 NCAT Newsletters
NCAT ACTION
Other NCAT Newsletters
|
NCAT ACTION is a quarterly newsletter featuring local solutions for a sustainable future, provided as a benefit of NCAT membership. Each seasonal issue focuses on a different topic, providing information that will help you move toward a more sustainable lifestyle in your home and in your community. ACTION features thought-provoking commentary, informative news stories, and extensive resource lists compiled by NCAT's expert professional staff.
Contents of past issues, and a feature from the current issue, are highlighted below.
Want to receive your own copy of ACTION and have access to all the great articles in every issue of NCAT's quarterly newsletter?
Become a member of NCAT today and start reaping the benefits! |
No. 14 / Winter 2009: An Era of Savings
Inside this issue of NCAT ACTION:
No. 13 / Fall 2008: Sustainability on Campus
- Food Corps and Montana schools
- Farm to school programs
- Tap water campaign
- Greening higher education
- Driving smarter
No. 12 / Summer 2008: Local Flavor
- Local food systems in Southwest Iowa
- Farmers' market EBT programs
- Food miles
- NCAT's Risk Management insurance tool
- Disaster assistance
No. 11 / Spring 2008: Farming Goes Uptown
- NCAT's farm energy resources
- Urban farming
- Organic soil management
- Minority farmer resources
- Montana climate change website
No. 10 / Winter 2008: Fields of Progress
- Reducing pesticides in cotton
- Regional food systems
- New energy bill
- Stop junk mail
- Oilseed update
No. 9 / Summer 2007: Sustainability In Your Backyard
- Saving fuel on the farm
- Grow Montana
- Farm energy search tool
- Steps toward sustainability
- ATTRA turns 20
No. 8 / Spring 2007: NCAT Happenings
- Take Action
- Making Change
- Driving Down Energy Costs
- Technical and Not So Technical
- NCAT Updates
No. 7 / Winter 2007: Feeding the Community
- Local food resources and references
- Gleaning
- Local food for hospitals
- Schools and colleges put local food on the menu
- Grow your own
No. 6 / Fall 2006: A Changing Climate
- Climate change basics
- Biodiesel economics
- Personal impact calculators
- 20 x '25 initiative
- Drought resources from NCAT
No. 5 / Summer 2006: Festival of Sustainability
- Climate change and global sustainability
- Fairs and festivals
- Computer recycling
- SustainabilityFEST
- NCAT turns 30
No. 4 / Spring 2006: Growing Community
- Building bike trails
- Food miles
- Community garden success stories
- Starting a community garden
- Local currencies
No. 3 / Winter 2006: Fresh Starts, New Opportunities
- Students as food system leaders
- Livable Communities for All
- Counties and cities address waste and energy
- Making communities more sustainable
- Sustainable community success stories
- Tools to aid in sustainable community planning
No. 2 / Fall 2005: Preparing for Winter
- The Energy Bill: Some Things You Need to Know
- Extend your gardening season
- Weatherize your home now to save energy and money
- Get your car ready for winter
- LED holiday lights
- Interactive home energy websites
No. 1 / Summer 2005: Conserving Water and Energy
- Be Cool: Save Energy
- Drip irrigation and compost success stories
- Technical and basic tools for saving water
- Energy assistance close to home
- Save energy and money in your lawn care
- Protecting the right to water
Feature Article:
Building a New Home? Reach for the ENERGY STAR
By Cathy Svejkovsky, NCAT Energy Specialist
 It’s no surprise that the green building movement is picking
up considerable steam. As energy prices increase,
homeowners are increasingly searching for ways to reduce the
costs to operate their homes. That’s why green building programs
such as ENERGY STAR New Homes are such a great
idea: they not only reduce energy costs, but offer other benefits
as well, such as greater comfort, healthier indoor air, fewer
greenhouse gas emissions, greater durability, and higher value.
According to McGraw-Hill’s 2007 SmartMarket Report on
Attitudes & Preferences for Remodeling and Buying Green
Homes, the value of the “true” green home market was $2 billion
in 2005. Green homes are expected to be worth $60 billion
by 2010, making up 10% of the overall housing market.
So what is green building? It’s incorporating environmentally-preferable and sustainable decisions throughout the building
process—decisions that will minimize the environmental
impact of the home while it is being built and over the many
years it will be lived in.
Just like appliances bearing the ENERGY STAR label,
ENERGY STAR qualified new homes are verified to meet strict
guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. That means peace of mind for the
homebuyer, knowing that the house will offer excellent performance
for the long term.
Generally speaking, a new home built to ENERGY STAR
standards will perform better than its conventionally built
cousin, reducing energy costs by 15-30 percent. Actual savings
will depend on a number of variables, such as house type
and size, climate, local utility rates, and the presence of certain
features such as air conditioning.
“As fuel and energy costs continue to rise, people will become
increasingly aware of the performance of their house.
ENERGY STAR helps empower homeowners by giving them
more control over their energy costs and their comfort,” said
Mark Noon of Kingdom Builders in Missoula, which recently
received Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes Montana Builder
of the Year Award.
ENERGY STAR qualified homes can include a variety of‘tried-and-true’ energy-efficiency features, such as effective
insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction and
ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment, and other energy-efficient products such as light fixtures, compact fluorescent
bulbs, ventilation fans, and appliances, such as refrigerators,
dishwashers, and washing machines.
The added cost of these features could range from $2,000
to $6,000, depending on factors such as house size, plan configuration,
heating fuel, and the way the home is constructed.
The extra cost will be recouped through lower energy bills,
however. And even after the initial costs are paid for, the
energy-efficiency features will continue to save money, putting
extra cash in homeowners’ pockets each month.
In order for a home to be certified as ENERGY STAR, it
must be inspected by a trained Verifier. The Verifier will
ensure that the home meets strict construction and performance
requirements, providing peace of mind for
homebuyers. Without the inspection, the home cannot be
labeled ENERGY STAR.
“The verification process is significant for homebuyers,” explained Dale Horton, Sustainable Energy program manager
at NCAT, which trains Verifiers. “Many areas in Montana don’t
enforce building energy codes, so buyers can’t be certain about
the home’s energy-efficiency level. An ENERGY STAR label
on a new home takes out the guesswork and ensures that
the home is built to high standards and will perform the way
it’s supposed to.”
Want to receive your own copy of ACTION and have access to all the great articles of NCAT's quarterly newsletter? Become a member today and start reaping the benefits!
Other NCAT Newsletters
ATTRAnews
Six times each year, the free ATTRAnews brings you up to date on the latest developments in sustainable agriculture, what's happening at the USDA and with Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups around the country. ATTRAnews features events and opportunities in sustainable agriculture, information on funding and financing, and it keeps you current on programs and policies that can affect your future. In ATTRAnews you'll read about Farm Bill implementations and production practices and the National Organic Standards. ATTRAnews is available in both print and electronic versions. Subscription information and past issues are available online.
Weekly Harvest
Issued every Wednesday, the Weekly Harvest e-newsletter is a Web digest of sustainable agriculture news, resources, events and funding opportunities gleaned from the Internet and featured on the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. You can sign up for a free subscription and view the newsletter archives online.
Cosecha Mensual
NCAT's Spanish-language electronic newsletter on sustainable agriculture is issued monthly. Subscribers enjoy news items and reviews of Spanish-language resources. Subscriptions are free and the archives are available online.
The Networker
This quarterly newsletter is compiled by the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, an NCAT project. Stories highlight state energy assistance program and low-income energy news. Past issues and a complete article index are available free online.
Montana Green Power Update
This free monthly electronic newsletter contains the latest success stories in renewable energy development in the state of Montana, hot tips, information on financing and tax incentives, upcoming events, and links to stories from regional and national sources as featured on the Montana Green Power website. Sign up for subscriptions online.
|
