Wattvision YouTube video shows you how you can save energy by monitoring your power consumption

If you want a stupid simple way to see how much energy you use and what appliances are costing the most on your utility bills, then here’s a very user-friendly solution. Wattvision’s Sensor is a really easy system you can install yourself (no electrician required) to monitor the energy you use at home, at your school, or in your business. Once the system is installed, you’ll get a whole-house or whole-building energy-use report (with 15-second intervals) that can be read on a computer or your iPhone.

Many great features make this system incredibly practical. First, you can view how much energy you’ve saved (or used) over the history of your Wattvision system, down to the minute. So you can track trends by hour, day, week, or time of year. Additionally, with 15-second updates, as soon as you turn the system on you can test to see which appliances and electronics in your home are using the most energy. Unplug the fridge and watch the energy use diminish or plug in the kettle to see how much energy it takes to boil some water. With this system, you can pinpoint which energy-using devices need to be recycled or replaced so that you can begin to really make changes that count.

Wattvision saves you energy by showing you where you use the most

You can get started with your very own Wattvision Sensor by going to their site, telling them where you are (approximately) and what type of energy meter you have, and then ordering the right sensor for your home or building for $149 (with code wvbetablog; they’re regularly priced at $199). To see a Wattvision in action, check out their live demo.

Obama administration recently announced a new clean energy REDI program

The Obama administration announced a new program on December 14: The Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (REDI), which will offer $350 million in funds to accelerate the development of clean energy technologies. As both a domestic and global initiative, some of the funds ($85 million) will go into a joint coffer (supported by other countries such as Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, the UK, and France) to be used to develop and deploy clean energy tech around the world.

The program will operate in several industries, including advanced vehicles, bioenergy, building and industrial efficiencies, smart grid technologies, carbon capture, high-efficiency coal,  and of course, solar, wind, and marine energy. The official REDI website outlines the following programs that will receive this funding:

• The Solar and LED Energy Access Program will accelerate deployment of affordable solar home systems and LED lanterns to those without access to electricity.  This program will yield immediate economic and public health benefits by providing households with low-cost and quality-assured solar alternatives to expensive and polluting kerosene.
• The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment Program will harness the market and convening power of MEF countries to improve efficiency for appliances traded throughout the world.  A number of MEF countries have implemented, or are exploring, incentive programs for energy-efficient appliances. Coordinating incentives, standards and labeling systems can create unprecedented economies of scale for these appliances.

• The Clean Energy Information Platform will establish an online platform for MEF countries to exchange technical resources, policy experience and the infrastructure to coordinate various activities in deploying clean energy technologies, and share this information with the world.

• The Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (S-REP), under the World Bank’s Strategic Climate Fund, will provide policy support and technical assistance to low-income countries developing national renewable energy strategies and underwrite additional capital costs associated with renewable energy investments.  Funding through Climate REDI will accelerate the launch of S-REP.

Further, it states that REDI will use the following tools to disseminate the new technologies:

1. Quality assurance to guard developing country consumers against sub-standard renewable energy products;
2. Minimum efficiency standards to remove the lowest efficiency appliances from the market;
3. Labeling to guide consumers to quality-assured and high-efficiency products;
4. Financing for scale up of early-stage low-carbon products, to bring down costs and remove barriers to deployment and to catalyze investment by the private sector;
5. Information sharing that enables all energy stakeholders to access state-of-the art information on technology and best practices.

Using the parabolic structure of the concentrating solar system, this new MicroCSP can be used to provide a building with a variety of services, including air conditioning, drying, dehumidification, desalination, steam, and hot water.  It’s both lightweight and more rugged (so they say) than traditional solar PV systems, making it simple and easy to mount and fasten to almost any rooftop. It is then integrated into existing natural gas systems.

Sopogy has a proprietary integrated tracker technology to boost its efficiency and has priced the new system 30% cheaper than other rooftop solar technologies (such as solar photovoltaics, according to the company). They also tout a 3-year payback on the system when energy savings are taken into consideration.

“Sopogy has incorporated our unique frame, ready-to-assemble manufacturing and automated controls into a new compact product designed for rooftop installation. This brings concentrating solar power to the commercial and industrial facility in a cost effective, space efficient and contractor friendly solution. All combined our customers receive the fastest paybacks available in solar helping them save money and fight global warming” – Darren T. Kimura, President and CEO, Sopogy, Inc.

Sopogy MicroCSP

1. Find the small business development organizations in your community. You’ll want to look for names such as “Chamber of Commerce,” “Small Business Development Corporation,” and “Economic Development Council.”
2. Research potential funding opportunities. Check out the websites of these organizations to see what kind of funding they provide, or call the office to get an interview with one of the staff members. Most of these organizations will also have an extensive library on how to start or run a small business, local labor laws, state regulations, and so on. Avail yourself of these resources as well.
3. Draft a proposal. Next, you’ll need to come up with a solid business plan and then spin that into an enthusiastic grant proposal. You’ll need to demonstrate good business sense as well as how you will benefit the local community. If you need help writing your proposal, ask these organizations if they know of professionals who specialize in grant proposals. If not, search online at sites like Elance.com, Guru.com, and other job sites.
4. Get help. Your local chamber of commerce will have a long list of diverse members, including people like medical professionals, non-profit organizations accountants, attorneys, realtors, bankers, and county personnel. You can generally have access to these people through your chamber, so take advantage of their wealth of knowledge.

If you’re not able to find funding through your local chamber chapter, there are other funding sources you can seek out. The Small Business Administration (SBA) which has been given $730 million from the Recovery Act to help small business owners—whether you’re already in business or just thinking of starting up a new company. They are offering several ways to get assistance from the government, including:

• Tax incentives
• Debt relief programs
• Loan fee reductions and eliminations
• Higher guarantees
• Expanded microloans
• Secondary market incentives

Here are the things you need to know about getting funding through the SBA:

You must fit the definition of a small business. The definition of “small business” varies somewhat depending on the industry in (get the complete picture here), but here are the basics:

Your company has to be independently owned and operated and must not be dominant in its field on a national level.

1. You must be a for-profit business that operates in the US or that uses American products, materials, or labor.
2. Your company can either be a corporation, a partnership, or a sole proprietorship.

Determine what kind of assistance is available to you. There are many ways the Recovery Act funds will be used by the SBA, all of which aim to increase the number of loans and more liquidity to help new businesses open and keep existing businesses going. Here’s a quick list of some of the programs being proposed (find out more by contacting your local SBA office):

1. You may be able to secure an America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) stabilization loan, which offers deferred-payment stabilization terms for those businesses unable to make their current loan payments.
2. If you’re a new start-up, you may be able to take advantage of an expanded Micro-loan program for newly established and growing small businesses.
3. Loan fees may be reduced, eliminated, or refunded for loans made on or after February 17, 2009. More information can be found at the SBA’s Policy Notice.
4. If you already have a small business loan, you may be able to tap into the 504 Certified Development Company program for refinancing existing loans (this is for fixed assets only).
5. You may be able to apply for an SBA guaranteed surety bond. The maximum for these bonds has been raised with the Recovery Act funds. These are important fro small business owners who would otherwise not qualify for a surety bond.

Get training. If you still have questions or want to get some more information about the various types of financial aid, check out the SBA’s online training center for small businesses. They will help you determine exactly what kinds of steps you need to take to avail yourself of Recovery Act and SBA funding.

Apply. Once you’re familiar with the available financial opportunities and know how the system works, get down to business and start to put together a winning proposal!

But the SBA isn’t the only government source for funding. Grants.gov has a wealth of funding opportunities available to non-profits and for-profits alike. Getting funding through this site is a multi-step process that can take some time, but here are the fundamental things you’ll need to work on:

1. Register. First, you’ll need to register for the Grants.gov site in order to get a user name and password.
2. Get training. The Grants.gov site and system is relatively complex, so you’ll want to become an expert on how to use the site before diving in. This will make subsequent steps much less painful and time-consuming. The site has many user guides, FAQs, and site information to help you navigate your way through the maze.
3. Sign up for emails. The site has several listservs so that you can stay informed about various developments in the organizations. Sign up for the ones that are appropriate for your search to stay on top of timely changes and announcements.
4. Research granting opportunities. Here’s where it gets interesting! You’re now ready to explore the possible grant opportunities that are available to you. Search through the extensive list of funding options by searching with keywords, categories, agencies, and even by Recovery Act Opportunities.
5. Download and fill out the forms. Finally, you’re at the application stage! Once you’ve narrowed your list of potential grants to apply for, download the forms (each grant has its own special form) and get applying! Once you’ve filled out the forms, you submit them online and can then track the progress of your application as it goes through the system. This can take some time, so be prepared to be patient.

The Grants.gov system is another one that can be a bit complex, so if you find yourself lost, you may want to hire a grant-proposal expert to help you go through your options and narrow the results. This can also take the pressure off you and help to alleviate the stress of the various steps through the system.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (known as the Recovery Act) has infused billions of dollars into local governments to help businesses and consumers improve the energy performance of their buildings. The package allots $3.1 billion to state governments and another $3.2 billion to local governments. This money will be spent by these government agencies to spur energy efficiency upgrades to buildings, renewable energy development, and other energy-related projects. They offer a great way for your business to green-up your reputation, save money on energy, and help the environment.

The premiere source for all renewable energy and energy efficiency financial aid programs throughout the country—including those  is the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, which allows you to search on maps, through categories, and by keyword. It is the most comprehensive and up to day, but here are some additional resources you can use to find the tax incentives and tax breaks available for commercial businesses:

• Business.gov Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency: http://www.business.gov/expand/green-business/energy-efficiency/get-started/tax-credits.html

• Business.gov State and Local Energy Efficiency Programs: http://www.business.gov/expand/green-business/energy-efficiency/state-local/

• ENERGY STAR New Commercial Tax Incentives Summary: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/comm_bldg_tax_incentives.pdf

• Alliance to Save Energy’s Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives Fact Sheet: http://ase.org/content/article/detail/2862

• EnergyTaxIncentives.org’s Tax Incentives Assistance Project (TIAP) for Businesses: http://energytaxincentives.org/business/

Each program has its own unique system for qualifying and applying for the government funding, so once you’ve found a program that fits well with your business, follow the instructions you find there for going through the process.