BGBG Hosting 10-Session Business Planning Series for Contractors

The BGBG is hosting a 10-session Business Planning Series starting on September 30th. The series will feature a host of presenters that will speak to marketing, business finance, law, accounting and entrepreneurship. This is an excellent opportunity for local contractors to learn how to take their business to the next level!

Take a look at the BGBG website to learn more and to register.

Populus Reaches Major Milestones with Boulder County EnergySmart

BOULDER, Colorado (June 13, 2011) – In October 2010 when Boulder County awarded Populus, LLC the contract to administer its residential services for EnergySmart, one of the nation’s most ambitious energy efficiency programs, the company knew the industry would be watching.   At the time, the Boulder-based residential energy efficiency firm was a small company of only three people with a big vision of taking its energy consulting services to the masses.  Today, Populus is a company of seventeen that is pioneering a new era of energy efficiency programs in Colorado.

EnergySmart, which launched in January of 2011 seeks to reach 10,000 Boulder County homes by the end of May 2013.  The innovative service pairs clients with an energy advisor to take the hassle out of home energy improvements by helping prioritize upgrades, receive bids from qualified contractors, find financing and complete rebate paperwork.  “To some extent, when we launched, there was this feeling that we were embarking on a mission with impossibly large goals,” said Laura Hutchings, CEO of Populus, “but when you’re a business owner putting it all on the line every day to build a company, you are constantly embracing challenges and nothing seems impossible.”

After less than six months, EnergySmart is reaching a series of major milestones.  “We’ve enrolled over 2,000 homes so far,” said Andy Mazal, Populus’ Existing Homes Director, “what’s more is that we’re seeing proven results from the energy advisor services.  So far, about 58% of the total homes that have received energy advisor services have undertaken or scheduled a major energy upgrade.”

“I’ve always felt that it’s our responsibility to help our community meet its clean energy goals to ensure both the long-term sustainability of our local economy and the health of our planet,” said David Neiger, the founder of Populus and its “Chief Geek,” “We have a unique opportunity to leverage the lessons learned here in Boulder County to assist communities nationwide in creating successful, scalable energy efficiency programs.”  Populus has already begun expanding its services to support other communities by licensing its tailored customer management and data tracking system to the City & County of Denver for their “Better Buildings” residential and commercial programs.

What advice would Populus give to other communities launching a residential energy efficiency program?  “Be sure you are listening to the market and be prepared to change direction quickly if needed,” said Hutchings.   “But, at the same time, you have to have a good deal of ‘stick-to-it-iveness’ – follow your instincts; in the beginning all programs are going to look like they’re falling short of expectations.  It takes time to see results, but once you reach the tipping point, progress can happen very quickly.”

Populus is a residential energy efficiency consulting firm based in Boulder, Colorado.  Populus has worked with municipalities throughout the West to design and implement residential sustainability programs and green building codes for both existing and new homes, including the nation’s first performance-based energy code for rental housing.  Find out more at www.popboulder.com

EnergySmart information session & social hour to be held April 7 in Longmont

Residents can learn about ways to save money, increase comfort in their homes and businesses

Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County residents and business owners are invited to Oskar Blues in Longmont this Thursday to learn about how the county’s EnergySmart service helps making energy efficiency improvements easier and more affordable.

What:              EnergySmart social hour and information session
When:             Thursday, April 7, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Where:            Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids, 1555 S. Hover Road, Longmont

The event will feature free appetizers as well as presentations from EnergySmart customers and staff. Attendees can register to win a free energy audit at www.bgbg.org.

EnergySmart customers pay $120 for a home energy assessment and then receive free consulting services to help with contractor selection and filing for all eligible rebates. Customers are also eligible for low-rate financing options that fund energy efficiency measures.

The service is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the U.S. Department of Energy’s BetterBuildings grant program and is sponsored in partnership by Boulder County, the cities of Boulder and Longmont, and Xcel Energy.

Additional details are available at www.EnergySmartYes.com

EnergySmart program launched, offers unprecedented energy-efficiency services

Boulder County and the cities of Boulder and Longmont are pleased to celebrate the official debut of innovative energy-efficiency services for Boulder County homes and businesses, called EnergySmart: Your Efficiency Solutions.

The EnergySmart team unveiled the program’s unique service elements, pilot customer testimonials and brand identity in Boulder today at a launch celebration attended by local government representatives and county residents.

EnergySmart services are available to all Boulder County residents and businesses. Details and sign-up information are available at www.EnergySmartYes.com.
 
Energy Advisor handles details
A key EnergySmart service feature is the assigned, dedicated Energy Advisor for each customer. The advisor handles many details of implementing efficiency projects, such as identifying and prioritizing efficiency opportunities, selecting a contractor, filling out rebate paperwork, and securing financing.

EnergySmart began a pilot phase in October and has already provided service to 301 homes and 205 businesses. During this time, contractors implementing the services have listened to customer feedback and fine-tuned processes.

“I’m hopeful that residents all over Boulder County will take advantage of EnergySmart services. No one wants to waste energy, and we all want to save money,” said Boulder Mayor Susan Osborne, an EnergySmart pilot participant. “My Energy Advisor helped me discover and prioritize energy-efficiency upgrades in my own home, and he’s been back to help when I need more guidance picking out a contractor or filling out a rebate form.”

Rebate funding available
EnergySmart funds help reduce service cost and provide financial incentives for efficiency upgrades, supplementing rebates currently offered by the cities of Longmont and Boulder, the State of Colorado, and Xcel Energy.

While residential rebate funds last, homeowners implementing recommended projects will receive an additional limited-time residential rebate of up to $250. Homeowners may also leverage low-interest micro-loans of up to $3,000 for efficiency projects.

EnergySmart services also provide special benefits for businesses. More than 30 businesses across Boulder County are already taking advantage of cost savings rebates, and hundreds are receiving assistance from business Energy Advisers. While funds last, businesses can receive rebates of up to $5,000 for lighting. A second round of rebate opportunities will be launched in April.

“There’s never been a better time – or a better way – for the people of Boulder County to cut energy waste and make their homes and businesses more comfortable,” Boulder County Commissioner Will Toor said. “In addition to providing better access to energy efficiency services, EnergySmart will also produce jobs for our local economy. It’s a win-win.”

Grant awarded to break down barriers
EnergySmart is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the U.S. Department of Energy’s BetterBuildings grant program, and is sponsored in partnership by the cities of Boulder and Longmont, and Xcel Energy. The $25 million grant was awarded to Boulder County, the City and County of Denver, Garfield County and the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Boulder County has been allotted $12 million of the grant and will utilize additional contributions from Longmont and Boulder.

The Department of Energy awarded the grant based on a proposal to deliver innovative service design and implementation elements that overcome historic barriers to energy efficiency. These services also create and retain jobs in energy related sectors.

For many homeowners and businesses, barriers include inconvenience, time commitment, coordinating contractors, rebate paperwork, and out-of-pocket cost. The benefits of energy-efficient building upgrades include reduced energy waste, increased comfort, and a hedge against future energy rate increases.

Inhabit becomes part of Populus, LLC

Big News!  As of Jan. 1, 2011, Inhabit has become part of Populus, LLC. Here is the press release announcing the merger:

Boulder, CO -- Populus, LLC, a Boulder-based residential energy efficiency firm announced Monday it has acquired Inhabit, a local efficiency consulting company with extensive experience in the existing home market.


As residential energy experts, Populus has worked with municipalities throughout the West to design and implement residential energy programs and codes for both existing homes and new construction.  “Populus’s decision to join forces with Inhabit increases our depth of experience in the existing homes market while cementing our position as the leading provider of residential energy consulting services in the Boulder area,” said Laura Hutchings, President of Populus.

Terms of the deal were not announced.

The acquisition continues a period of rapid growth for Populus.  In 2010, Populus expanded significantly, growing from a company of three to a company of thirteen, in only a few short months.  Populus gained recognition over the past year for its role in designing the City of Boulder’s SmartRegs Rental Ordinance prescriptive pathway, the nation’s first performance-based energy efficiency code for rental housing.  In addition, Populus was awarded a $3.5 million contract to serve as the central administrator for Boulder County’s federally-funded “EnergySmart” service, which seeks to transform the energy efficiency of Boulder County’s housing stock by reaching 10,000 homes in the next two and a half years.

Andy Mazal, the President and Owner of Inhabit, joins Populus as a partner and Existing Homes Director.  Mazal will take lead responsibility for overseeing Populus’s team of EnergySmart Energy Advisors while continuing Populus’s expansion into the high-performance new construction market. “Joining forces with Populus was the perfect opportunity to expand the service offerings that we can offer Inhabit’s clients. Populus has the infrastructure, personnel and expertise to be able to deliver more services to more clients than Inhabit could offer on its own,” said Mazal.

“Populus has undergone a lot of changes in the last year, but at our core we remain a team of highly qualified and committed individuals with a deep understanding of improving the energy performance of the built environment,” Hutchings said.  “Together, Populus and Inhabit will deliver on our promise of providing our customers the best residential energy efficiency consulting services available in the market today.  We believe this is an important event not just for our company but for the residential energy efficiency market in Boulder County.”

A Sad Reminder About the Need for Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Every winter you hear or read another tragic story about an entire family killed by their own home's heating system. The most recent example is a family of four in Missouri, all of whom apparently succumbed to a carbon monoxide leak from a "poorly maintained" furnace. Two years ago it was a vacationing family in a rental house near Aspen, CO, due to a new but improperly installed furnace flue. And these are just a couple of examples out of hundreds each year.  

Each year in the US over 500 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning, and many if not most of these deaths could be avoided with a simple $20 carbon monoxide alarm. It doesn't have to be poor maintenance or faulty installation, either. Even certain atmospheric situations (wind, for example) can lead to a back-drafting furnace or water heater that ends up pouring flue gasses into your house, rather than venting them to the outside.

If you have ANY gas appliances in your house -- stove, oven, furnace, boiler, water heater, etc. -- and you don't yet have a CO detector (or if you don't know whether you do or not), do yourself and your family a good service and march on down to your favorite hardware store or home center (or Target, Sears, K-Mart, etc.) and buy a CO alarm. $20 or $30 is a very good investment, considering what's at stake.

For a good primer on CO safety from the EPA, click here. If you're reading this, please take a couple of minutes to review this site.

Real or Fake? Which Kind of Christmas Tree is "Greener?"

The holiday version of the conudundrum we face at the grocery store check-out line -- "paper or plastic?" -- is the difference of opinion as to whether the greener option is a real cut Christmas tree or a fake plastic tree. On one side of the argument is the plastic camp: buy it once and have the same tree for years, avoiding the need to for pesticides and the annual fleet of transport trucks hauling trees from one state to another.  The other side is the real tree camp: the plastic trees are mostly made in China (of course) and they are hauled not only from state to state, but across the ocean. Further, petro-products were used to make the plastic tree in the first place.

So clearly, the "greenest" holiday option is no tree at all!  But lets assume for a moment that centuries of tradition will reign and people will continue to buy Christmas trees for the foreseeable future.  That being the case, it would be nice to have a definitive answer to the "pre-paper or plastic" argument as to which is the most ecological option, but as with most such controversies the answer is not so, um... clear cut. As pointed out by "The Daily Green" in their article, the answer is, disappointingly, "it depends on the situation."

To summarize, if you go with a real try then try to buy one that is grown organically in your region of the country (assuming there are any such options). If you are the type that wants to avoid the hassle of a real tree and will keep a fake tree for many years, then try to find one made in North America (good luck with that) to avoid the issues of transoceanic transport and potential toxins in the plastic itself.

So which is the best option?  Neither! Besides no tree at all, the "greenest" solution is usually a live tree in a pot that you can replant when the holidays are over.