Link: http://bit.ly/don4tX

Astralux Solar is a sponsor of AM760 David Sirota's Low Impact Week:

I was inspired to reduce my carbon footprint after having a conversation with Colin Beavan who created the book and movie "No Impact Man." You can do it too! It's a one-week challenge to reduce our carbon emissions and have less of an impact on our environment in general. No, you don't have to build a hut in the woods and wear a loincloth. I'm breaking it down to 5 simple things we can do without. Each day of the week we'll add one more thing to try and stick with it for the remainder of the week...

Click here to join the challenge: http://bit.ly/don4tX

From June 1st to September 31st, electricity for Colorado homes will cost up to $0.15 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Traditionally this year, electricity from Xcel Energy in Colorado has run around $0.105 per kWh.

With the new two tiered rate system just released by Xcel, every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity above 500 used by a residential home in a given month will be subject to this much higher fee. The average household electricity consumption in Colorado is around 700kWh per month - which means the average family would pay the 2nd-tier rate on about 200kWh of their usage.

Here's a simple breakdown

Traditional Rate System:

700kWh (Usage) x $0.105 (Avg. Electricity Rate) = $73.50

New 2-Tier Rate System:

Tier 1 - 500kWh (Usage) x $0.10 (Avg. Tier 1 Rate) = $50.00
Tier 2 - 200kWh (Usage) x $0.15 (Avg. Tier 2 Rate) = $30.00
Total = $80.00 ($0.115 per kWh)

This would represent a 9% increase. For bigger users of electricity, this new tier will represent a significant increase in their summer electricity bill.

Fortunately you have a remedy - solar energy! Solar is producing best during these summer months, and can drive your usage into the lower tier or eliminate it altogether.

Solar just got more valuable in Colorado.

Solar Energy has by far the largest impact on reducing energy costs, as a 5kW system will cover ALL of the electrical needs of an average home. However, the up-front cost can be daunting to some homeowners. But that cost has come down significantly, and with rebates and tax credits, solar becomes a competitive investment and the most profitable home improvement possible.

Aside from solar, there are also other great energy efficient options that are low cost, easy to implement, and have a significant impact on energy costs:

- CFL's: Easiest to implement and cheap. Payback is very quick.
- Programmable Thermostat: A new (and correctly programmed) thermostat will easily pay for itself in a year.
- Ceiling Fans: Also fairly cheap and fairly easy to implement.
- Air Leakage Seal-up: Again fairly low upfront cost, and pays for itself in a year or two.
- Refrigerator / Freezer: Especially if they are older. A new Energy Star or SunFrost Fridge can easily save a household a couple hundred dollars a year in energy.

Every option above, aside from the Refrigerator / Freezer, are usually under $500 and rather non-intrusive. They all offer paybacks of less than 2 years.

These options can also greatly increase the effectiveness of your solar energy system, as your home will use less power - and the excess energy you create from solar can then be sold back to the utility!

Now, if you are a household that has the money and patience to really go green, then insulation (inside walls, outside walls, ceiling), heating system replacement, and other appliances (stove/range, dishwasher, clothes washer/dryer) can also offer great paybacks – but over the long term.

The Proliferation of Solar in the Media

----------------------
Nichole Lecander
Astralux Power Systems
----------------------

Nowadays, you can’t read a newspaper, watch the news, or browse the internet without running across something related to the green movement. The green revolution is everywhere, it is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years, and is currently generating $250 billion annually. Every part of our daily lives can be impacted by green initiatives, such as the cars we drive, the products we buy, and who we elect for public office. New businesses are being built on green motives, and already existing businesses are changing practices to become “greener” focused. This revolution is nothing new when comparing changes in past economies, such as the industrial revolution. We are constantly changing eras due to new technologies, what is different about this revolution is the media coverage and how the media has impacted our thoughts and ideas on this new economy.

Today, the media is a huge part of everyone’s life. People today are constantly bombarded with news and opinions. We are more connected than ever before, which makes sharing information incredibly easy and addictive. We turn on the TV or computer and learn the most recent happenings throughout the world, including the problems plaguing our nation, especially when it comes to oil dependency and global warming and the green revolution is portrayed as a solution to these dilemmas. The green revolution is seen as progressing from an economy based on dirty, nonrenewable resources to clean resources that can be used forever. We have begun to see the consequences of using nonrenewable energies as a source for power, and are realizing how finite these resources are. Scientists have known for a couple of decades the dangers of dependence on nonrenewable energies, but the public has been slow to see these problems and the media deserves much of the credit to changing the way the public thinks about going green.

The public has not always had such a positive outlook on environmental issues. For instance, the term environmentalist has had a negative connotation since the first environmental movement in the 1970’s and with the radical environmentalists of the 1990’s. Today, however, anyone can be an environmentalist. Environmentalism is not seen as terribly outrageous, many people try to green their lives in small ways that does not make them appear extreme, but responsible. This is due in large part to the media, which has suddenly become fascinated with anything green.

The Green movement can be found everywhere, from Oprah to the Today Show to episodes of Jon and Kate plus Eight. Tips of how to green your life as well as stories of people who are making a difference can be found easily across many media sources, not just TV. MSN frequently publishes green material as a main item in their newsfeed, as well as a Green Living button on the top of the site where a person can find advice for just about anything. Newspapers regularly run articles about the benefits of going green and talk shows have segments involving the best way to green your home. Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” can be credited with generating enough media attention to make global warming such an important issue. Now many consumers think about how their lifestyle is affecting our planet and what they can do to help. A channel dedicated to becoming more eco-conscious has appeared through Direct TV. “Planet Green” allows viewers to learn more about becoming green through others’ examples as well as providing small tips that make a big difference in helping the environment. NBC has launched an annual “green week” where they broadcast 150 hours of environmentally themed content during April when Earth Day occurs. They incorporate green themed storylines into several daytime and primetime shows, and also provide a website dedicated to “greening your routine.” When successful corporations begin changing major practices and demonstrating how their company fits into this green era, it becomes apparent how important it is to go green and the media is the number one way to get the word out that a company holds these values.

The green movement in the media has grown so much recently that powerful companies are not only paying attention, but changing their image to appear more environmentally friendly. Exxon Mobil, whose focus is selling and producing petroleum products, has created commercials stating how their scientists are constantly researching more energy efficient and environmentally friendly practices. This is the world’s largest oil company in a world that is constantly demanding more and more energy and they see the importance of making their image more environmentally conscious. BP, formerly British Petroleum has changed their tagline to Beyond Petroleum in hopes of coming across as more green. This shows how important the green movement is, these companies know the green revolution will not be a passing fad, but needs to be taken seriously when deciding how to portray themselves to the media and their customers.

Other events have furthered the green movement, such as news coverage on global warming, our dependency on foreign oil, and our wasteful habits that have helped bring upon our current economic crisis. Today, more and more people are paying closer attention to how their current lifestyle impacts themselves, their family, and the environment. This involves paying close attention to their energy resources, which has encouraged families to look into alternative forms of energy, specifically solar.

The prevalence of the media has greatly increased the acceptance of solar in our society. The past attempts at making solar energy more popular may have failed due to the lack of media support. This new technology was seen as a good thing, but it was not regarded as terribly urgent, so it was not given the amount of attention as it is now. Today, we are constantly hearing about problems such as global warming, oil dependency, and rising fuel costs, and solar is conveyed as a product to help alleviate these problems. Government initiatives have also sparked recent media attention, especially concerning the stimulus package. President Obama specifically mentioned solar when he signed the stimulus bill in Denver while observing panels on the rooftop of a museum. While past renewable energy measures encouraged the growth of this industry, these new measures are more beneficial and encourage consumers to invest in renewable energy. These new incentives have prompted more media coverage, which will increase the popularity of solar, which will in turn produce new incentives for the growth of this industry even further, causing higher efficiencies and better economies of scale. States are also proposing new bills that create a more favorable environment for the implementation of solar. For instance, Colorado is proposing that builders be required to offer different options concerning renewable energy, such as pre-wiring for a potential solar system to the installation of an actual solar system. The US has implemented solar legislation that has set the stage for solar to flourish in the future, just as other countries have, such as Germany and Japan. Germany is the leading market when it comes to solar energy. The market for photovoltaic systems tripled in 2004, which caused an enormous rise in investment. The price of fossil fuels has also been on the rise between the years 2004-2008, which makes solar even more attractive to consumers. These reasons, along with strong initiatives implemented by the government, made Germany the leading solar country, which may come as a surprise since Germany does not have the reputation as being the sunniest place in the world.

Companies that manufacture solar products are also beginning to become more prevalent in the media. Sharp is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of home appliances, business products, entertainment electronics, and solar systems. While they are no stranger to the media, their marketing tactics have changed slightly to bring solar into the spotlight. They are a hugely successful company and now see a great opportunity to expand their market by promoting their solar products in their commercials. Before, their commercials included glimpses of these solar systems, but focused on other products they offered, while today some commercials are focused primarily on these systems. This illustrates how important solar is expected to be in the near future and how companies are taking advantage of this valuable opportunity in a growing industry.

Although the media today typically portrays solar in a positive light, there are those who do not find solar as a positive investment and do not see the importance of switching to renewable energies at this time. The expense of solar is the most common hindrance to the solar industry, and people think it is not efficient enough or has reached the economies of scale necessary to make this purchase worthwhile. While most people are in agreement about the negative aspects of our dependence on foreign oil, the solution for this problem is up for debate. Some people think we should invest in oil exploration in our own country instead of investing in renewables. The current green movement portrayed by our media is generally in favor of renewable energy because of the harmful effects more drilling will have on our environment and the continued negative effects fossil fuels have on our air. There is no escaping the age of information we are in today which gives the media a lot of power over the information we receive, but we do know what is good for the environment and ourselves in the long run.

Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/03/16/daily18.html

This comes as no surprise, as this is Xcel's 5th increase in a little over 2 1/2 years.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Xcel Energy on Monday filed for permission to raise electricity rates in Colorado by 2.6 percent.

The approval has to come from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. If approved, the higher rate would take effect April 1 and bring in $14.6 million more in the second quarter.

Xcel files with the PUC every quarter an Electric Commodity Adjustment (ECA), which takes into account the costs of fuel used to generate electricity and to purchase energy.

Xcel said that although those prices are down by about 44 percent, the requested increase reflects a $61.5 million shortfall in the previous quarter. The shortfall comes in the utility’s deferred balance.

If the new rate is approved, the average residential customer’s bill would increase by 2.61 percent, or by $1.43 a month, to $56.23. The average small business customer would have a 2.67 percent increase, or $2.33 a month more, to $89.91.

Astralux recently completed a 31kw commercial installation on the IBEW 113 electrical union building in Colorado Springs. The local news stopped by the cover some of the work being performed. If you would like to see a small bit of the report on the system click here:

Astralux News Footage

Congrats to all the members of IBEW 113. It is your leadership that will help chart our path forward to energy independence.

Click on the button below to add us to your Technorati Favorites...