Wired Up! 83% of Americans support incentives for using solar.

Source: Climate Progress

A new Gallup poll shows strong support for more renewable energy incentives.

Guest Blogger Daniel J. Weiss is CAPAF’s Director of Climate Strategy.

Congressional advocates of suspending the Clean Air Act to block the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring reductions in carbon dioxide pollution either don’t know or don’t care that the public overwhelmingly opposes their efforts. What’s worse is that they pretend that the public is on their side just because their big oil and other special interest pals are egging them on to stop EPA from protecting our families’ health.

Take Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the new Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In December he co-wrote an article with the head of Americans for Prosperity, an organization funded by the Koch Brothers who own Koch Industries – a major polluter. The article falsely claimed that “We think the American consumer would prefer” that EPA not establish carbon pollution safeguards. This claim is disproven by recent public opinion research.

ORC International – the pollster for CNN – conducted a nationwide poll for the Natural Resources Defense Council. It found overwhelming support for more – not fewer – EPA safeguards.

This ORC International survey … conducted among a national probability sample of 1,007 adults… [The] survey was completed during the period January 27-30, 2011. The margin of error …is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Americans want the EPA to do more, not less. Almost two thirds of Americans (63 percent) say “the EPA needs to do more to hold polluters accountable and protect the air and water,” versus under a third (29 percent) who think the EPA already “does too much and places too many costly restrictions on businesses and individuals.” Well under than half of Republicans (44 percent), less than a third of Independents (29 percent) and under a fifth of Democrats (16 percent) think the EPA is going too far today.

Americans do not want Congress to kill the EPA’s anti-pollution updates. Only 18 percent of Americans – including fewer than a third of Republicans (32 percent) — believe that “Congress should block the EPA from updating pollution safeguards,” after being told: “Some members of Congress are proposing to block the Environmental Protection Agency from updating safeguards to protect our health from dangerous air pollution, saying they will cost businesses too much money.” More than three out of four Americans (77 percent) — including 61 percent of Republicans – say “Congress (should) let the EPA do its job.”

The latest USA Today/Gallup poll found that creating incentives to invest in solar and other forms of alternative energy is the top priority of Americans.

Of eight actions Congress could take this year, Americans most favor an energy bill that provides incentives for using alternative energy (83%), an overhaul of the federal tax code (76%), and speeding up withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan (72%).

Of the eight proposals, the alternative energy bill and tax code overhaul ideas show the greatest bipartisan agreement, with 74% or more of each party group favoring these.

With Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and Democrats in control of the Senate, it would appear the proposals with the best chances of passing are those that generate strong bipartisan support. That is clearly the case for a bill that would provide incentives for increased use of alternative energy.

Data shows households are aging, homeowners choosing energy efficiency to protect against declining home values.

From AltEnergyMag:

Data shows less people are buying houses. According to recent data from the AJC and the National Realtors Association, “Nationally, sales of existing homes plunged in July to the lowest level in 15 years, despite the lowest mortgage rates in decades and bargain prices in many areas. One large factor: the expiration of federal tax credits aimed at pumping up the market.

Sales in July fell by more than 27 percent from June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million, the Realtors group said Tuesday. It was the largest monthly drop on records dating back to 1968. Sales were also down 25 percent from July 2009.”

This data can also be interpreted to say that more people are living in their houses longer. Lengthier occupancy rates means homeowners will run into more problems related to their aging homes.

Its a perfect time for people to get comfortable in their existing homes and focus on home improvements and other upgrades that will add value to their biggest investments.
Better home energy efficiency is a great way to increase the value of your home while simultaneously save you save you money on monthly utility expenses.

Energy efficient appliances are great and sure, those GA Power dogs are darn cute, but these small upgrades are not going to translate into considerable energy savings.

Did you know your roof is one of the leading causes of temperature absorption on your home, forcing your air conditioning to continuously run and significantly increase your energy costs?
The most common type of roofing is asphalt shingles which provides zero energy efficiency and needs periodic replacing.

An alternative roofing option is metal paneling which does provide energy protection, especially if you find an Energy Star rated metal roof.

There is a great company called Energy Roofing Systems (www.energyroofingsystems.net) located in metro Atlanta that offers such a solution which they claim will reduce your energy bill up to 40% and never need to be replaced.

Additionally, their “SmarterRoofs” as they are dubbing them, are an excellent base to install solar panels on top of.

According to a survey by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , more people are choosing alternative energy sources like wind and solar power.

Using data from the U.S. Department of Energy, the laboratory said energy use fell from 99.2 quadrillion BTUs (quads) in 2008 to 94.6 quadrillion BTUs in 2009, a drop of nearly 5 percent. Laboratory analysts said that while some of the decline was due to the economic recession, the drop also came about because Americans are using more efficient vehicles and appliances.
The laboratory said that electricity generation from solar arrays, wind turbines, geothermal wells, and hydroelectric dams all grew from 2008 to 2009, with wind power showing the most dramatic increase, from .51 quads in 2008 to .70 quads last year. “The increase in renewables is a really good story,” said A.J. Simon, an energy analyst at the lab. “It’s a result of very good incentives and technological advances.”

Installing solar panels on your house is a great way to take advantage of federal and state tax incentives while protecting against utility rate hikes.

Combined with solar technology, Energy Roofing Systems says energy savings with a SmarterRoof can be expected in the range of 55-70%.

For more information you can visit their website at www.energyroofingsystems.net