Edge Energy

desta — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:54:53 +0000

Edge Learning Center

restontechwiz — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:33:50 +0000

We are always studying, always learning more about green energy, and continuously putting that information to use. EDGE Energy uses best practices and industry standards in every job we do. The EDGE Learning Center is one of the ways we share that information with our customers and the general public. We hope you can use the information in this section to add to your store of knowledge about green residences and use it to help you make good decisions about how you can save energy and money.

State, Federal and Local Utility Programs

Home Energy Basics

Home Weatherization

Window Replacing – Can Old Windows Be Saved?

Home Improvement: Energy Efficiency

Water

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

Green Kids

How We Install A Residential Geothermal System

desta — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:39:12 +0000

A typical residential geothermal heat pump installation consists of multiple phases. First we will evaluate the geology of your site to determine the most efficient configuration. We will determine the size system your home needs; evaluate the geology of your site to determine whether horizontal trenches or a vertical “well” would be best. We look at depth to bedrock, drilling feasibility and type of soil. Do you have a source of flowing water on your property that could be used in a open loop design, or a deep pond or lake where the pipe could be run? Can ground water be used to increase the efficiency of the heat exchange system?

We will present you with a cost analysis and estimated time until your energy savings pay for the additional cost of the system and advise you of any tax or other incentives available in your area. We will share our experience with various manufactures and recommend the most reliable on for your application.

The actual installation consist of a loop of pipe either buried in the ground or run through a body of water that will circulate a fluid, usually water or a mixture of water and antifreeze which either absorbs heat from or relinquishes heat to the surrounding environment, depending on the season.

Next, a heat pump that works with the heated/cooled fluid is installed inside your home. Note, the heat exchanger is installed in a garage, basement. or utility area — not outside. The unit produces very little waste heat and no flue gases. No scraping ice and snow in the winter and cleaning leaves every autumn.

Finally, a compatible heat pump is connected to your existing duct work. A small amount of electricity is used to power the water pump, blower and other components, typically about 30 to 60% as much power as used by conventional HVAC systems.

Tankless (On-Demand) Water Heaters

desta — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:54:04 +0000

How They Work
When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water is drawn through a pipe into the heating unit. Either a gas burner or a high-power electric element heats the water as it moves through copper tubes. The hot water then flows directly to the tap. Demand water heaters deliver a constant and unending supply of hot water.

If that sounds too good to be true, here is the catch: The supply is unending but not unlimited. Demand water heaters can only raise the temperature of a given volume of water by a certain amount as the water flows through them. Thus the amount of hot water produced is limited by the volume of water that can physically pass through the heater and by the water’s starting temperature.

Typically, demand water heaters provide 120 degree water at a rate of 2–5 gallons (7.6–15.2 liters) per minute (gpm). Most showers heads have flow restrictors that limit the shower to 2.5 gallons per minute. (Unrestricted showers use 5-10 gpm.) Gas-fired demand water heaters can produce higher flow rates than electric ones. Sometimes, however, even the largest models cannot provide enough hot water for simultaneous uses. For example, taking a shower and running the dishwasher at the same time can demand more hot water than a single unit can deliver.

Green Kids

jasond — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:27:48 +0000

Teach Your Kids How to Go Green

Everyone in the family can help save energy – and not just by sitting on the couch! Your children can pitch in to save kilowatts and dollars by turning off TVs, stereos and lights when they leave a room; unplugging their cell-phone chargers when not in use; and not leaving the refrigerator open too long when they’re hunting for food.

Parents! — Get more power-saving ideas and green links below. Show your kids these great online game sites, and get your whole family involved in eco-friendly practices and activities. Check the Green Kids Posts for the most up-to-date information!

Teachers! — Check out the links below to find lesson plans and activities to get your classes involved today! Everyone can do their part!

Saving Electricity

EnergyStar Kids: Be an Energy Star!

This is a great interactive site for kids, with fun animation, where they can find out what they can do to help keep our planet healthy. Energy Star Kids gives energy saving suggestions that children can do in there very own bedrooms! Parents & Teachers have their own section that discusses lesson plans and home participation.

Green Tips: Save Power (from Nat Geo Kids)

A comprehensive list of tips that National Geographic has put together to save power in your home. Everyone in the house can follow these general rules, and everyone is encouraged to share these tips with family & friends! Explore to find more games, videos, activities, and other green stories, tips, and discussions.

Online Games

These Web sites feature green-themed games that combine fun and learning:

Nat Geo Kids: Plan It Green

An interactive Sim game where kids can build the city of Greenville into the greenest city ever! Explore the world of eco-construction while learning the basics of resource and money management in a fun environment. Work your way up to build an entire city that is all planned and managed by you — houses, shops, industries…entire districts!

Earth Day Games (from Kaboose)

This is a great site that centers around activities geared towards Earth Day — April 22 — to get kids excited about green living. Kids can both have fun, and learn about eco-friendly activities through games, puzzles, coloring pages, crafts and recipes

Tips for Parents

These Web sites contain pointers to help you raise your child in a safe, non-toxic environment.

Find Non-Toxic Toys (from Planet Green)

A compilation of 8 short blog posts about green toys for kids and what you can do to preserve the environment and keep your kids safe. Further reading includes articles on green products, buying guides, home tips, travel, technology and health.

Green Guide for Everyday Living – Kids

Informational site that can arm you with information to protect and educate every member in your family — from the unborn baby, to your college grad. Various guides and articles highlight how to reduce environmental risks, safe toys, green shopping, and everything else green in today’s world.

Activities and Lesson Plans

Great for teachers and parents looking to get their kids involved!

Green Hour: Nature, Play and Learning

Site for parents to discover what they can do with their kids to explore the world, reconnect with nature, and live a green lifestyle. Featured here are pages of activity suggestions, parenting tips, discussions, green articles, and an active community blog.

GreenKids Lesson Plans and Activities from Audubon

A local site for Educators and Parents alike that features a number of outlined lesson plans and activities to educate and get kids excited about green practices. Get the latest on green news articles and campaigns, and see how you can join your community to support a green future!

Students Helping Schools Go Green

jasond — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:26:34 +0000

Students at Local Schools Work to Conserve Electricity

Across the Washington metro area, students are actively helping schools to use less energy and save money. Some school systems mandate energy conservation, while others have voluntary programs or have just started pilot programs with a small number of schools.

Maryland
Every school in Montgomery County, Maryland, is required to have a School Energy & Recycling Team (SERT), comprised of students, teachers, parents, building managers and staff from the principal’s office. MCPS data shows that 15 percent of the electricity used in a school is wasted by lights, computers and other non-HVAC equipment left on when not in use, so there is a lot of room for both energy and dollar savings.

The teams measure energy use and recycling against a baseline year and must use at least 5 percent less energy than that baseline year. Students conduct audits tallying all of the electrical equipment in the school. They also remind teachers to turn out classroom lights, desk lights and computers when not in use.

The Montgomery County Principal’s Handbook contains energy conservation guidelines that should be followed for efficient building management. Schools practice environmental stewardship and implement energy saving strategies and active recycling programs to earn quarterly awards. Anyone can check the data online. Thirty-one schools made the Great Energy Management (GEM) list — the highest award — in 2008-2009.

Anyone can check the data online to see how each Montgomery school is doing.

The District In DC, 15 schools just completed the first year of the Saving Energy in DC Schools program, an initiative by the Alliance to Save Energy and the D.C. Department of the Environment to promote better energy use at schools.

Here’s how it worked: sixth-graders at the 15 schools collected data on temperature, light levels and wattage of appliances and then calculated cost of electricity per classroom. Students made recommendations to principals about how to save energy. In the first year, schools reduced energy use 5 to 15 percent, saving thousands of dollars in utility costs. (See Washington Post story about the program)

Virginia
Over in Arlington, 13 elementary schools have completed environmental projects as part of the Green Learning Challenge, sponsored by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment. The projects included energy conservation, recycling, gardening, outdoor learning, stewardship and water quality protection.

The Alexandria public schools do not seem to be “going green” on the same scale as other jurisdictions, but they do have one school – Maury Elementary – which has been participating in an EnergyStar contest. Each class at Maury has been evaluated weekly for paper recycling, turning off classroom lights and putting computers in hibernation (or off) at lunchtime.

In addition, Alexandria boasts a green school –- T.C. Williams High School, which in 2007 re-opened in a new, environmentally friendly building. T.C. Williams won a Green Innovation Award from the Virginia Sustainable Building Network.

Home Energy Audit Example

jasond — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 13:14:40 +0000

Thank you for requesting to see a sample energy audit report from EDGE Energy, you will be receiving the report in your email.

Home and Energy Basics

jasond — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:36:38 +0000

This section of the leaning center is designed to help you learn how to make your home as energy efficient as possible so it’s comfortable year-round. Discover what you can do yourself: how to identify common problems, ways to monitor indoor air quality and more.

Energy Use

Your home’s energy consumption will vary from month to month depending on the outdoor conditions during a particular billing period. Usually, about 40-50% of your total energy bill is used for heating and cooling and is called seasonal consumption. The remainder, or baseload consumption, can be roughly estimated by averaging 3 months when there was little to no heating or cooling (Late spring, early fall). This baseline measurement makes the cost of heating and cooling during peak months very obvious.

IRS Tax Credits

jasond — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:33:41 +0000

There are a number of federal tax credits for consumer energy efficiency. If you purchase an energy-efficient product or renewable energy system for your home, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit. Below you will find an overview of the federal tax credits for energy efficiency. For complete information, visit the EnergyStar Federal Tax Credits web page.

Tax Credits Available Through December 31, 2011

Tax credits are available at 10% of the cost, up to $500, in 2011 (for existing homes only, principal residences) for:

Windows and doors
Insulation
HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning)
Water Heaters (non-solar)
Biomass Stoves
Roofs (Metal & Asphalt)

Tax Credits Available Through 2016

Tax credits are available at 30% of the cost, with no upper limit through 2016 (for existing homes, new construction, principal and secondary residences) for:

Geothermal Heat Pumps
Solar Panels
Solar Water Heaters
Small Wind Energy Systems

Residential Fuel Cell and Microturbine Systems

Tax credits are available at 30% of the cost, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity for existing homes and new construction. for residential fuel cell and microturbine systems. Homes must be your principal residence.

For complete information, visit the EnergyStar Federal Tax Credits web page.