. </strong><strong style="text-align: justify;">Please RSVP wth Sharon Pearson at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="27545742465554484967484542554b4e495755484d42445309485540">[email protected]</a> or by phone at 440-775-6473.</strong></p> </article> <article> <h1>Oldies and Goodies: The Greenest Buildings Are Already Built</h1> <p>2012-09-07T21:05:46+00:00</p> <p>Older buildings are often unfairly maligned as great energy hogs and money pits that are too expensive to rehabilitate. While not every building can be preserved, demolishing existing buildings to make way for new is costly, gobbles up new resources, and adds to the landfills of the country. Many older buildings have irreplaceable architectural details and a strong sense of space and pride of place that is rarely found in new construction, no matter how "green." </p> <p>The National Trust for Historic Preservation, together with local preservation organizations such as the Cleveland Restoration Society and the Oberlin Heritage Center, are working to encourage property owners of older buildings to weatherize, retrofit and rehabilitate them in ways that both retain their character defining special features and adapt them for 21st century living. Start by having an energy audit; you can call POWER at 440 789 4531 for a 1 hour assessment, or call Columbia Gas at 1-877-644-6674 to receive a thorough heat loss inspection. Then learn what you can about your building's history. Get to know your building, inside and out. Inspect it regularly, and be proactive in addressing maintenance concerns. </p> <p>Here are 10 tips from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to make your older home more sustainable:</p> <p><strong>1. Keep original windows intact.</strong> Studies show that older windows can perform as well as vinyl replacements. Weatherstrip them so that they seal tightly, caulk the exterior trim, and repair cracked glazing or putty around glass panels. You'll reduce landfill waste and the demand for vinyl, a non-biodegradable material that gives off toxic byproducts when it's made.</p> <p><strong>2. Use light paint colors for your house's exterior.</strong> Lighter colors reflect heat better than darker ones. Many older homes were typically painted with light-reflecting finishes, so you can be sustainable and historically accurate at the same time.</p> <p><strong>3. Insulate the attic, basement, and crawl space. </strong>About 35 percent of energy costs come from heat loss in those areas. Just take care to avoid materials that can damage historic fabric.</p> <p><strong>4. Reuse old materials such as brick, stone, glass, and slate when making home improvements.</strong> You can also scour local salvage shops to find contemporaneous materials (and save it from going to a landfill).</p> <p><strong>5. Plant trees. </strong>Evergreen trees on the north and west sides of your house can block winter winds, and leafy trees on the east, west, and northwest provide shade from the summer sun. Use old photos of your house to try to match the historic landscaping.</p> <p><strong>6. When appropriate, open the windows and use fans and dehumidifiers, </strong>which consume less energy than air-conditioning. Many old houses were designed with good cross-ventilation; take advantage of your home's layout. Ceiling fans lower the perceived temperature in summer, lessening reliance on air conditioning and saving energy. And in the winter, they draw warm air down from the ceiling, saving on heating costs. So again, double benefit for one change.</p> <p><strong>7. Keep doors airtight</strong> by weatherstripping, caulking, and painting them regularly. Recent studies suggest that installing a storm door is not necessarily cost-effective. Better to keep your doors in fighting shape -- and ideally in keeping with the character of the house.</p> <p><strong>8. Install fireplace draft stoppers, attic door covers, and dryer vent seals </strong>that open only when your dryer is in use. An open damper in a fireplace can increase energy costs by 30 percent, and attic doors and dryer vent ducts are notorious energy sieves.</p> <p><strong>9. Restore porches and awnings.</strong> Porches, awnings, and shutters were intended for shade and insulation, plus they add a lot of personality to your home. To further save energy, draw shades on winter nights and summer days.</p> <p><strong>10. Inspecting, maintaining, and repairing your existing roof</strong> is the best way to "go green" by using what you already have. Depending on the materials, installation, and ongoing maintenance, some roofs will last longer than others.</p> <p>For more information about saving energy in your older home, visit <a href="http://www.preservationnation.org">www.preservationnation.org</a> or <a href="http://www.oberlinheritage.org">www.oberlinheritage.org</a> or contact the Oberlin Heritage Center at 440-774-1700.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Technology is Not Enough</h1> <p>2012-08-23T22:05:08+00:00</p> <p>How much can we rely on technological advances to solve our energy problems? Some new technologies have the potential to be a powerful way to save energy. For example, automating HVAC systems and enhancing their digital control capabilities has saved lots of energy and money in buildings. However, many technologies -- including these -- require some level of human intervention to fully benefit from them. If people don’t use the technology properly, the expected benefits will not be realized.</p> <p>The most important people are those who directly manage the new technology: building operators, facilities staff, etc. If they are given a new system, but not taught how to use it, the system will not work properly. I have witnessed this first hand during a recent installation of an automated and digitized HVAC system at a local institution. The Operations & Maintenance Staff didn’t have the required knowledge and experience to operate and maintain the new technology, and the system underperformed. Also, too many staff members had the ability to change system operating parameters without a full understanding of how these changes would impact the operation. There was also reluctance from a few staff members to actually experiment and optimize the new technology. Eventually this harmed the equipment energy performance.</p> <p>It wasn’t until after a thorough staff skills capability assessment that it was determined in order to realize the predicted energy savings that more detailed training was needed along with confidence building and better controlling user access.</p> <p>Looking at the larger picture, it was then realized that a few staff positions would need to be added with upgraded HVAC skill-sets to be able to drive ownership, properly operate, optimize, and maintain the technologies.</p> <p>A lesson learned from this is when planning to install new technologies in the built environment, Operations and Maintenance Staffing capability levels needs to be considered as the O&M Staff are the key to operations and play a major role ensuring the return on Investment is realized. The technology alone is just the apparatus or vehicle that helps get to the destination.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Cooler in the Shade</h1> <p>2012-07-23T15:51:40+00:00</p> <p>I don’t know if it’s hot as you’re reading this, but it is HOT while I’m writing it. In Oberlin, the days we use the most electricity are the hot ones – everyone has their air conditioning on, and the refrigerators are working over time to keep things cool. As the planet heats up, we are going to have more and more hot stretches to make it through. But we can be smart about how we do it.</p> <p>My family survives most of the summer without using AC – and the house never gets above 78 degrees (80 degrees is my freak-out point, and no one wants to go there!). We have two main strategies: The first is keeping heat out of the house in the first place. The second is to get in as much cool air into the house at night as we possibly can, then lock it in during the day.</p> <p>To keep the heat out, we have insulated and weatherized our house as thoroughly as possible. People usually think about insulation as a blanket – something that keeps the heat in. What it’s really doing is keeping heat from moving from place to place. So if it’s hotter outside, it’s keeping heat out. In July, that’s a good thing. </p> <p>So if you haven’t already, this is the time to insulate your home! Columbia Gas’s amazing Home Performance Solutions program provides a very thorough low-cost inspection, and huge rebates of up to 60% of the total cost (90% for low-income families). They have already done dozens of homes in Oberlin; call 1-877-644-6674 to set up an appointment. Most people don’t think about insulating at this time of year, so it will be easy for you to schedule an audit, as well as schedule work with an insulation contractor.</p> <p>There are other things we do to keep the heat out in the first place. We have swapped out all of our incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents. Part of why incandescent bulbs are so inefficient is because a bunch of the electric energy gets turned into heat, not light. When it’s 95 degrees outside I do not want that heat in my house. </p> <p>We also close curtains over sunny windows, and hang a light blocking shade over our big sliding glass door. We avoid using the oven at all costs, and only run the dishwasher at night. </p> <p>As long as it cools down to the 60’s at night, we can get our house very cool overnight by opening all the windows, and using fans to draw in the night air. Then, as soon as we get up in the morning, we close all the windows in the house, and trap the coolness inside. Using this method, we keep the house very comfortably in the 70’s without ever using air conditioning. (It’s a different story when it stays hot at night, I confess.)</p> <p>Sometimes people think that it’s a good idea to leave a top-story window open during the day, to let rising hot air escape. This is NOT a good thing to do. Would you leave a basement window open in winter to let cold air “escape?” Of course not! Heat flows from warmer spaces to cooler spaces, and an open window makes that easier. If it’s cooler inside than outside, you’re better off keeping the house closed up.</p> <p>Of course, that’s especially true if you do run air conditioning. Make it easier for your AC unit to get the job done by keeping the space around the unit free of debris and weeds. Placing the unit in the shade helps as well. When you buy a new unit, get the most efficient one you can. For room air conditioners, the energy efficiency ratio (EER) rating should be above 10; for central air conditioners, the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) rating should be above 12.</p> <p>If you’d like a friendly person to talk to you about how to decrease your energy use this summer, you’re in luck: POWER, the Oberlin-based non-profit committed to energy efficiency, is offering free energy assessments. Trained Oberlinians can help you figure out what work is worth doing on your home, how you can benefit from existing programs, and how you can change simple behaviors to save energy and money. Call Pat Knight at 440 789 4531 to schedule an appointment.</p> <p>Cold showers? Ice cube therapy? How do you stay cool in the summer? Share your tips below.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Driving for Efficiency</h1> <p>2012-06-29T20:38:06+00:00</p> <p>Now that summer is here, many of us are heading off in our cars on vacations and day trips. We’d all be vacationing out at the Reservoir if we didn’t have the power of gasoline to take us hundreds of miles away. Let’s get the most out of this superfuel.</p> <p>With gas often $3.50 a gallon, there’s an obvious financial benefit to using it efficiently. And the hot summer temperatures remind us that a planet that’s 2 degrees warmer will not be a pleasant place for our children to live. Decreasing our gas use helps decrease our dependence on foreign oil as well. The Consumer Federation of America estimates that simply increasing our fuel efficiency by 5 miles per gallon would save about 23 billion gallons of gasoline each year, and cut oil imports by about 14 percent.</p> <p>The easiest way to use less gas is to buy the most fuel efficient model that meets your needs: Make one decision, then benefit from it for as long as you own the vehicle. The average American car gets about 24 miles per gallon (mpg); but we can do better than that. The average in Europe is nearly twice as high – more like in the 40 – 50 mpg range. Fuel efficient cars already exist. We just need to buy them.</p> <p>But even if you’re not in the market for a new car right now, there are still things you can do to maximize fuel efficiency. The way you drive has a big impact on how much fuel you use. The more you slam on the accelerator or the brake, the more fuel you’re using. Why? Every time you press the accelerator, you’re gobbling up more gas; every time you press the brake, you are wasting the momentum that gas created. Changing how you use those two pedals can reduce your fuel consumption by as much as 35%, according to Edmunds.com. Accelerate more slowly, and coast as much as you can before stop signs, red lights, and turns. </p> <p>Those who take this seriously call it “hypermiling.” They can often get 55 mpg out of a car that would usually only get 35; for them, it’s like trying to beat their high score on a video game. The really hard core can do amazing things. For example, Wayne Gerdes (who started cleanmpg.com) once drove a Honda Civic hybrid from Chicago to New York on one tank of gas – which means he was getting 65 mpg.</p> <p>You’ll also get better gas mileage on the highway if you maintain steady speeds by using cruise control. Cruise control minimizes the speed fluctuations caused by human error, distraction, or a really good rock song on the radio. Finally, speeding doesn’t just increase your risk for a ticket. It also costs more in gas. According to the US Department of Energy, 60 mph is a magic number – speeds above that take a LOT more gas to maintain. Every 5 mph above 60 mph is like paying another 20 cents a gallon for gas.</p> <p>Another easy way to get more miles from a gallon of gas is to not burn gas when you’re not going anywhere: don’t idle. It only takes a few seconds of sitting still to make it worth turning off your engine, and contrary to popular belief, it is not bad for your car to turn it off. To stretch tax dollars as far as possible, the City of Oberlin has adopted an anti-idling policy for employees driving city vehicles. Another benefit is keeping toxic fumes and out of the air.</p> <p>It turns out that whether you cool your car with air conditioning or open windows doesn’t matter all that much (although for the record, at highway speeds AC seems to be better, while at lower speeds the open window is more efficient). Keeping your tires properly inflated helps a bit to, while also improving the handling and safety of your car. But it’s not a big bang for your buck at the air pump.</p> <p>Happy travels!</p> <p><em>What strategies do you use to drive more efficiently? Join the conversation below and let us know!</em></p> </article> <article> <h1>Is Local Food Energy Efficient?</h1> <p>2012-05-17T18:17:35+00:00</p> <p>Food is energy. Not much thought is given to it, but every time that we eat, our bodies convert food calories into a fuel that powers everything that we do, from typing at a computer, making art, walking or biking into town, fixing a house, or digging a garden bed.</p> <p>Over the past 10,000 years, humans have developed agriculture -- the cultivation of land and active management of crops and animals to increase the food-calories available for growing human populations.</p> <p>The productivity of agriculture is often measured by how many calories of food one farmer can produce through their daily labor. Selective plant breeding, harnessing of energy and technology, and the development of artificial fertilizers allowed a farmer to turn the oatmeal, ham, or eggs that they had for breakfast into an enormous yield of food. The industrial revolution and availability of cheap fossil-fuel energy, allowed for more people to be fed by fewer and fewer farmers.</p> <p>While impressive, the foundation of this model, cheap oil and a stable climate, are unraveling. Fossil fuel is limited and we already see a correlation between rising energy prices and increasing food prices. Additionally, fossil energy transfers carbon from deep within the ground into the atmosphere, leading to increased atmospheric warming and destabilization of the climate. It is no accident that 10,000 years of relative climatic stability produced the conditions favorable to the emergence of agriculture.</p> <p>As early as the 1990’s, David Pimentel with the University of Cornell noted that our modern industrial food system requires 10 calories of energy to produce 1 calorie of food. Farm production consumes about 1/3 of these calories, mostly embodied in the chemical fertilizers and other manufactured inputs that require large amounts of energy to produce. However, the remaining 2/3 of these calories are spent processing, preserving, refrigerating, packaging, and transporting food an average of 1,500-2,500 miles to reach us.</p> <p>This energy trail produces a corresponding carbon trail. According to the International Panel on Climate Change, agriculture emits around 13.5% of the carbon in the atmosphere. When you consider the whole food chain from farm to plate, almost 1/3 of global carbon emissions can be traced back to food, its production, processing, transport, consumption, and waste.</p> <p>The Oberlin Project is a collaborative effort to help the City of Oberlin and Oberlin College to meet their goals of climate neutrality. The development of local food systems is an important part of the picture. Luckily, there is a strong history of food localization to build on. In 1990, the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA), a student-run dining and housing organization, initiated a local food purchasing program. Since that first local food initiative, OSCA, the college’s dining services, and local restaurants like the Black River Café and Agave collectively circulate more than $1 million in the local economy by purchasing local foods.</p> <p>How can the average Oberlinian get in on the local foods scene? The Oberlin Farmers Market, open on Saturdays from 9am – 1pm in front of the Oberlin Public Library, offers a wide-range of locally grown foods. The season opens this Saturday, May 19th. The Oberlin Public Library will also be hosting a screening of the documentary For the Love of Food, which profiles Oberlin’s local food efforts at noon and 1:30 on May 19th.</p> <p>City Fresh (cityfresh.org), an initiative operated by the New Agrarian Center, is another way to buy local produce. Participants can purchase weekly shares of produce that are conveniently delivered in Oberlin. This year, the City Fresh distribution will take place at the Christ Episcopal Church on Thursday afternoons. Now is the time to sign up for your share!</p> <p>You can also grow your own food -- either in pots, in your yard, or through Zion CDC’s community garden. It’s hard to beat sitting down to a meal that includes things you grew yourself.</p> <p>Food plays a fundamental role in the life of our community, affecting the health of our bodies, encouraging social interaction around meals, and impacting our economy. As just one small town, Oberlin spends more than $17 million each year on food. Imagine if most of that money remained in our community! We can leverage this annual spending to reduce our collective consumption of fossil fuel while also increasing community interactions and growing our local economy. That’s a good deal for everyone.</p> </article> <article> <h1>This Old House: Efficiency meets antiquity</h1> <p>2012-05-03T16:43:44+00:00</p> <p>Most of us live in a house that is less than ideal in terms of energy use. In my family’s case, this fact was obvious to us the moment we moved in. Our house is 103 years old, and when we bought it in 2002 it was about as inefficient as any house could be. There was no insulation; the floor joists of the attic were open to the air, so cold air blew over the second floor all winter; and there were wide cracks in the foundation that let in a constant supply of winter air into the basement (where the heating ducts are). Old empty heating ducts in the wall meant that cold, moldy air from the basement would get syphoned up as the air above heated and rose. And there was an extra 1950’s refrigerator guzzling electricity in the kitchen.</p> <p>Where to start? We unplugged the extra fridge right away, and as soon as it got cold we called Oberlin’s local utility, OMLPS, for a free heat loss inspection. The OMLPS technicians broke the news that outside air was leaking in from every direction. Before Christmas, we had an insulation company blow cellulose into the walls, and we threw up some fiberglass batting in the attic. We pulled out the caulk gun and bought cans of spray foam insulation, and starting plugging up cracks. It was a start.</p> <p>But what we really needed was a plan to make a continuous insulated envelope all the way around our house. We learned (unfortunately, well after we’d crawled around in the attic for hours pushing fiberglass between the joists) that our attic insulation wasn’t doing much good because there were so many air leaks – most heat is lost through air movement, so plugging cracks can be more important than insulating. We had also failed to stop the air from running between the floor joists; so even though the attic was insulated, there was still cold air running between it and the second floor.</p> <p>We pulled out the fiberglass (ugh!), and hired a company to spray expanding foam insulation in the attic and between those floor joists. They also sprayed it in the ceiling of the basement. The foam expands to fill every crack, so all those air leaks were taken care of. Plus the insulation value of the foam is equal to that of fiberglass, so one product took care of two problems at once.</p> <p>And suddenly the house was warm! The basement was much warmer, as was the floor just above it. And the difference in the attic was incredible. We also found that allergy symptoms decreased, since we no longer had moldy air from the basement circulating through the house.</p> <p>Since then we have added a tankless water heater and insulated our hot water pipes. We switched to a geothermal heating system when our furnace died, and our bills are even lower. We’re still plugging cracks in the foundation with cans of spray foam. But we’ve got most of them by now.</p> <p>We are still working on our house, and there are still some challenges. There is nothing but siding between the outside world and the beautiful pocket door in the front hall. When the contractors tried to insulate that strip of wall, we got a lot of cellulose in the front hall! So our thermal envelope has a big crack it, and it will require taking the siding off to fix it. We also have yet to get around to sealing and insulating our heating ducts, despite my good intentions.</p> <p>Retrofitting old houses can be challenging, but the increase in comfort, savings, and sustainability are huge. Luckily, you don’t have learn things the hard way like we did. This summer, POWER is offering free home energy assessments, as well as personalized help with finding contractors and taking advantage of all the great programs in the area. POWER’s Program Director Pat Knight is happy to sign you up for an assessment (440 789 4531).</p> <p>What have you done to your old house? Post your comments below to share your lessons learned.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Ecolympics at Oberlin : The Race to Energy Conservation</h1> <p>2012-04-20T18:02:05+00:00</p> <p><span lang="EN-ZW">The Olympic Games kick off in London this year in just under 100 days, but students here in Oberlin, Ohio are warming up for a different sort of competition: The ECO-lympics. The Ecolympics are a campus wide competition aimed at reducing the college’s water and energy consumption as much as possible within a three week period. This year’s competition, dubbed “Race to a Gigawatt”, will reward the dorm that reduces consumption by the biggest margins with an ice cream party that will take place in the middle of finals.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-ZW">This year’s Ecolympics, which are being run at Oberlin College as a subsidiary initiative of the nationwide Campus Conservation Nationals, aim to encourage students to become more cognisant of their personal and collective energy and water consumption patterns, as well as highlight some simple but effective strategies that can be employed on an individual basis to help curb energy and water usage. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-ZW">The competitive nature of the Ecolympics and the attractive prospects of enjoying college sponsored ice cream have managed to get Oberlin students inspired to come up with creative ways to reduce energy use. Oberlin students have been turning off unused appliances, limiting the use of indoor lighting, studying outdoors, taking short showers and in some (not so rare) cases, simply showering as a group. All students can conveniently track their progress online thanks to a college dashboard that collates and summarises consumption data on each campus building’s water and energy consumption data in real time. The dashboard indicates that the college has, as of April 19th, already saved as much as 10,538kwH of power and 18,767 gallons of water since the onset of the competition on April 3rd.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-ZW">Aside from the dashboard, students can also get real time feedback on water and energy use through Oberlin’s “energy orbs”. These are circular bulbs fitted in selected dorms and campus buildings that change colour in response to the extent of energy and water use in a building. For instance, the orbs will emit a green colour when electricity consumption is below the typical levels, yellow when it reaches typical levels and red when it has exceeded the typical threshold for a particular building. This technology allows dorm residents to get instant feedback on their building’s consumption patterns and serves as a very visible reminder to adjust consumption behaviour and ensure that students are always aware of whether or not they are using resources at desirable levels.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-ZW">While they wait in bated anticipation to discover which dorm will walk away with the coveted ice cream party prize, students can look forward to a host of events spanning the full spectrum of pertinent issues in sustainability. These include a film screening on the impact of oil refineries in indigenous communities, a plenary session on food justice by speaker Young Kim, and a student run panel that will explore the intersections between multiculturalism, race and sustainability both at Oberlin and in the wider community.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-ZW">The Ecolympics complement Oberlin College’s commitment to pushing the frontiers of environmental sustainability, and serve as a testament to the college’s more holistic vision of full scale sustainability that is outlined much more comprehensively in the Oberlin Project- an ambitious collaboration between the town and the college to revitalize the local economy, eliminate carbon emissions, restore local agriculture, food supply and forestry, and create a new, sustainable base for economic and community development.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-ZW">The competition runs until the final week of April, and activities will wind down with the Earth week celebration in Tappan square and the announcement of the winning dorm. Good luck to all the participants!</span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Changing Our Energy Habits</h1> <p>2012-04-05T16:26:29+00:00</p> <p>I am a creature of habit. Sticking to my routines makes things go better. For example, when I throw a shirt in the laundry basket, I have a habit of also throwing in a hanger, so that when I’m down in the basement doing the laundry, I can hang the clean shirt up right away, and avoid a lot of ironing later. It took a while to remember to do this, but now I do it on autopilot. When we do something on autopilot we can do it more efficiently. </p> <p>Unless the habit itself is inefficient. Chances are we all have a lot of daily behaviors that actually don’t make a lot of sense, but we do them automatically anyway because we haven’t stopped to think about them. Why do I not automatically put things like tools and scissors away when I finish using them? They clutter up my space, and the next time I need them I waste time and energy tracking them down. Sometimes they stay lost for months, and on more than one occasion I’ve bought an unneeded replacement. That’s not efficient.</p> <p>It’s the same thing with the way we use energy. There are lots of things we can do that require almost no effort, once they are habits. And some of our current habits make no sense. Take idling a car, for instance. Somehow the idea has gained traction that a car should be warmed up for several minutes before it can be driven without harming the engine. Not so! In fact, the best way to warm up a car is to drive it moderately for several miles within 10 seconds of starting the engine.</p> <p>Another myth is the idea that it’s bad to turn your car on and off. Actually, when your car is going to idle for more than ten seconds, it’s more efficient to turn the engine off while you wait, restarting it when it’s time to go. Why breathe any more car fumes than we have to? </p> <p>The same thing applies to your home computer. Turning it on and off does not shorten the computer’s life in any measurable way (given normal home use), and, actually, it’s better for your software to reboot at least once a day. Also, leaving it on could add about $200 to your yearly electric bill.</p> <p>And how about water usage? How many times have you turned the hot water tap on to wash your hands, but you finish long before a drop of hot water has reached you? Since you’re going to be washing your hands with cold water anyway, why run the hot water at all? When you do, it puts hot water in the pipes where it will just get cold, and makes your water heater work that much harder. I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who actually removed a sink’s hot water handle for a month so the whole household could retrain. It worked.</p> <p>Another change to save your time and money: When a light bulb goes out, be sure to replace it with a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb. The slightly higher price tag on CFL bulbs is misleading because you’ll need to buy up to ten incandescent bulbs to last as long as a single CFL will (that’s also a lot of trips to the store). Plus, the real cost of a bulb includes how much energy it uses in its short lifetime, which in dollar terms turns out to be 5 to 10 times the sale price of an incandescent bulb. CFLs use far less energy, and produce far less heat that your air conditioner must work to counteract in the summer.</p> <p>Then there’s bottled water. Instead of sinking (lots of) money into a product that produces 1.5 million tons of plastic waste a year, consider buying a hip stainless steel bottle for your hydration needs. You will never have to worry about finding a vending machine again.</p> <p>Adopt a good habit, drop a bad one—these changes take a bit of getting used to, but we’ll find that they make our lives easier rather than harder. As a result, you’re a more efficient person, personally, economically, and environmentally. Don’t believe me? Google will tell us in about thirty seconds. Make critical questioning and fact-checking (starting with this article!) another habit and you’ll have a very well-informed, smarter autopilot.</p> <p><em>If you find an error in this article, or have your own suggestions for improving our autopilots, post a comment below and join the conversation.</em></p> </article> <article> <h1>What’s the Best Way to “Energy Diet?”</h1> <p>2012-03-08T18:22:31+00:00</p> <p>So, you are a homeowner and you want to save energy. You know that it’s the right thing to do, and it will save you money, but the hard part is deciding what to do. What will give the most savings and comfort for the least hassle?</p> <p><br>The most important step you can take to preserve your planet and your paycheck is to make investments in weatherization, insulation, and heating and cooling systems as soon as possible. These will pay dividends for as long as you live in your home, without any further effort on your part. (If you’re a renter, stay tuned. I’ll have ideas for you in my next column.)</p> <p><br>I know these investments sound expensive and complicated, and therefore it becomes easy to put it off. But each day it doesn’t happen, you lose money and let our environment become a little more polluted. In fact, making your home more efficient is not as complicated as it may sound.<br><br>For example, just look at the impact of insulating your house. The Ohio Department of Development reports that, on average, homes heated with natural gas cut their initial consumption by 25% after weatherization. You could clip coupons or fret about paper vs. plastic for several lifetimes before achieving the same impact of this one-time basic efficiency measure. And, it couldn’t be any cheaper or easier to get done right now.<br><br>Oberlin’s local gas company, Columbia Gas of Ohio, is offering a Home Energy Audit program that makes it incredibly easy for you to get this stuff done and begin reaping the rewards. Columbia Gas sends an expert to give your house a sophisticated check-up. It’s worth $500, but you will be charged only $50 ($20 for income-eligible customers), which you get back in rebate when you make one of the suggested improvements. You also get a free high-performance, energy-efficient showerhead, and a programmable thermostat (if it is appropriate for your home). You even get big rebates on the actual work done on your house. Not only do you get future benefits, but you’ll save money upfront.<br><br>My neighbor signed up for the Columbia Gas program, and loved it. She told me, “We got $3,000 worth of work done for about $800, and the system was all set up, so it wasn’t hard.”<br><br>City Manager Eric Norenberg has also used the program. He described his experience like this:<br><br>“After reading about the Columbia Gas Home Performance Solutions program in the newspaper, my utility bill, and a door hanger, I finally called to schedule my appointment. The program was so popular I had to wait several weeks for an audit. Once scheduled, a local professional inspected the home and gave us a written “prescription” for several insulation and weatherization improvements and a list of Columbia Gas-approved contractors. A couple weeks later we met with a local contractor to discuss and schedule the work. The work began within two weeks. After instant rebates, the rebate on the inspection fee and other incentives, we only paid $283 for $1,100 worth of insulation and weatherization work for our home. The process was very easy: Nearly all of the documentation and forms were processed automatically, so I didn’t have to fill out complicated rebate forms. And, our home was warmer afterwards!"<br><br>Are you thinking, Yeah I’ll get to that some time soon? Will you really? Call 1-877-644-6674 or visit <a href="http://www.columbiagasohio.com/en/your-home/YourEnergySolutions/home-performance-solutions.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.columbiagasohio.com/en/your-home/YourEnergySolutions/home-performance-solutions.aspx</a> to get started today. They’re taking reservations now!<br><br>And not only will you save money, but when you make your home more energy efficient you are putting community members back to work. The economic downturn has hit the construction industry hard and you can use Columbia Gas’s program to help keep these workers employed.<br><br>Let’s review: Cooler house in summer, warmer house in winter, lower utility bills, amazing rebates available NOW, local jobs, cleaner air…. What are you waiting for? <br><br>How do you Energy Diet? Share your thoughts and tips below.</p> </article> <article> <h1>What’s doing all the work? : Energy Matters in Oberlin</h1> <p>2012-02-10T15:05:09+00:00</p> <div class="itemIntroText"> <p>Why would anyone want to read a column on Energy? Well, because energy matters. Let me demonstrate with a few common questions about life.</p> <p>Q: What gets you out of bed in the morning? </p> <p>A: Alarm clock? Coffee? A two year old? Whatever it is, it’s one of countless examples of energy at work. We use energy for everything we do, from dressing two year olds to making coffee to sending astronauts into space. You are turning one form of energy into another when you haul yourself out of bed, and that’s just what the coffee maker is doing as well. Energy matters because it’s a means to an end – pretty much every end we care about.</p> </div> <div class="itemFullText"> <div class="itemFullText"> <p>Q: Why can’t I do it all?</p> <p>A: Because you only have so much energy. This is true of the whole universe. There is a finite amount of total energy in it: what we have is what we got (physicists call this the Law of Conservation). And not all the energy that exists is in a usable form. Energy matters because we don’t have an endless supply; we need to be choosy about how we use it.</p> <p>Q: Why does my house/desk/car/body continue to fall apart, even though I keep trying to pick things up and put them back together again?</p> <p>A: You’re not alone. It’s the Law of Entropy in action. Every time we change energy from one form to another (when we pick up the clutter and put it back on the shelf) we lose a little bit of usable energy in the process. Things really are getting more run down and chaotic; it’s not just your imagination. Energy matters because in order to minimize chaos, we need to minimize the bits and pieces of degraded energy that drift away into the corners of the universe.</p> <p>Q: What is the meaning of life? </p> <p>A: Life is all about the flow of energy; in order to maintain life, energy must be expended to fight the law of entropy, the inevitable descent into chaos. This is why we eat (to give our bodies energy so our hearts keep pumping and our lungs keep breathing); it’s why we go to work (so we can earn money to buy food so we can eat); it’s why we live together in families and communities (so we can gather and share resources together, and fight the law of entropy together). Energy matters because it is what keeps us going, as organisms and as a society.</p> <p>In Oberlin, energy matters for all kinds of reasons. Both the city and the college have committed to provide and use energy in a way that is carbon neutral (when the energy is generated or used, no CO2 is put into the atmosphere). Rising energy costs mean we need to learn how to be really efficient in how we use our energy. And many in our community don’t have enough of it – they live under the threat of having their utilities shut off or their furnace failing in the middle of winter. For environmental, economic, and humanitarian reasons, energy matters.</p> <p>In the coming months, I will use this space to explore the difference that energy makes in our lives, and how we can use it most effectively. I’ll talk about useful things you can do in your home as well as how energy relates to the fight against terrorism. I also want to encourage all of you to become part of the conversation by visiting my blog at <a href="https://oberlinproject.org/energy/blog">www.oberlinproject.org/energy/blog</a>.</p> <p>Energy matters in Oberlin because we care about each other, our community, and our planet. We all want Oberlin to be healthy and prosperous. By thinking carefully about our energy, we pave the way for a future we can all get excited about.</p> <p><em>What do you care about most? Post a comment </em><em>to record your favorite things about Oberlin, your most cherished values, and your hopes for the future.</em></p> <p>--</p> <p>Cindy Frantz is the Co-Chair of the Energy Planning Committee of the Oberlin Project. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Providing Oberlin With Efficiency Responsibly (POWER) and Associate Professor of Psychology at Oberlin College.</p> </div> </div> </article> </main></body></html>