Daniel Thut, co-owner of West Philly’s Green Line Cafés, first heard about the benefits of LED lighting three years ago. He started experimenting with the lights, but found them too bright for a laid-back café. Now, with the help of PekaSys, a sustainable technology company, Thut is giving LEDs another try.
MoreDue to legislative gridlock, the state has failed to enact a severance tax on drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Governor Rendell has argued that the failure to pass a tax will harm the environment, make it harder for local governments to deal with the impact of drilling and exacerbate the state government’s financial strife. Now,
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Viridity Energy, local pioneers of smart grid technology (featured in Grid’s August Energy Issue), have announced an exciting partnership with SEPTA. The city’s trains already employ regenerative breaking, generating electricity when they come to a stop.
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According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating and cooling costs account for 50 to 70 percent of the energy used in a typical American home. In most homes—especially in the older housing stock so prevalent in Philadelphia—inadequate insulation is a leading cause of wasted energy. EnergyStar estimates that you can save up to 20
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An energy audit could save you some serious cash by Samantha Wittchen
With all of the options available to homeowners for improving the energy efficiency of their homes, determining where you can get the biggest bang for your buck can be difficult. Is it improving insulation? Air sealing? New windows? A home energy audit by a
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For energy savings, cool roofs are a no-brainer by Samantha WittchenThe roof is no longer on fire. First there was the Mayor’s “Coolest Block” Contest, offering Philadelphians the chance to win an energy-saving cool roof and other energy efficiency upgrades from the city for every house on their block. Then there was City Council’s Earth
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A guide to upgrading your hot water heaterby Samantha WittchenAccording to Energy Star (energystar.gov), in 2009, 14 percent of a household’s annual average energy costs went to heating water. If you have an old, inefficient water heater, that number is probably higher.
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Prepare yourselves: In January 2011, electricity rates in Philadelphia will increase, if not skyrocket. Back in 1997, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a deregulation measure that capped utility rates for consumers in preparation for allowing competition—or “Energy Choice”—in the market. PECO’s cap will expire next year, but citizens in other areas of the state
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RetroFit Philly gives Philadelphians a chance to win free energy upgrades
It seems impossible that, in a few short months, Philadelphians will be sweating through their shirts, but it’s true. Energy costs are sure to be a concern this summer, and small changes make a huge difference.
This is the thrust behind RetroFit Philly’s Coolest Block Contest, an
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Feast Your Eyes Catering was in Northern Liberties before the hordes. Now, they’re in South Kensington, in a spectacular space carved out of an old barrel factory. They moved so they could add an event space to their off-site catering services. And what a space it is: Rustic wood and soaring industrial beauty are paired
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