Stimulus checks go green
Consumers who want to lower their gas and energy bills while promoting a "green" economy can use part of their economic stimulus checks to further those goals.
The U.S. Treasury Department began mailing out checks to 130 million households this month in an effort to boost the sluggish economy. An eligible individual received up to $600 and a couple as much as $1,200. Parents can receive an additional $300 for each eligible child younger than 17, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
City of Ashland Conservation Analyst Larry Giardina offered numerous suggestions for how to invest economic stimulus money to save on electricity, water, natural gas and gas bills.
Appliances
"There's certainly an opportunity for appliance replacements," he said. "There are long-term energy savings in replacing less efficient washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers and water heaters."
The city offers rebates that, coupled with state tax credits, can lower the cost of buying new energy efficient appliances.
Energy Star clothes washers range from $500 to more than $1,000, according to figures from Lowe's Home Improvement.
A clothes washer with the Energy Star label qualifies for a $35 to $50 city rebate if installed in a home with a gas water heater, and a $70 to $100 city rebate for a home with an electric water heater.
State tax credits for high-efficiency clothes washers, dishwashers and refrigerators range from $60 to $180.
Note that not all Energy Star appliances qualify.
Energy Star dishwashers range from less than $300 to more than $1,000 at Lowe's. The company estimates an efficient model will save about $90 over its lifetime.
The city offers a $25 rebate for a new qualifying dishwasher in a home with a gas water heater and a $50 rebate for a home with an electric water heater.
Lowe's sells Energy Star refrigerators starting at under $700 to more than $1,000.
The city's refrigerator rebate is $25 to $35.
A homeowner who replaces a refrigerator made before 1993 with an Energy Star refrigerator will save $340 over 10 years. In most households, the refrigerator consumes the most energy of any kitchen appliance, according to the Lowe's Web site.
Some homeowners are choosing tankless water heaters that heat water only when it is needed, rather than constantly maintaining hot water in a tank.
Tankless water heaters range from $220 to more than $1,000 at Lowe's.
The city does not offer a rebate for tankless water heaters, although it does offer a $65 rebate for an efficient electric water heater.
For more information on city conservation programs and appliance rebates, call 488-5306 or visit www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=1366.
For information on appliances that qualify for state tax credits, visit http:///ENERGY and click on tax incentives and then residential energy tax credits.
Home improvement
Giardina said one of the most cost-effective ways to lower energy bills is to weatherize a home with caulk or stripping along doors and windows.
"You are preventing air that you are paying to heat or cool from escaping," he said.
The city's conservation staff will conduct a free home energy analysis for residents with electric heat. The analysis includes recommended measures and a list of potential incentives.
Free leakage tests for electrically heated homes help find where air is leaking from a home. The fee is $50 for homes with non-electric heat. A duct system analysis is free for homeowners with electric heat and $100 for others.
The city also offers rebates for sealing or replacing leaking ducts and new insulation in electrically heated homes.
Another cost-effective way to lower electricity bills is to replace all light bulbs in a home with fluorescent bulbs, which can cost less than $3 each and pay for themselves in less than a year. Most homes have more than 40 bulbs, and some larger, new homes have more than 100, Giardina said.
"That would be a great thing to do. You could retrofit your entire house for less than your stimulus check," he said.
For more information on home tests and improvements rebates, call 488-5306 or visit www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=1366.
Solar power
Residents interested in supporting solar power can "adopt" a panel in the new Solar Pioneer II system that was recently installed on a city building near East Main Street. A full panel is $825, a half panel is $412.50 and a quarter panel is $206.25.
People who take part will receive annual credits on their city electric bills that equal the value of the energy their panels generate. The payback will be at least $348 to $425 over 20 years on one panel — or about half the amount a person invests.
Savings from a state tax credit and a federal low-interest bond rate are being passed through to buyers.
For more information on the solar panels, call 488-5306 or visit www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=10994.
Ride the bus
Giardina said getting your car tuned up, properly inflating your tires or riding Rogue Valley Transportation District buses are ways to save gas.
Ashland resident Pam Marsh has been riding the bus from her home on Siskiyou Boulevard to her job in Medford several times a week for more than two years now. She said many people don't think about using the bus.
"When I mention it, people give me a blank look. But it's extraordinarily easy. The bus is always on time, the driver is always cheerful and the bus is always clean," she said.
The trip takes about 35 minutes, or roughly 10 minutes longer than it would take to drive by car. Each round trip costs $4. Meanwhile, the federal government estimates that the true cost of driving a car is 50 cents per mile, she said.
Marsh said the bus drops her off about three blocks from her Medford job. If she drove, she would still have to walk about two and a half blocks.
"I thought I was unusual because I live and work near a bus line," she said. "But in the Rogue Valley, half of homes and 75 percent of jobs are within a quarter mile of a bus line. A lot of people are within a fairly easy walk."
Marsh said she has a relaxing ride and feels good that she is saving gas, supporting mass transit and not adding extra carbon dioxide to the atmosphere since the bus is running whether she's on it or not.
"What more could you ask for?" she asked.
Bus fare for a single ride within Ashland is 50 cents and $2 elsewhere in the Rogue Valley. Fare for people with disabilities, or for ages 62 and older or between 10 and 17 years old is $1 elsewhere in the Rogue Valley.
A regular monthly pass is $70, while a pass for a senior citizen, youth or disabled person is $35 per month.
For more information on RVTD fares, bus routes and schedules, visit www.rvtd.org or call 779-2877. Passes can be purchased at the city of Ashland Utilities Office in City Hall on the downtown plaza.
Buy a bike
Giardina said buying and riding a bike is another way to reduce spending on gas.
For $600, a customer can buy an entry level road bike, a mid-level mountain bike or a hybrid bike, said Rob Marten, a sales representative at Ashland Cycle Sport on Oak Street.
Marten said hybrid bikes, with their comfortable upright sitting position, are especially popular with commuters and people who want to run errands around town.
The cycle shop also sells racks and bags that attach to bikes. One style of bag easily slips on and off a bike so that it can be taken into a grocery store and then used to haul home purchases.
Ashland's compact size, bike lanes on streets and bike paths make it a bike-friendly community. People can also use the Bear Creek Greenway to bike to Talent, Phoenix or Medford.
"Biking around Ashland is so easy. It only takes 10 minutes to get across town," Marten said. "If you're going to spend your economic stimulus check on something, maybe spend it on a bike."
Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 479-8199 or vlaldous@yahoo.com. To post a comment, visit www.dailytidings.com.
