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Subscribe to our RSS feed!Save the date: Green Energy Ohio (GEO) SPRING TOUR and GREEN EXPO May 17-18
On May 17, 2013, Green Energy Ohio will be hosting a Spring Tour of SOLAR facilities in Dublin Ohio. Ecohouse will have one residential location on the tour. The Farquhar-Bradish home, located at 161 Charterhouse Ct. Powell Ohio 43065 will be open from 2:30-4:30 pm on May 17th, 2013. This open house is an excellent way to meet with a homeowner who has installed a residential solar system, and see what it looks like.
On May 18, 2013, from 9am-4:30 GEO is hosting the Green Expo and Electric Vehicle showcase at Dublin Jerome High School, 8300 Hyland Croy Rd. Dublin. Kevin Eigel, with Ecohouse will be giving a presentation on Residential Solar, and Ecohouse will be an exhibitor, along with other Ohio renewable energy and energy efficiency comnpanies.
Hope to see you there. You can find more information at www.greenenergyohio.org
Take Advantage of the $1.50 per watt SOLAR REBATE from AEP
Currently AEP Ohio has a program in place that will pay $1.50 per watt for Solar Electric installations. This program is know as the Renewable Energy Technology (RET) Program. The purpose of the program is to purchase Renewable Energy Credits (REC) from Ohio solar installations in order for AEP to meet the renewable energy requirements that have been mandated by the State of Ohio.
What that means for you is you can have AEP pay for roughly 30% of the cost of a solar electric system for your home. This rebate, along with the 30% Federal Tax Credit for Solar electric project means that you only pay 40% of the total cost. The prices of solar panels are at an all time low, and the quality and effficiencyhave never been better. It is an excellent time to GO SOLAR.
The AEP RET program however will only last until June 30, 2013, So don't wait. Call Ecohouse for a Solar Proposal now.
Ecohouse has five residential solar electric installation on the 2012 Green Energy Ohio Tour
On October 6th and 7th, 2012, five of Ecohouse's recent residential solar installations will be featured on the Green Energy Ohio Tour. This includes the Fox Lynd residence in Delaware, Ohio; the Williams resdidence in Worthington;The Eigel Miller residence in Galloway; the Taglia residence in Williamsport; and the Chamblin Daniels residence in New Vienna. This is a great opportunity to see solar installations in your area, and to speak the owners.
Ecohouse is also a sponsor of the residential tour in Central Ohio.
For more information see: www.greenenergyohio.org
Solar Electric grows by 40% between 2010 and 2011
Ecohouse helps the Ohio State University Solar Decathlon team achieve success in Washinton DC
Ecohouse, traveled to Washington DC on September 16, 2011 to assist the OSU Solar Decathlon Team in making their house as energy efficient as possible. OSU is one of nineteen teams competing for the top prize. Each team has built a super energy efficient and solar powered house less than 1000 square feet. The houses are judged in ten catagories, including comfort zone, architecture, affordability, market appeal, energy balance, engineering, hot water, appliances, communications, home entertainment and market appeal. At this point, OSU is in a close second and is first in the comfort zone contest.
This is the the second time that OSU has competed in the competition. The winner will be announced at the on October 2nd
Ecohouse has two Solar installation showcased on the Green Energy Ohio Tour
For the third year, Solar installations by Ecohouse will be featured on the annual Green Energy Ohio Tour. Last year, the Ohio tour was largest State Solar tour in the US. This year it will be even bigger with more than 260 sites open throughout Ohio. There will be 30 sites in Central Ohio. The large number of sites is a testament to the popularity and increasing affordability of both Solar Electric and Solar Thermal. For more information about the tour visit
Energy Efficient Landscaping for Cooling Down.
On cold winter days, a ray of sun streaming into your house can be most welcome - a free source of heat. But what about in the summer, when those rays of sun and other, less-evident solar heat, seep into our already too-hot houses and become a costly nuisance? Well, what happens is that you lose money. But using landscaping (namely by planting trees) to shade your home can be a great way to lower energy costs.
Everything You Need to Know About the Home Star Retrofit Act of 2010.
Pending in the Senate is a bill called the Home Star Retrofit Act of 2010, or simply Home Star for short. Sometimes referred to as Cash for Caulkers in street slang, the bill would provide a series of financial incentives for homeowners to increase the energy efficiency of their homes through substantive, effective improvements to their homes that save homeowners money, reduce our country’s carbon emissions, help to mitigate climate change, and put tens of thousands of Americans back to work.
Upgrade Your Refrigerator, Save Money Twice.
One of the biggest energy guzzlers in your home (besides, most likely, your thermal envelope, which lets expensive conditioned air escape through air leaks and poorly insulated walls) is the refrigerator. Upgrading it, believe it or not, can save you a bundle of money in the long run, as long as you don't simply put your old fridge down in the basement and plug it back in. Now, before you balk at the high upfront cost of replacing your fridge, let us explain why we (admittedly, energy-efficiency/penny-pinching geeks) think it's a good idea:
Is Your Insulation Working? Find Out with an Energy Audit.
Winter's coming. It's already heating season. So how do you save money on heating costs? You've got to own your heat. Simple as that. You've paid for all that warm air already, so it doesn't make much sense to waste it now.
A simple enough premise - it's the application that gets complicated. We (and most building science experts) strongly recommend air sealing and insulation as high priority measures to make your home use less energy, make you more comfortable, and make the planet happy.
