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Our Environment - Sarasota Green House Project
Sarasota County was so impressed with our Sarasota Green House Project that they said they were going to use it as a model for implementing a County wide example for a Green Residential Certification Program.
Primary Sponsor
Co-Sponsors
Gutters, downspouts, rescreening
Tree Trimming and Removal, Inc.
941- 922-7518
Absolute Windows & Shutters, Inc.
Energy Efficient and Impact Windows
(941) 485-7774
Free Estimates
Bill Swanson
Go Green with Internet Advertising OurTownSarasota..com Advertising.....it works!
Tree Trimming and Removal, Inc.
We Trim Shrubs, Trees
Stump Grinding
Prepare your trees for hurricanes
now
Wayne Shelton
Licensed and Insured
941- 922-7518
5-27-09
Learn about Florida's Solar Energy Policies and Rebates.
Sarasota
Sustainability
Sarasota County Government on how we can help protect
our local environment.
Solar is our future
Here are some other interesting solar PV energy facts from the
U.S. Department of Energy: PV stands for photo voltaic or solar panels.
• Compared with electricity generated from fossil fuels, each kilowatt of
PV-produced electricity offsets up to 830 pounds of oxides of nitrogen, 1,500
pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 217,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, every year,
according to a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
• Studies have shown that, depending on the type of PV technology, the clean
energy payback of a PV system ranges from one to four years. With life
expectancies of 30 years, 87% to 97% of the energy produced by PV systems will
be free of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Today, the PV industry generates about 3,000 jobs for every $100 million of
module sales. If the industry continues to grow at the rate we've seen in the
last few years -- an average of about 36% -- it could employ some 150,000
Americans in high-value, high-tech jobs within 20 years (Solar Electricity: The
Power of Choice, 2001).
• Contrary to some popular notions, the landscape of a world relying on PV would
be almost indistinguishable from the landscape we know today. ... In the United
States, cities and residences cover about 140 million acres of land. We could
supply every kilowatt-hour of our nation's current energy requirements simply by
applying PV to 7% of this area -- on roofs, on parking lots, along highway
walls, on the sides of buildings, and in other dual-use scenarios. ... We still
wouldn't have a land use issue, even if we didn't use roofs for PV. We would
need only 10 million acres of land -- only four-tenths of one percent of the
area of the United States -- to supply all of our nation's energy using PV.
Our Town
Sarasota kicks off Sarasota Green
House Project read on......
OurTown Sarasota spearheads project to make a home more energy efficient and hurricane
proof. The Sarasota Green House Project begins to take shape with: MySafeFlorida Home Survey, FPL Energy Survey,
replacement of 17 windows with hurricane impact and energy efficient windows,
heat pump, programmable thermostat, air duct remediation, extra
insulation, 3 foot overhangs, low volume toilets and showers, polyfoam hurricane
tile, six ceiling fans, low energy light bulbs, energy efficient major
appliances, tree canopies, creek irrigation. Watch as this 1973 Sarasota Florida
cypress front house transforms. Future projects include low energy
pool pump, salt chlorinator, efficient pool filter and vacuum and solar pool
heating, solar water and a solar electric grid. The owner will hold open public
tours. 9-08
The Sarasota Green House Project new energy efficient windows are proving their weight in gold. It was 41 degrees outside Monday morning yet the house stayed at 71 degrees with no heat on. That made for a 30 degree heat retention in our book. The Sarasota Green House Project is sponsored by OurTown Sarasota.com.
A dining room bay window with paper thin glass is replaced with a energy
efficient high impact window as part of the OurTown Sarasota Green House
Project. New energy efficient windows can reportedly reduce your energy bill
by up to 30%.
Local residents turn more to zero scaping with no grass to water.
This home's landscape also provides shade with numerous trees.
More local homeowners are going with less lawn to
water and more plants. It makes sense but some homeowner associations ban taking
out lawns.
Lake Okeechobee still almost 4 feet below normal levels. In 2007, during a drought, state water and wildlife managers removed thousands of truckloads of toxic mud from the lake's floor, in an effort to return to the lake's natural sandy base and create clearer water and better habitat for wildlife. The mud contained elevated levels of arsenic and other pesticides. According to tests from the South Florida Water Management District, arsenic levels on the northern part of the lake bed were as much as four times the limit for residential land. Independent tests found the mud to be too polluted for use on agricultural or commercial lands, and therefore difficult to even dispose on land.
Solar Grids
FPL now is required to buy back excess electricity that you generate from your solar systems at the current retail rate.
Additional information Florida solar incentives
*
13 sea turtles get
disoriented on Venice beaches. The turtles are hatching now and get thrown off
course from lights at night. Beach dwellers and goers should keep their outside
lights off at night.
*
Read how the earth
would need 4 more planets if
everyone consumed like Sarasota.
Maybe
it's time to return to horses:)
* Only 3.6% of Florida's energy comes from renewable energy. A new net metering program in Florida lets homeowners sell their extra solar power back to FPL. Germany is far ahead of the U.S. in solar, they installed 1,100 megawatts of solar photovoltaic panels in 2007. Meantime, a daily output of 205 megawatts of solar photovoltaic panels were installed in the U.S. in the same year.
The Sarasota Green House set up their rain barrels on Saturday. The Sarasota Green House was set up by OurTown Sarasota with local area sponsors. The combination rain barrels and cistern will collect around 500 gallons of run off from the gutters. 11/09
Our Sarasota Green House gardener tried these "Earth Boxes" to grow veggies. Zuchs on the left, then string beans, followed by tomatoes. We have never seen plants take off so fast and grow so large in Sarasota before.
Our Sarasota Green House lawn prior to us putting locally made Florikan
on it. We'll watch it green up over the next four weeks. Florikan makes a
Summer Safe fertilizer that releases no nitrogen into the environment. The
county requires no nitrogen during summer feeding. Tell us how you are
making sure your lawn person uses nitrogen free over the summer.
At the Sarasota Green House (SGH) , 1/22/09, morning temps hit 29 degrees outside. Inside with no heat on the temp was 66 degrees due to new energy efficient windows. The SGH's home insurance premium also declined by around $800 a year due to the impact resistance of the windows. Reduced energy consumption and impact windows pays.
This is a shot of the main window in the front of the Sarasota Green House
before a change out of energy efficient impact windows .
The Sarasota Green House Project, energy-impact window replacement
portion,
kicked off , with the delivery of new windows before daybreak, 9-17-08.
Follow this page as we chronicle the installation of these windows by Absolute
Windows and Shutters, Inc. We give Absolute Windows high marks for one of the
most professional jobs we have ever seen. We interviewed around six window
installation companies and most we wouldn't do business with.
New energy impact windows are installed in OurTown Sarasota's
Green House this week. Energy impact windows will save this homeowner
around $400 per year in insurance savings and at least another $600 in
energy costs. 9-19-08
Watch as OurTown Sarasota evaluates solar grids for their
Sarasota Green House Project.
We are testing an environmental roof cleaner, Spray & Forget.
Sunday we sprayed half of the front of the house, but stopped because rain
threatened the area. The spray is meant to be sprayed on and not washed
off. It reportedly cleans and kills any fungus within 3-6 months with no
power washing. We liked the idea because the product is non-toxic and
wouldn't damage the tile or the 90# under the tile. Most commercial roof
cleaners use chlorine which can degrade the 90# or asphalt roofs and is toxic.
New windows look better visually and save you energy costs
Photo
CWS
Watch our next phase of the Sarasota Green House Project as we have installed 15 hurricane, high impact, high efficiency windows. We will show you before, during installation and after installation photos. Learn what we spent months researching to help guide you through the process.
The State of Florida as of this writing ran out of funds for subsidizing impact windows. However, those that applied for the funds and don't use the money may get funneled back into the system. www.mysafefloridahome.com
Windows can save you 30% of your energy cost. And hundreds of dollars in insurance premiums.
Photo
CWS
With multiple layers of glass and a low-e coating on the inside
glass your windows can save you up to 30% on your cooling or heating bills.
State Solar Incentives
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has applications for rebates and tax credits for purchasing and installing new solar equipment. For homeowners who have watched their rising electricity bills in recent months, this is good news. Floridians who purchase and install a solar water heating system can now receive a rebate of up to $500 ($100 for pool heating system).
Rebates on water heating systems on commercial properties will be calculated at $15 per 1000 Btu per day with a maximum $5,000 rebate.
Also available are rebates for purchasing and installing photovoltaic systems for solar-generated electricity (calculated at $4 per rated watt). Rebates will be allowed at a maximum of $20,000 for residential installations, while systems on commercial property may qualify for up to a $100,000 rebate.
Applications for solar incentives are available at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/energy/energyact/solar.htm
Once complete and after choosing a contractor, you need to fill out an application for interconnection with FPL. If you have already filled out the interconnection request at the federal level, you do not need to do this at the state level.
Additional information Florida solar incentives