Jesse and Andrea Ibanez know a thing or two about houses. They are real estate agents with training in sustainable building practices and energy efficiency. So when Andrea developed a constant cough after moving into their house in Pacific Beach, they knew their living environment could be the cause.
"Something did not feel right," Andrea recalls. "I was suspicious that the age and condition of the house may be a factor."
Maybe your guest bedroom is frigid and drafty in the winter, forcing Aunt Linda to layer on the blankets and run the space heater all night. Perhaps your south-facing rooms are unbearably hot in the summer, reducing your indoor comfort zone. Or you're simply tired of high energy bills — year-round or seasonally, or both.
You’re ready to fix these problems. But what’s your first step?
Mark Remy bought his 1960s era San Diego home in 2008 as a fixer-upper. But even after remodeling, with new windows, sliding doors, stucco, ceilings and more, it still wasn't as comfortable as he wanted.
"When I moved into my house, it was like camping out," Mark said. "In the winter, I could see my breath in the morning." He was also concerned about the safety of the natural gas-burning wall heater.
A microgrid is an approach to electrical supply that allows local users more control over the optimization of power sources and uses. As more microgrids are installed for local energy production and distribution, the risk of cyberattacks on utility infrastructure also increases.
$2.2 million effort to increase use of combined heat & power
CCSE will receive $2.2 million over four years from the Department of Energy to provide support and technical assistance throughout California, Nevada and Hawaii to drive wider development of cogeneration energy technologies as solutions to the nation’s energy issues.
Skip and Sandy Florey of Mira Mesa first learned about home energy upgrades by attending an energy efficiency home tour in 2012. "We wanted to find out what else we could do to save energy and make our home more comfortable," Sandy recalls.
At the tour, they signed up for an energy assessment and discovered their ducts were leaking 30 percent of the conditioned air and their water heater was generating unsafe levels of carbon monoxide.
Residents in a large section of San Diego North County are now drinking water treated by 100% clean energy thanks to an innovative power system recently installed by the Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD) that transforms water pressure into electricity.
Even a mild Oceanside winter can make a home uncomfortable if it's not properly insulated and sealed. That's what Mark and Jenny Zajac discovered after purchasing their 1970s split-level home last year.
"It was quite drafty and we had to use space heaters in our son's bedroom and in our home office," Jenny recalled. She said the summer was no better, reporting the house would get up to over 90 degrees.
When Michael and Jessica Wolf bought their 1911-built Craftsman home in the South Park area of San Diego, it came with the original furnace and a lot of air leakage. "The house was very drafty with air coming in through the windows and floors," recalls Michael.
To make the home more comfortable, the couple incorporated energy upgrades into their remodel plans. Improvements included new ducts, air sealing, attic and wall insulation and a tankless water heater. They also had dual-pane windows and ENERGY STAR appliances installed.
CCSE is now a member of the new Department of Energy Better Buildings Residential Network, which connects energy efficiency programs and partners to share best practices and learn from each other to increase the number of American homes that are energy efficient.
CSE's Clean Energy Financing Advisory Council (CEFAC) will present a panel of experts exploring the growing market for energy storage technologies in partnership with the San Francisco Department of the Environment from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, at the San Francisco Main Public Library.
CSE’s Clean Energy Financing Advisory Council (CEFAC) is kicking off a two-year tour of California to increase awareness of financing programs and options that support home and commercial energy improvement projects throughout the state in an effort to help stimulate clean energy adoption.
The California Energy Commission has awarded $4.5 million to CSE to develop workforce resources in disadvantaged communities to help improve the state’s energy efficiency in existing buildings. Funds for the four-year program are part of the commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) initiative to create new power grid solutions and foster energy sector innovations.
