by jboullion | Aug 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Alliant Energy:
“Higher summer temperatures and humidity levels mean higher electric bills. This is a direct result of the increased use of air conditioning and other appliances,” says Tim Heinrich, Director of Customer Support Services for Alliant Energy. “However, there are many free and low-cost ways to stay cool and comfortable this summer – while keeping electricity costs in check.”
Customers utilizing window air conditioners may want to consider using a timer to turn on the air conditioner half an hour before returning home rather than running it while you’re gone. Be sure to keep the filters clean to maximize performance. If possible, locate the unit in a window that is most central to the area you are cooling and on the shadiest side of the building. Customers in the market for a new window air conditioner should make sure it is the proper size; it’s better to get one that’s too small than too large. A larger unit will start up and turn off more frequently and won’t be as effective at dehumidifying the air.
For customers with central air conditioners, Alliant Energy suggests keeping them well maintained to ensure peak efficiency. That means scheduling yearly maintenance and regularly checking the refrigerant charge as well as indoor and outdoor air coils.
Setting back thermostats or using a programmable thermostat during long periods of time, such as at night while you are sleeping or during the day when no one is home, allows homeowners to save energy without having to sacrifice comfort. Resist the urge to override the pre-programmed settings. Every time you do, you use more energy and may end up paying more on your energy bill.
Used in combination with your air conditioner, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise your thermostat setting without reducing your comfort. The airflow produced by the ceiling fan creates a wind-chill effect, making you feel cooler. Be sure to turn the fan off when you’re not in the room to save energy – ceiling fans cool people, not rooms.
Finally, the less you use air conditioning, the less electricity you use. If you keep your windows closed to keep humidity out while the air conditioning is off, a well insulated home should only rise a few degrees throughout the day while you’re not home.
Alliant Energy offers a few additional tips for customers to save energy and reduce electric bills, by:
* Keeping window blinds and shades closed during the day.
* Grilling outside or cooking with microwaves instead of conventional ovens.
* Using the dishwasher only when it’s fully loaded. If available, use the dishwasher’s energy-saving features such as partial-load setting and no-heat drying cycle.
* Replacing incandescent light bulbs, which generate heat, with more energy efficient fluorescent bulbs as they consume less energy and last longer.
* Considering whether maintaining a second refrigerator or freezer unit is worth the additional $150 dollars it costs a year to run. If so, place the extra unit in the basement where it is naturally cooler so the appliance will not have to cycle as frequently.
For additional information on how to become more energy efficient year-round, Alliant Energy encourages customers to contact Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, by calling 1(800)762.7077 or visiting focusonenergy.com.
by jboullion | Aug 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jessica Larsen in The Tomah Journal:
Seven activists from the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group hit the streets of Tomah on Tuesday in search of supporters of public transit and a high-speed rail.
The group collected about 140 signatures from residents and 23 from small-business owners.
The research group is based in Madison. Its mission: “To deliver persistent, result-oriented public interest activism that protects consumers, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government.”
The signatures collected in Tomah will be added to about 1,000 other signatures from La Crosse, Sparta and Eau Claire. Then the signatures will be combined with others statewide that the group has collected, and shipped off to Sen. Herb Kohl.
“It’s been a great success,” said group spokesman Jordan Less. “Everyone seems to think we spend too much money on gas and time in traffic. It’s a really easy campaign because it’s a good cause.”
by jboullion | Aug 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
Open House – 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Unity School Gym, 1908 State Road 46
Geronimo Wind Energy, LLC, will host a community-wide open house in Balsam Lake on August 11, 2010, to provide residents with information on Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) and the wind energy resource within Polk County, Wisconsin. Geronimo Wind Energy, LLC, will provide community members with the opportunity to discuss a broad range of topics surrounding wind energy, including the potential for wind power within Polk County. Informative display stations and handout materials will be available to facilitate understanding of WECS.
For more info, call (952) 988-9000 or visit www.geronimowind.com
by jboullion | Aug 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Eric Decker, Alysha Schertz, and others on BizTimes.com:
Steve Ostrenga is bringing jobs to Milwaukee at a new Helios USA plant, which will manufacture solar panels. . . .
Milwaukee is known for manufacturing. Companies such as Harley-Davidson, A.O. Smith, Falk, Rockwell Automation and many breweries played large roles in the city’s development.
Manufacturing will drive the city’s future. However, what Milwaukee’s manufacturers produce is changing.
Helios USA LLC, a startup solar panel manufacturer that is developing a 40,000-square-foot plant in the city’s Menomonee Valley, is new to the city. So are its products.
But when the company begins shipping its solar panels throughout the U.S. in early 2011, it will become another of the city’s nationally known manufacturers, tapping into the city’s heritage of supplying the world with parts and components it needs.
“This is a manufacturing center – we put the plant here because of the strong heritage in energy,” said Steve Ostrenga, chief executive officer of Helios. “We’ve got ZBB and Johnson Controls and a lot of other firms that are in the (energy) industry already. And manufacturing is the backbone of this (community) already.”
Helios will hire production workers as early as September as it installs automated manufacturing and assembly equipment. The company hopes to begin full production by January and will have 20 to 40 employees at that time, Ostrenga said.
When it begins production, Helios will use about 15,000 square feet of the total space. The company anticipates several phases of expansion over the next several years. By the time it uses all of the 40,000 square feet of space for production, it will have about 100 employees.
Helios’ production system will be highly automated, using equipment that most workers in the area will not be familiar with, which is why the company will begin hiring this fall, Ostrenga said.
“We’re spending a lot of money on training because this process is unique,” he said. “The solar industry is new.”
by jboullion | Aug 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a commentary by Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin executive director:
About 100 people gathered in downtown Madison in early July to take part in “Hands Across the Sands,” an internationally organized protest against continued oil drilling in and along the world’s coastal waters. Against the backdrop of the weed-choked waters of Lake Monona, they joined hands for 15 minutes to express their fervent desire to see a cleaner, less destructive energy future emerge from the liquid melanoma spreading across the Gulf of Mexico.
No doubt the protestors would like to do more, much more, than simply engage in ritualized protest in front of a few camera crews. But we live in a society that is organized around the expectation of a limitless supply of nonrenewable hydrocarbons feeding concentrated energy into our economic bloodstream. Most of us have not bothered to comprehend the yawning gulf that lies between our best intentions and our abject dependence on the wealth-producing properties of petroleum. Nor how this addiction fills us with delusions of godlike mastery over our environment while blinding us to the reality that we humans have grossly overshot our planet’s carrying capacity.
For those who read and still remember the science fiction classic Dune, the “spice” on Arrakis remains the quintessential literary analogy to the reality of Earth’s oil. Like our oil, the spice held a special place in that world as the ultimate prize worth waging wars and plundering hostile environments for. . . .
Need I mention that once you begin to appreciate the finitude of the Earth’s endowment of petroleum, there’s nothing to stop you from taking immediate steps to curb your personal consumption of this irreplaceable fuel. Whatever you do to lessen your dependence on petroleum will turn out to be a much more satisfying and meaningful response to our energy predicament than any canned protest promoted through Facebook.
As for myself, I made two resolutions since the Macondo well erupted. The first is to go through this summer without activating the household air-conditioner. So far, so good, I can report. (Luckily, we were spared the triple-digit temperature swelterfest that gripped the East Coast last week). It wasn’t that long ago that life without air-conditioning was the norm rather than the exception. If we all resolved not to turn on air-conditioners, we could force the retirement of two to three coal-fired plants in this state.
The other change was to ratchet up my reliance on my bicycle and make it the default vehicle for all my local travels, irrespective of weather conditions. I have been a fair-weather bicycle commuter for many years, but after watching everyone on TV blame someone else for the catastrophe, I felt the need to push myself a little harder. My objective here is to regard my car as a luxury that one day I might do without.
Though the extra perspiration and the occasional dodging of raindrops may take some getting used to, you are going to sleep better at night. Trust me on this.
If the oil spill has prompted a similar response from you, feel free to describe them and send them to the moderator of our Peak Oil blog or post them in a response.
by jboullion | Aug 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an announcement made by Focus on Energy:
Two FREE opportunities to see how farms are using new technologies and how they have made their operations more energy efficient.
What does being energy efficient mean? Focus on Energy has helped more than
3,000 farms in Wisconsin save thousands of dollars on their energy bills. Saving energy isn’t the only benefit, increased productivity and higher profits are also realized.
Visit two farms — Pfaff’s Prairie Diary, Melrose, and Ted Janke Farm, Histon — to see two perspectives on using technologies to save energy and money!
by jboullion | Aug 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Wisconsin should ask tough questions about the need and price tag for a major, high-voltage power line stretching from the Madison area to La Crosse.
But Wisconsin also should keep an open mind as public input is sought.
Our state relies on a huge amount of imported energy. The new line would boost reliability and provide access to more of the wholesale electricity market. That could save Wisconsin ratepayers money.
The 150-mile, 345-kilovolt line also could give Wisconsin greater access to renewable wind energy generated in Minnesota and the Dakotas.
Dane County isn’t getting any smaller. Our population will soon top a half million people. Though using energy more efficiently must remain a high priority, so must economic growth and jobs.
The American Transmission Co. just gained permission for a similar high-voltage line around Madison along the Beltline to boost reliability and capacity. The company plans to begin construction of the local line next year. The Rockdale-West Middleton line succeeded in part because of an open process of meetings and information that made the case for action.
ATC is now pledging to similarly engage the public as it seeks what’s being called the Badger Coulee Transmission Line project. The path of the power line is unclear. It could follow the interstate or veer more southwest toward Reedsburg, Richland Center and Viroqua.
Putting up new power lines always comes with controversy when property owners don’t want the tall poles passing by — or through — their land. Yet the potential good to the state’s economy sometimes takes precedent.
That’s why a careful and fair assessment of the proposal is so important.
by jboullion | Aug 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Stefanie Scott in Wauwatosa Today:
Program outlines steps to energy improvements
Going green may seem like a daunting task. But it doesn’t require saving the world or even making major lifestyle changes overnight.
A new Green Neighbor Program – a collaboration of the city’s Energy Committee, local Sierra Club chapter and Renew Wisconsin – encourages residents to start small and look at energy usage within their households.
The program aims “to get people to think about energy efficiency and the environmental impact in their own homes and what specific actions they can take to for improvement,” said John Bahr, chairman of the committee’s Energy Efficiency efforts.
One-on-one advice
Free home energy-efficiency consultations will be offered Aug. 18 at Wauwatosa Public Library. Professionals from the energy and home improvement fields and experienced homeowners will meet one-on-one with interested residents.
Consultants will address problems areas such as drafts, cold spots and high heating bills. Then they will discuss typical solutions such as do-it-yourself projects or appliance purchases that may qualify for tax credits or rebates.
Homeowners should bring a recent utility bill or WE Energies account number so consultants can review energy expenses and compare them with typical expenses for similar-sized homes in the area, Program Coordinator Michael Arney said.
“The homeowner benefits by having a more comfortable home and lower energy bills,” Arney said. “Energy efficiency increases property values and, on the broadest level, it reduces our fossil fuel dependency and our carbon emissions.”
Consultations are meant to serve as a starting point.
by jboullion | Aug 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article in Brookfield Now by Aaron Martin:
But supporters laud vision for balanced travel system
Is it high-speed rail or a runaway freight train?
That depends who you ask, but Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials had their hands full Tuesday night fielding fevered questions from about 170 people who attended a forum on the proposed $8 billion initiative to connect Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and the Twin Cities.
Brookfield is one of three communities on the Madison-Milwaukee line targeted to host a passenger station. A $17.9 million station is proposed to be along Brookfield Road, near River Road, in Brookfield’s Village Area.
Donna Brown, DOT passenger rail planning manager, said environmental studies for the stations will soon be completed. The next step is final station site selection, followed by engineering and design. Construction could begin as soon as January, and the rail could be up and running in 2013.
The DOT anticipates 128,611 people would pass through Brookfield’s station in its first year, and more than 145,000 by 2020. A ticket from Brookfield to Madison would cost $70 roundtrip, and a ticket to Chicago would cost $97.
Charlie Webb of the DOT said early estimates indicate it would cost about $30,000 a year to maintain a station in Brookfield.
“That’s snow removal, cleanup around the station, mowing the grass,” he said. “Certainly there are opportunities for the city to offset that.”
Strong opposition
Patti Mealins of West Allis said federal and state finances are out of control, and the high-speed rail initiative would be a good place to rein in spending.
“I just don’t understand. It’s a waste of taxpayer money, and it’s upsetting. I think most people are against it, but the government doesn’t care. We’re going to get it anyway,” Mealins said.
Many other people who milled about the Brookfield Elementary School gym, reading information off large poster boards and talking with DOT officials, seemed to share Mealins’ frustration.
Someone left a note on a photograph of the proposed rail route that read: “Not with my tax money – use private money. We don’t need the train.”
by jboullion | Aug 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Winona Daily News:
Winona County commissioners approved conditional-use permits Tuesday for a wind farm near Lewiston, Minn., that will be owned by a subsidiary of Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center as part of the company’s efforts to become energy independent by 2014.
The wind project calls for building three 404-foot-tall wind turbines and a substation on a 315-acre farm just north of Lewiston city limits, southwest of County Road 25 and Trestle Drive. Each turbine will have a 262-foot-tall tower, topped by a rotor with a 282-foot diameter blade.
