If you’re like me you aren’t in a position to build your net zero dream house. As much as we would like every aspect of our life to be sustainable, sometimes it’s just not possible. I am 25 years old, which means I’ve recently been able to start paying back my student loans. That of course means roommates, cheap rent and the inability to change the infrastructure of the home I don’t own. This can be a huge challenge when you care about how you use energy and can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars to cool your house in the middle of summer. So what are some options?

NV Energy has designed a few programs to help customers save energy and money especially during hours of peak energy demand. The Cool Share program offers free programmable thermostats for NV Energy customers. Then, on peak energy demand days, NV Energy tells your thermostat to send your air conditioner into conservation mode. These smart thermostats can raise your temperature up to 4 degrees depending on how you program it. When the thermostat does this, it’s called an “energy event”. These energy events happen when there is a large demand for energy – think July around 5pm. Participating in this program is a real no brainer because you can always override the “energy event” if you are home and don't want the temperature to change. If you do participate you will earn rebates on your end of the year bill. 

The Cool Share program is currently on hold to build its new easier to use successor, MPowered. MPowered is still in a trial phase to find the best user-friendly application for NV Energy customers and to adapt it to offer the best of both programs. The difference between the two is that MPowered uses a smarter thermostat and gateway device that is controlled through a website by your computer or smart phone. It includes a free smart thermostat, free energy optimization service and free installation. 

The only thing you need to qualify for the program is central air conditioning, broadband Internet, a router and to live in Southern Nevada. I meet these requirements so I applied last night. Unfortunately, I wasn’t selected for the program because it only began in September so they are still limiting applicants until it’s a proven success. 

If this program sounds good to you and you would like to see if you qualify you can apply through the NV Energy website or by calling (702) 402-2444. If you’re not, they will put you on a backlog list to contact you when they are ready to offer the program to more Southern Nevadans, which will hopefully be this spring. Until then, CLICK HERE to see NV Energy's home energy saving tips.

Phoebe Judge, CEP Community Organizer pjudge@cleanenergyprojectnv.org

He is losing the ability to predict what the weather will bring.

Over the course of the past there months, our country has experienced incredible weather and climate changes.  While summers and winters have been harsher for a few years now, the unpredictability of the weather was highlighted this past summer.  Thunderstorms, wildfires and droughts have made their way to the forefront of the green energy discussion.

• Extreme thunderstorms with high winds hit the East Coast and eliminated power from 4.3 million home.  To add insult to injury, while air conditioners weren’t working, temperatures in the Atlantic region sky rocketed. 
• Wildfires swept across New Mexico, Idaho, Colorado and Nevada, destroying hundreds of homes, burning millions of trees and subsequently, replacing the hazardous dust storms of the 1930s as the most dangerous natural disaster to date.
• Excessive drought is threatening livestock and water supplies.  Crops are withering, livestock are dying or going to slaughter early and down South, Mississippi’s shipping barges operate in just five feet of water and New Orleans’ water supply is threatened by salt water travelling up the Mississippi River.  Highlighting the unpredictability further, torrential downpours for hurricane season came early this year and dropped more than 20 inches of rain on Florida.

The intense weather changes are not only threatening the well-being of animals and natural resources, but are damaging man-made materials as well.  Airport runways are melting and trapping airplanes, train tracks are bending and highways are cracking and breaking open—forcing us to stand by while pieces of our livelihood crumble before our very eyes.

That’s just in the United States through the month of July.

This all boils down to what scientists call the genesis—the beginning; the beginning of our changing environment.  The more extreme climate change becomes, the more extreme the weather will become.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that every flood or temperature increase can be attributed to man-made transformations on our planet, but it does mean that we are forever and uniquely linked to the planet’s weather changes and patterns.  It means the choices we make on a daily basis have repercussions, and perhaps, this is Mother Nature’s way of letting us know that something isn’t sitting right.

While the groundhog may not be able to predict the weather anymore, this we can know for sure: we’ll be together, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not.

Think it over: What kind of strange weather have you experienced where you live?

Lydia Ball

Executive Director

Clean Energy Project

There are tangible ways to get involved in green energy and they are as simple as turning the lights off when leaving a room or using energy efficient light bulbs.  On a larger scale, driving a next generation electric car or encouraging local businesses and companies to go greener can make noticeable differences in the clean energy market, not to mention have lasting impact on your community.  By starting a petition or just having a conversation about the importance of saving energy, we increase information, we increase power and we increase control.

“The Power of Choice” also touched on different ways to become a proactive member of the electrical infrastructure by managing the electricity in our homes.  It’s as easy as downloading an app like “Control 4 My house,” “House Control,” “E-Home Controls” or “CozyHome” and they allow you to manage your washer, dryer, refrigerator, air conditioner, lamps and lights in the palm of your hand.  That way, you are the one controlling the energy in your home—not the other way around.  Additionally, the White House proposed the “Green Button Initiative,” a way for consumers to receive their electricity bills in an easy to understand format that shows where energy is being used.  The Green Button Initiative already has 31 million users and is easy to download at www.greenbuttondata.org.

Getting involved in clean energy is all about understanding the choices we have and how the smallest acts make the biggest difference.  As Bob Lutz, former Vice Chairman at General Motors said at this year’s summit, “Every clean energy project you’re working on is a kind of project that influences people around you to change.”

Think about it: What small changes can you make in your home or community to help push the clean energy movement forward?

Lydia Ball
Executive Director
Clean Energy Project

817 S. Main Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101

Office 702-987-4556
www.cleanenergyprojectnv.org

CEP Attends Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference

By Derek Bernard, CEP Intern

This years Good Jobs Green Jobs conference was divided up into four different regional conferences around the country. This was done in part so that every region of the US could be represented and have the ability to bring their own unique ideas and concerns to the discussion.  I was lucky enough to attend the Los Angeles portion of the conference. If the idea behind creating a regional conference was to shine light on issues that affected a certain geographic region then the Teamsters made a compelling case on creating and protecting US Green Jobs.

The opening keynote speakers included BlueGreen Apollo Alliance Chair Angelides, Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa and Teamster National President Hoffa. Hoffa gave a practically engaging speech recalling stories of union workers who’ve been wronged in the workplace; this speech rallied not only teamsters but also the crowd alike. This theme of teamster representation and pride would carry over into the panels I attended for the remainder of the conference.

Of the panels I attended during the conference two in particular stood out to me regarding issues I wasn’t expecting to hear about. Both of these panels had similar topics: U.S. Manufacturing in the Clean Energy Economy & State-level Efforts to Ensure a Domestic Clean Energy Supply Chain. Linda Andros, Legislative Counsel for the United Steelworkers union, headed these panels. Andros was extremely knowledgeable in the efforts that had taken place to show China’s WTO violations and how these violations had affected the US steel production industry. After Andros discussed the legal efforts taking place to correct the problem with China and the WTO the panel was opened up for Q & A from the audience.  

This next step in the discussion was my favorite part of the conference because I was able to see a part of the green job market I had never been exposed to. Many members of the audience started a type of grass roots display of frustration, with the problem of steel manufacturing jobs being exported to China. Others in the room cheered on their fellow union workers who feared the worst for their jobs. Many blamed China for being in violation of the WTO agreement while others blamed US companies and entities for giving into the fiscally driven motive involved in sending jobs overseas. That is when I realized that individuals attending this conference were not only here to create new jobs in the green economy but also to protect their existing jobs.  Many in the room feared that their current jobs could not transition into the green economy, for fear of outsourcing.

This was an interesting point in regards to the green jobs movement; I saw passion as well as fear from those putting together the most basic parts of cleaner energy… the materials used to create these products i.e. steel. Although not all policy issues I was hoping to learn about were discussed in my panels, I didn’t mind seeing these men and women who are so fervently fighting to secure not only their jobs, but also future jobs in America.

This week, Senator Harry Reid released "Playing to Win in Clean Energy," a report detailing projects and policies moving Nevada's clean energy economy forward, as well as the policies needed to continue our progress in the Silver State.

CEP Executive Director Lydia Ball joined Senator Reid for the release of the report. The Las Vegas Sun's Karoun Demirjian covered the story where Lydia explained why clean energy means so much for Nevada:

“With no significant fossil fuel resources in Nevada, investing in clean energy economy is investing in Nevada,” said Lydia Ball, executive director of the Clean Energy Project, which promotes investments in renewable energy in Nevada.

The Department of Energy's Section 1603 grant program is among the key policies that have driven clean energy progress in the past year,  but expired last December. It was key to securing financing for utility-scale renewable energy projects. Meanwhile, incentives and tax breaks for polluting fuels have been made near-permanent in the tax code. Because Nevada lacks those resources, those old incentives-some of which have been in place almost a century-put Nevada and it's clean energy sources at a competitive disadvantage in the market.

Senator Reid further laid out the case for long-term investment in Nevada's energy resources:

“If we’re going to continue to get investments in the future, we have to work together to develop the state’s clean energy resources,” Reid said. “We’re fortunate to live in a state with an abundance of renewable energy resources. But the projects don’t happen by accident and they do not happen overnight. It takes important state actions for Nevada to realize its renewable energy potential.”

You can read "Playing to Win in Clean Energy" by clicking here.

8 News Now reporter Nathan Baca did a report on the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada's (PUCN) proposed cuts to several energy efficiency programs, and spoke with CEP about the benefits of efficiency. You can see the video here:

Fortunately, the PUCN Commissioners delayed any decisions until their March 15th meeting. We'll be working with our allies and supporters to make sure efficiency remains a priority for meeting our energy needs

This past weekend, the Las Vegas Sun ran our Op-Ed encouraging candidates to know, understand, and address Nevada's energy issues and jobs potential. From the Sun:

In the coming days and months, many candidates for the 2012 elections will visit Nevada to speak out on issues affecting our state. If you are one of those candidates, this letter is for you. For a state struggling with high unemployment, it’s important for our future leaders to know key facts about the Silver State’s energy resources and jobs potential.

First and foremost: Nevada has none of the fossil fuel resources that other states have to put people back to work. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Nevada ranks 47th among the states in total energy production. The state has no coal or natural gas to speak of and extracts a minute amount of oil each year, representing a microscopic percentage of U.S. production.

Let me be clear: It’s not bureaucracy holding back job creation in the fossil fuel industry in Nevada. Oil, coal, and natural gas reserves simply don’t exist in Nevada. We buy our fuel for electricity generation and transportation from out of state, sending an average of $1 billion per year out to their economies. This creates jobs for those states, but not for ours.

Nuclear energy generation isn’t a viable option, either. There simply isn’t enough water here to meet the needs of a modern nuclear plant.

Nevadans support a clean energy economy. We know we have significant renewable resources to tap, including energy efficiency. A lot of the buildings erected in the past two decades could be upgraded to become less wasteful of energy and more comfortable to live in, while putting construction workers back on the job.

These approaches are the real job-creators for unemployed Nevadans. Thanks to good public policy decisions and key incentives, Nevada already leads the nation in per-capita solar and geothermal generation, as well as in energy-efficient LEED-certified building space. But for a state that still imports most of its energy, it’s simply not enough. Key federal incentives need to be extended for renewable energy similar to the way we’ve made government assistance to out-of-state fossil fuel industries near-permanent in our tax code. The expiration of those incentives places Nevada’s energy sources at a competitive disadvantage on the national energy playing field and stifles our recovery.

Controversial oil pipeline proposals will do nothing for Nevada’s economy or job market. We need to hear from candidates that they understand these facts about our state, leave the drilling proposals back east, and propose ideas and strategies for helping the state produce home-grown solar, geothermal, efficiency, wind, and transmission that are the only sources for energy jobs in Nevada.

Rocky Fernandez is communications director of the Clean Energy Project, which is based in Las Vegas.

Share your thoughts with us below!

Clean Energy Project (CEP) is proud to kick off the year with our new report, Clean Energy Progress In Nevada And The West. While you may have heard about a few of the exciting solar installations, efficiency projects, and green jobs created last year, many of Nevada’s success stories went untold. CEP decided to look back through the past year, and when we did, we were so impressed we decided to bring them all together into one big highlight reel.

• Did you hear about Bombard Renewable Energy installing 48 solar installations at 27 community schools, churches, and public buildings at no cost to them, freeing up precious funds to provide needed services to people in our community?
• Did you know that the first hybrid geothermal/solar power plant is being built right now in Nevada?
• Did you know that Nevada jumped to the top state in per-capita energy-efficient LEED certified building space in the nation?
• Did you attend the National Clean Energy Summit, where Western Governors talked about developing a regional clean energy market, and know that by year’s end, one local utility took steps towards that market by joining California’s Independent System Operator?

Clean Energy Progress In Nevada And The West highlights these and many more exciting stories from 2011 that demonstrate Nevada’s march to become the heartbeat of the clean energy economy. Thanks to the state’s clean energy policies and funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), we saw significant green job creation and long-term investment in Nevada’s economy. To keep up this momentum, the report makes several policy recommendations at the state, regional, and federal levels that will grow jobs and develop a regional clean energy market in 2012 and beyond.

We encourage you to read the report and hope you'll share it with your friends and colleagues.