August 2010

Welcome to the e-Newsletter for the Renew Oswego County community. In this issue:

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According to ENERGY STAR: ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators are required by the U.S. Department of Energy to use 20% less energy than models not labeled with the ENERGY STAR logo. Choose a new qualified model rather than a non-qualified model and cut your energy bills by $165 over the lifetime of your fridge. If you still have a fridge from the 1980s, replace it with an ENERGY STAR qualified model and save over $100 each year on your utility bills. Replace a fridge from the 1970s and save nearly $200 each year!

Help Renew Oswego County reach as many residents as possible by forwarding this email to your Oswego neighbors, friends and family - encourage them to sign-up for the Renew Oswego County electronic newsletter. They only need to input an email address in the Sign-Up form.

County's Lighting Upgrade Projects Demonstrated Energy Savings

In the first quarter of 2010 the County upgraded the lighting system at three County facilities. The projects were implemented by National Grid and SmartWatt under NationalGrid's Small Business Energy Efficiency Program where 70% of the installation and equipment costs were covered for by NationalGrid. The first quarter since the lighting system upgrades the County has verified the three facilities used 20,274 (kilowatt-hours) kWh less electricity compared to the same period last year. The lower energy consumption translated to saving the tax payers of Oswego County $1,381 in electricity expense for the three facilities. The 20,274 kWh reduction occurred between April to July is equivalent to avoiding 14.6 metric tons of Carbon-Dioxide (CO2) emissions, using the eGRID (Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Information Database) conversion rate from kWh to CO2.

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Federal Tax Credits for Home Energy Efficiency Improvements

Federal tax credits are available for the purchase of specific energy-efficient product, such as energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in existing homes. Consumers may be able to take advantage of tax credit for 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, for improvements "placed in service" starting January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010, in existing home and principal residence. New construction and rentals do not qualify. Below you will find an overview of the federal tax credits for energy efficiency To be eligible for the tax credits the following criteria must be met: 1. Must be "placed in service" from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010 2. Must be for taxpayer's principal residence, except for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels and small wind energy systems (where second home and rentals qualify)

3. $1,500 is the maximum total amount that can be claimed for all products placed in service in 2009 & 2010 for most home improvements, except for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, fuel cells, and small wind energy systems which are not subject to this cap, and are in effect through 2016. 4. Must have a "Manufacturer Certification Statement" to qualify. Ask your contractor or place of purchase for the Manufacturer Certification Statement. 5. For record keeping, save your receipts and the Manufacturer Certification Statement 6. If you are building a new home, you can qualify for the tax credit for geothermal heat pumps, photovoltaic, solar water heaters, small wind energy systems and fuel cells, but NOT the tax credits for windows, doors, insulation, roofs, HVAC, or non-solar water heaters.

Learn more about the tax credit by visiting www.RenewOswegoCounty.org, lick on the "SAVE MONEY" page and visit the links under "Federal Tax Credits".

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What is your household's "Carbon Footprint?"

"Carbon Footprint" for a household is the total greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions attributable to a household's energy consumption. It is often expressed simply in the amount of carbon dioxide gas emitted after converting all the different energy into a carbon dioxide equivalent unit. Understanding your Carbon Footprint is a big first step to make intelligent reduction decisions specific to your situation. Although the process can be complicated, fortunately the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has published an easy to use on-line calculator to help estimate your Carbon Footprint using recent electric, gas, and/or oil bills and household activities. Remember that energy bills varies by season, so use separate averages of winter and summer values if possible.

The EPA calculator also has a "What You Can Do" section to learn about actions you can take to shrink greenhouse gas emissions.

Why should you care about shrinking Carbon Footprint?

• Save money. Very often shrinking your Carbon Footprint translates to lower utility bills for your household. Learn how to use electricity or natural gas more efficiently is one of the best ways of shrinking Carbon Footprint and save money too!

• Improve your community. Reducing household's greenhouse gas emissions will help to preserve the environment in Oswego Countyneighborhoods and community for our family and future generations.

• It is easier than you think. By being aware of your Carbon Footprint you've already taken a big first step. There are many steps you can take to shrink your Carbon Footprint - consider ways to conserve energy, use energy more efficiently, do more recycling, and buy energy from renewable sources, are just few of the ways.

Visit www.RenewOswegoCounty.org for resources and incentives to help you shrink your household's Carbon Footprint!

Try the EPA Household Emissions Calculator now!

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How to Find Special Offers and Rebates from ENERGY STAR Partners?

There are many free helpful tools and guides on RenewOswegoCounty.org. It is the aim of these resources to help Oswego County residents and businesses explore energy and cost savings ideas. We will bring one tool or guide in each newsletter to your attention.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. To encourage customers to buy energy efficient products, companies offering ENERGY STAR labeled products and services occasionally sponsor special offers, such as sales tax exemptions or credits, or rebates on qualified products.

RenewOswegoCounty.org has a link to find ENERGY STAR Special Offers and Rebates available to Oswego County residents and businesses. The link is on the GET INVOLVED page under the Reduce Through Improving Efficiency section.

Click on the "Find Rebates by Zip code" link will bring up a new webpage looking like the image below. By entering your zip code and check the products you are interested in, the webpage will return the special offers available in your area. Try it now!

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Nominate a Oswego County Business to be featured on RenewOswegoCounty.org!

We are continuing to accept "Green" business nominations to be featured on the www.RenewOswegoCounty.org website! The criteria is simple - it just has to be a business with a location in Oswego County.

You can nominate a Oswego County business by sending an email to greenbusiness@RenewOswegoCounty.org with the name of the business, a street address, or a phone number, or an email address so we can contact the business.

Please describe briefly the reasons why you feel this business is deserving of being featured as a "green" business by Renew Oswego County. Unless you give us permission, we will not mention your name as the one that has nominated the business.

Being featured on www.RenewOswegoCounty.org will showcase the business as being energy and environmentally conscious, and is a partner in making Oswego County a model community. We will feature the business' logo and description prominently on the www.RenewOswegoCounty.org website, including a short write-up on what they did to be deserving of the community's appreciation to serve as an inspiration for other businesses.

Paid sponsorships on www.RenewOswegoCounty.org starts at $600 for 1-year and more for a featured spot on the website. Your participation can make the difference. Nominate a Oswego County business today!

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