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According to a report recently released by Sen. Charles Schumer [D-N.Y.], home heating costs are expected to increase by 25 percent this year. In fact, he and Sen. Hillary Clinton [D-N.Y.] are among the co-sponsors of a bill that would provide an additional $2.53 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, to benefit Americans at the lowest end of the income spectrum.
What can the average citizen do to help keep home heating costs down AND help conserve valuable energy sources?
We all learned about the renewable and non-renewable sources of energy in school. However, we never paid much attention to the rapid consumption of the non-renewable sources of energy until recently.
The world is faced with a severe energy crisis now, and none of us remains unaffected anymore. Should we leave everything to the governments, or can we do something to save power?
The answer is simple: We CAN take action on our own.
Look at How You Can Save Power at Home
* Computer: More often than not, we do not switch off our monitors -- even after we have shut down our computers. Keep the monitor and the computer switched off when you are not using them. Start practicing this even when at work. You will help save some more power for the world.
* Light Bulbs: By now, you must have seen compact fluorescent light [CFL] bulbs being advertised at your favorite stores. You may have even used them at times. As a power-saving measure, start using the CFL bulbs as much as you can. If you are thinking they are more expensive than the regular bulbs, the benefits of the CFL bulbs will prove much more cost-effective in the long term by the amount of power they will save.
* Air Conditioner: Set the temperature at the minimum or maximum best you are comfortable with, depending on the season. Try not to set it at too high or too low a temperature. Setting the air conditioner at reasonable temperatures helps save a lot of energy.
* Washing Machines: Do you use your washing machine as often as you want? Do you use your washing machine even when there are not enough clothes to wash? Minimize the number of washes by washing full loads of clothes every time.
* Television: Unplug your television set when not using it. This may not sound a big deal, but this tiny step will help save power.
* Geysers: Keep the geyser thermostat at the minimum heat. You don't need to heat the water at a very high temperature or for too long.
* Refrigerator: Bring hot food to room temperatures before putting it into the refrigerator. You can also save power by taking cold or frozen food out of the refrigerator much before the mealtime, thereby saving power in heating it.
* Car: For an air conditioner-equipped car, pull up the windows of your car before switching on the AC.
* Make Power at Home: Learn how to optimize renewable energy sources -- e.g., solar, wind -- to virtually eliminate your power bill. Get the complete Earth4Energy guide today... and become truly empowered!==> http://TinyURL.com/6hem92
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Create your own electricity! Join Earth4Energy today, and save 1,000's of dollars annually!
With winter just around the corner, consumers now have access to a tool that can help them reduce their energy bills up to 25 percent by making some simple improvements around their home. The new tool from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], the Energy Star Home Advisor, provides consumers with customized recommendations for improving energy efficiency and comfort at home. Using energy more efficiently is also another way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Dropping temperatures don't have to lead to rising energy bills," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By making a few energy saving home improvements, Americans can stay warm this winter, while keeping more cold cash in their pockets."
The average family spends $1,900 per year on energy bills. For example, EPA estimates that homeowners can save up to 10 percent on their annual energy bill simply by sealing air leaks and adding insulation. If every American home improved energy efficiency by 10 percent, the result would be 800 pounds of carbon removed from the air each year.
Using the Energy Star Home Advisor, homeowners can enter their ZIP Code and some basic information about the types of fuel used to heat and cool their home, and get recommended home-improvement projects to increase energy efficiency and comfort. Homeowners can also see the average energy savings for these improvements and associated greenhouse gas reductions.
Common recommendations for homeowners include sealing air leaks and ducts; adding insulation; installing a programmable thermostat; replacing older heating, cooling, and water-heating equipment with more efficient units; as well as changing lighting, appliances and windows to Energy Star-qualified models.
Homeowners can visit the Energy Star Home Advisor at: http://www.energystar.gov/homeadvisor.
Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency Expire Dec. 31To encourage homeowners to buy energy-efficient components for their homes, the federal government is offering tax credits that reduce the cost of certain upgrades. But there is a time limit: The breaks expire at the end of this year.Here are a few of the eligible products covered:* Windows, skylights and storm doors: Recoup 10 percent of the cost of materials -- up to $200 for all qualifying windows, skylights and storm windows.* Roofing: Install an Energy Star-certified metal roof and get back 10 percent of the cost -- up to $500.* Insulation: Material must meet the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code. If it does, you can get back 10 percent of the cost -- up to $500.* Water heaters: Certain high-efficiency models qualify for a $300 credit.* Solar power: Install a photovoltaic system to power your home, and get 30 percent of the cost back -- up to $2,000.* Heating and cooling systems: Qualified air-conditioning and heating units provide up to a $300 credit.Click here for complete info about all energy-related tax credits available.About Energy StarEnergy Star was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the Energy Star label [see logo sample, above] can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products as well as new homes. Products that have earned the Energy Star designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government.
Last year alone, Americans -- with the help of Energy Star -- saved about $14 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 25 million vehicles.
Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy designed to save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices.Source: Energystar.gov____________________Shop Solar and Rewewable Energy Items at Gaiam.com!
Jim Cramer, of "Mad Money" TV and best-selling book fame, has gone green, folks. Per usual, he's sharing the wealth of his keen insights with, well, anyone who actually invests the time and energy to pay attention to the teachings of the venerable "Professor Cramer."From Monday, April 16, through Friday, April 20, Cramer implemented a weeklong "Green Day" stock theme. Why? To pay homage to April 2, the day of a Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts vs. the Environmental Protection Agency. The ruling made it profitable for market players to invest in environmentally friendly companies, he said.
Here's the recap:
Monday -- April 16, 2007
On the first day of his "Green Day" series, Cramer focused on his two favorite plays in the power sector: Foster Wheeler [FWLT] and Shaw Group [SGR]. These two companies, he noted, are "making themselves cleaner and the atmosphere cleaner."
Now that the Supreme Court has decided to make pollution "public enemy No.1," Foster Wheeler "is attractive for its low multiple," Cramer said. "This one is going to take a huge run." He believes that the $68 stock will go to $105.
Foster Wheeler is "a leader in fluidized bed boilers," Cramer said. Power plants use boilers to convert coal, gas or wood into energy, and the best part about Foster Wheeler's boilers is that they're "flexible" and allow power plants to cut sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, he said.
"This company is so in the sweet spot, it's scary," Cramer said, adding that regardless of its environmentally friendly nature, he considers it a "great buy" right now.
Moreover, Shaw Group has nuclear power, which is the "best way to go -- from a global warming perspective," he continued. It recently won a couple of contracts, expects to get more contracts in the next few months and "has a huge inside edge on nuclear projects in the U.S. and abroad," according to Cramer.
In the next few years, these two stocks should make people some mad money, said Cramer, who would "buy them both."
Tuesday -- April 17, 2007
On Tuesday, Cramer named his top two solar picks: First Solar [FSLR] and MEMC Electronic Materials [WFR].
First Solar, a name Cramer has been recommending since March 7, is "the most economically efficient solar company," he said. Cramer said he's "still behind it 100%" and is looking for a pullback to sink his teeth into First Solar.
MEMC Electronic has "a stranglehold on silicon wafers, the key components to most solar panels," Cramer said. The stock, he continued, is up 247% since he recommended it last Halloween.
Because both stocks are up, Cramer advised investors to be patient. The stocks "are going to catch a downdraft," he warned. "Buy them down, not up here."
Wednesday -- April 18, 2007Cramer's Wednesday "Green Day" pick was auto-supplier BorgWarner [BWA], because the company is "all about controlling emissions and enhancing fuel economy -- exactly what we are after in a post-Green Day world." BorgWarner's backlog of orders is growing because of demand for products such as its fuel-efficient turbochargers, said Cramer. Even though the company can help save the planet, some investors still might be worried about investing in an auto-parts company, he added. But Cramer believes that BorgWarner won't be hurt by the struggling U.S. auto industry, because it does most of its business with foreign automakers that are in better financial shape. Thursday -- April 19, 2007On Thursday, Cramer added Tetra Tech [TTEK] to his green picks. Tetra, he said, has been expanding into alternative energy.But at its core, Tetra is a water company, "geared towards the scarcity of clean water," Cramer noted. "It is one of the ways we can play the extremely high price of water."The fact that 85% of the company's revenue comes from water management, and that Tetra just purchased Delaney Group, "a little wind company," puts it in the "sweet spot" for Green Day, Cramer said. Friday -- April 20, 2007
Capping off a week in which he offered at least one environmental-stock idea each day, Jim Cramer told viewers of his "Mad Money" show Friday that he had saved his two best picks for last.
To round his Green Day portfolio, Cramer offered two names -- the first of which is OM Group [OMG].
"The word here is cobalt," he said.
OMG controls 13,000 tons of cobalt -- a quarter of the world's cobalt capacity, said Cramer. This, he explained, is important because cobalt is used in the batteries found in hybrid cars. Cobalt prices should remain stable or go higher, especially since no new capacity is expected to come until 2009, he said.
But OMG is more than just cobalt, Cramer said. What really attracted him to OMG was that, in addition to being a Green Day play, it's a metals play.
OMG has copper exposure -- a commodity that Cramer believes is going higher. Plus, the company's balance sheet is getting better, he said.
Moving on, Cramer named Fuel Tech [FTEK] as his "ultimate" speculative play on Green Day.
Fuel Tech is a play on power companies "forced or incentivized to pollute less," he said. Earlier in the week, Cramer said, he told viewers that Foster Wheeler [FWLT] and Shaw Group [SGR] were his picks for cleaner power. And they still are, for the more conservative of investors.
But for people who don't mind more risk, Fuel Tech is the stock for them, Cramer said. It has the technology that enables power companies to burn clean coal fuel, he said. It reduces nitrogen oxide emissions and has a fuel chemistry business aimed at saving power. The company "has been getting contract after contract ever since Green Day," Cramer said.
Moreover, because coal provides more than 49% of our electricity, he said, "it's pretty important." We can't solve our problem with ethanol, he said, because it's too inefficient. Therefore, in addition to Green Day, which should force coal-burning utilities to become cleaner, Fuel Tech is also a play on efficiency, Cramer said.There you have it. Have a prosperous Earth Day in every way. Oh, and BOOYAH!Source: TheStreet.com
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According to a report recently released by Sen. Charles Schumer [D-N.Y.], home heating costs are expected to increase by 25 percent this year. In fact, he and Sen. Hillary Clinton [D-N.Y.] are among the co-sponsors of a bill that would provide an additional $2.53 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, to benefit Americans at the lowest end of the income spectrum.
