Enough crude oil has spilled in the gulf to power all of Maine’s oil-based electrical generation plants

It’s now been a month since the catastrophic drilling accident that lead to the loss of 11 lives and the spewing of at least 5,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day (some scientists say that number may be much higher).

We won’t spend time here elaborating on the unprecedented environmental disaster save to say that all conscientious people are taking a hard look at their lifestyle and evaluating how we can get this nasty black stuff out of our lives.

Many of us feel powerless about our reliance on oil – we need basic transportation, we need homes that are comfortable to live in, and power to do our jobs and run our households. How can we reduce the role of oil in our lives?

It’s Going Out the Window

What you may not know is that a shocking amount of oil in New England goes into heating our homes. The US Energy Information Administration says of Maine “About three-quarters of Maine’s households – the highest share in the Nation – use fuel oil for home heating.” That amounts to roughly 17 million barrels of oil used each year (Source:
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=ME).

This leads to a number of problems for us. Not only is it dangerous to use a product that is environmentally destructive, but we expose ourselves to the risk of a fluctuating market.

Maine has no fossil fuel reserves and no refining capacity – the crude oil that is imported into Portland Harbor is then shipped to refineries in Quebec or Ontario, Canada (again, US Energy Information Administration). We are vulnerable not only to ecological ramifications, but also to market forces.

Our dependence on oil emerged when fossil fuel was cheap, and weatherization poorly understood and not a priority. As a result, we see time and again inefficient mechanical systems installed on homes, causing expensive oil heat to pour, literally, out the window.

What About Electricity?

Electricity has an equally scary genesis. Maine does have a mandate for minimum 30% renewable electric sources, provided mostly by hydro. Clean, solar electric, which is proven in Maine, doesn’t yet register on the radar as a major energy source:

Instead, natural gas and oil, both fossil fuels, dominate our electricity consumption. The basic reality is that adoption of renewable energy is still very slow, though the need is more urgent than ever.

How You Can Change Your Relationship with Oil

Walk more, drive less. Eat local. And consider carefully how your home consumes energy.

In many houses, switching to a solar hot water system will conserve 300 gallons of oil a year, a savings of roughly 5,500 lbs of C02 emissions each year. An average home solar electric system (sized at 3kw) will save around 2,778 lbs of C02 emissions each year (mostly from coal-fired power plants).

Contact us to talk more. Or leave your suggestions for an oil-free planet below.

New Hampshire’s Electric Co-op (NHEC) has announced a limited number of $1,500 rebates for solar hot water systems. This $1,500 incentive is in addition to the existing 30% federal tax credit, making clean solar energy affordable to many more New Hampshire-ites!

Here are a few guidelines about the new rebate:

• You need to be a member to the co-op.  See: http://www.nhec.com/residential_requestinformation.php
• There is a simple pre-approval project form available online.  We can help you through the process if you need us!  See: http://www.smallsteps.coop/uploadcache/SHW_APPLICATION_2010.pdf (PDF Download)
• You’ll need some photos of your intended solar location, a proposal, system description, and an equipment list.  ReVision Energy is happy to provide all of things for you and we’ll do so during as a follow-up to a free site evaluation.

The application is first-come, first-serve… so get started now!  ReVision happily offers a free consultation and site evaluation at your home or business in Maine or New Hampshire.

This solar hot water system will save an estimated 175 gallons of propane and 2,500 lbs of CO2 emissions annually.

Dr. Barry Rock has grandkids, as well a first hand knowledge of forest ecosystems as seen from space.  One of his areas of expertise at UNH-Durham is the factors contributing to the changing climate and the effects of atmospheric CO2 pollution.

ReVision employee and NH branch manager Will Kessler recalls lectures at the university that had descriptions of the “atmospheric sewer” produced by the SO2 and NO2 emissions of the mid-twentieth century, and vivid accounts of NASA’s first missions using satellite imaging to map the chemistry of forest canopies from above.

Dr. Rock and his wife Gerrie have shown their commitment to the environment by adding an evacuated tube solar hot water system to their house.  By only calling on the propane boiler for rare backup water heating, the system is estimated to save about 175 gallons of propane, and roughly 2,500 lbs of CO2 annually.

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

Fortunat Mueller, one of ReVision Energy’s resident professional engineers, gave a presentation at the first annual MABEP professional training conference held Jan 12-13 at the Holiday Inn By the Bay.

Fortunat’s presentation was geared towards home energy auditors who want to better understand the economics of solar hot water and in what situations solar hot water can result in tremendous energy savings.

In addition to simply replacing fossil fuels for heating of domestic hot water, a solar hot water system can often enable a home to dramatically reduce the use of a oil burner for water heating – particularly in the summer months, where an oil burner may not need to fire for months at a time.

The above clip shows Fortunat describing why solar hot water works extremely well for domestic hot water, and how boiler upgrades combined with a solar thermal system can dramatically reduce oil consumption.

Geoff Sparrow gives a lesson on energy savings at Mast Landing School in Freeport.
View more photos in our gallery

ReVision’s Geoff Sparrow was invited to teach a lesson on solar systems to a third grade class at Mast Landing School in Freeport.

To help illustrate how well solar works – even in winter! – we set up a single evacuated solar hot water tube outside with a temperature gauge attached to it.

We were able to show the kids the heat generated with the tube in the sunshine… 100+ degrees of heating in less than 20 minutes!

We also did an in class activity (see photo, right) that taught the differences between energy saving actions and energy wasting actions.

We always love the opportunity to get into classrooms to talk about renewable energy – kids intuitively “get it” and are eager to take an active role in preserving the planet that will be inherited by them.

If you’re interested in having someone at ReVision speak at your school or nonprofit, just contact us – we’d love to do it.

Wall Street Journal journalist Gwendolyn Bounds wrote a story on solar hot water for homeowners – what the technology is like, how it works, and the quite impressive economics of investing in solar hot water.

Rather than tackling the environmental benefits of drastically reducing your oil consumption (since in many homes, a solar hot water system can eliminate boiler usage during summertime), the article focused on the great economic incentives for installing solar hot water.

In Maine, these incentives include a $1000 rebate from Efficiency Maine, as well as a 30% tax credit offered by the federal government.

This economics over environment approach is increasingly common – indeed, it’s consistent with the approach Obama took in the State of the Union – and seems to be steering the minds even of those still skeptical of global warming.

Bounds writes:

In the average home, harnessing the sun’s free energy for daily hot-water needs can be a more practical and affordable bet [than solar electricity]. Water-heating is the third-largest energy expense in most households, after space heating and air-conditioning, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. This year, Hawaii began mandating solar water heaters in most new homes, and cold-weather locales such as New York and Colorado are among the state leaders in installations.

A misconception in Maine is that it is too cold for solar, a fact that is totally untrue! In fact, Maine is far sunnier than Germany, the world-leader in solar installations. Today, a gray January day in Maine, our solar hot water tank at the shop reads a toasty 138 degrees.

Whether your motivations are environmentally or economically driven (or better yet, both!) we appreciate the Wall Street Journal’s efforts in presenting the facts about solar hot water to homeowners.

If you’d like some more information on the technology for yourself, take a look at our solar hot water page or contact us to talk about a free site evaluation at your home or business.

Photo credit: lsk208

Maine summers thrive with tourists from all over the world seeking to experience the pristine coastal landscape, feast on the abundance of seafood, and enjoy the historic New England culture.

The hospitality industry is an essential part of Maine’s economy. According to the Maine Planning Office “the economic impact of tourism in Maine is huge. In 2006 it generated roughly $10 billion in sales of goods and services, 140,000 jobs, and $3 billion in earnings.”

To ensure a sustainable future for the hospitality industry, lodging and restaurant owners are starting to take measures to mitigate their energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Reduced Oil Use Means Obvious ROI

For example, it takes an average of 2.4 gallons of hot water to prepare each meal served in a restaurant. Michael Boland, owner of Rupununi’s Restaurant in Bar Harbor, is using a solar hot water system to reduce oil consumption. “Our oil bill has been dramatically reduced since we put in the system,” say Boland, who subsequently had solar hot water installed at his other restaurant, Guinness & Porcelli’s.

“From an investment standpoint, solar hot water is a very wise one for restaurant owners. Usually you buy equipment and hope it lasts 5-10 years, and hope that the new piece increases efficiency enough to sort of pay its way. But with these (solar) panels, the savings have been obvious.”

Green Initiatives are Great for Marketing

Green initiatives can be a powerful marketing tool to distinguish a lodging facility or restaurant from its competition. As consumers are more aware of how their purchasing power can enact change, they are demanding that businesses they support be mindful and supportive of their environment.

Scott Cowger, owner of Maple Hill Farm B&B in Hallowell, has invested heavily in renewable energy systems to make his facility one of the first to earn recognition as an Environmental Leader in Maine.

The state Environmental Leader program certifies businesses that meet a certain criteria, i.e. energy efficient upgrades, use of non-toxic cleaning products, and the implementation of renewable energy. The Innkeepers can use the state’s Environmental Leader logo for marketing purposes and consumers seem to be taking notice.

Cowger estimates that 20 percent of his customers choose Maple Hill Farm because of the inn’s green practices. Maple Hill Farm has solar hot water, solar power and a wind turbine, all installed by ReVision Energy.

The systems have saved more than $20,000 in power costs over the past 2 years and eliminated more than 40,000 lbs. of CO2 emissions. Read more about Maine’s Environmental Leader program.

The Case for Commercial Solar Power and Solar Hot Water

ReVision Energy has put together a financial analysis for commercial solar hot water, called How Solar Hot Water Can be a Great Investment – PDF.

If you are interested to learn about how solar can be a cash flow positive investment for your facility, contact us.