WNC Green Building Council Introduce Green Gauge
The Western North Carolina Green Building Council (WNCGBC) recently introduced a new program called Green Gauge. This simple program assesses how green an existing home actually is. It is the perfect comparison tool for buyers or sellers of green homes or for homeowners needing recommendations on how to make their home healthier and more efficient. Green Gauge participants receive recommendations for energy upgrades as well as an estimate of how these improvements can reduce utility bills and improve their Home Energy Score (HES). The HES is an energy-rating system from the U.S. Department of Energy that measures your home’s energy performance.
Clean Energy Investments Spurring Local Economies in NC
Good news comes to us this Earth Day from the NC Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA): clean energy is working for North Carolina! According to a new RTI International report, clean energy, which includes renewable energy and energy efficiency, is a good investment for the state of North Carolina since $1.64 in revenues were returned to state and local governments for every $1 of state incentive claimed. The latest report shows that between 2007 and 2015, $12 billion were generated from $6.3 billion in clean energy investments, and these investments were nearly 20 times larger than the state incentives for them. Rural communities
Clean Energy Assistance Program Now Available to Asheville Residents
Do you spend a lot on your energy bill every month? Have you ever considered offsetting your bill with solar power or energy efficiency? A new local program, Clean Energy for WNC (CE4WNC), makes it cheaper and easier than ever before for individuals in Asheville and Western NC to adopt solar power and energy efficiency in their home or business. CE4WNC used a group-purchasing model to negotiate a deep price discount on solar technologies and has organized energy audits for participants who enroll before October 1, 2015. The contractors providing these services were selected through a competitive bidding process of nearly