Green Market Press December 2012

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In this issue we could not help the fact that as the holidays seem to have come up too fast and with- out a whole lot of preparation the vast majority of us will shop with a vengeance and most likely not thing “Green” first. That said, we have used a great resource called, “The Daily Green”. This web site is a great source for everything from tips on shopping local and weatheri- zation to cooking and purchasing organically. Annually, this web source has provided a list of gifts that are reasonably priced and sustainably preferable for our community. Take a look ... IN THIS ISSUE From the Editor... Starting Tuesday, De- cember 11, the City’s Re- cycling Drop-Off Center will move to the northwest corner of the Public Works Service Center (PWSC) property in an effort to bet- ter facilitate the drop-off process. In addition, elec- tronics recycling, currently only available on Tues- days and Thursdays at the center, will also be avail- able for residents who visit the drop-off center on Sat- urdays starting on Satur- day, December 15. Currently, the center is located off of Jefferson Avenue behind the south- east corner of the PWSC at 180 Fort Hill Drive. To better facilitate an efficient process for residents to drop off electronics and traditional curbside recy- clables, such as paper, plastic and glass, a new location is warranted. The last day of operation at the existing location will be Saturday, December 8. Starting December 11, people wishing to use the center should enter the one-way drive off Fort Hill Drive and follow the lane designations provided to drop off their items. All ac- ceptable items, including electronics, may be dropped off on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the Recycling Drop-Off Center, visitwww.naperville.il.us/ recyclecenter.aspx . MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Dec 2, Sunday: 2:00PM House Party: Nicor & ComEd Energy Efficiency Program Dec 12, Wednesday: 7:30PM “Fracking” Program with Naperville for Clean Energy and Conservation V OLUME 1, I SSUE 2 D ECEMBER 1, 2012 Green Market Press NAPERVILLE FOR CLEAN ENERGY AND CONSERVATION Smart Meters, Pros and Cons, Really? 2 Home Weatherization Tips 3 City of Naperville Progress Notes 4 Fracking in Illinois 5 Green Connections 6-7 Green Directory 8 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: http://ncec.us/ NCEC ACTION ITEM From ThinkGeek.com, These staple-free staplers hold paper in place by cutting a small notch and folding a small flap within the document's corner. Read more at The Daily Green

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The December 2012 issue of NCEC\'s eNewsletter is here!

Transcript of Green Market Press December 2012

Page 1: Green Market Press December 2012

In this issue we could not help the fact that as the holidays seem to have come up too fast and with-out a whole lot of preparation the vast majority of us will shop with a vengeance and most likely not thing “Green” first.

That said, we have used a great resource called, “The Daily Green”. This web site is a great source for everything from tips on shopping local and weatheri-zation to cooking and purchasing organically. Annually, this web source has provided a list of gifts that are reasonably priced and sustainably preferable for our community. Take a look ...

IN THIS ISSUE From the Editor...

Starting Tuesday, De-cember 11, the City’s Re-cycling Drop-Off Center will move to the northwest corner of the Public Works Service Center (PWSC) property in an effort to bet-ter facilitate the drop-off process. In addition, elec-tronics recycling, currently only available on Tues-days and Thursdays at the center, will also be avail-able for residents who visit the drop-off center on Sat-urdays starting on Satur-day, December 15.

Currently, the center is located off of Jefferson Avenue behind the south-east corner of the PWSC at 180 Fort Hill Drive. To better facilitate an efficient process for residents to drop off electronics and traditional curbside recy-clables, such as paper, plastic and glass, a new location is warranted. The last day of operation at the existing location will be Saturday, December 8.

Starting December 11, people wishing to use the center should enter the

one-way drive off Fort Hill Drive and follow the lane designations provided to drop off their items. All ac-ceptable items, including electronics, may be dropped off on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information on the Recycling Drop-Off Center, visitwww.naperville.il.us/recyclecenter.aspx.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

Dec 2, Sunday: 2:00PM House Party: Nicor & ComEd Energy Efficiency Program

Dec 12, Wednesday: 7:30PM “Fracking” Program with Naperville for Clean Energy and Conservation

VOLUME1, I SSUE 2 DECEMBER 1 , 2012

Green Market Press NAPERVILLE FOR CLEAN ENERGY AND CONSERVATION

Smart Meters, Pros and Cons, Really?

2

Home Weatherization Tips

3

City of Naperville Progress Notes

4

Fracking in Illinois 5

Green Connections 6-7

Green Directory 8

INS IDE THIS ISSUE: http://ncec.us/

NCEC ACTION ITEM

From ThinkGeek.com, These staple-free staplers hold paper in place by cutting a small notch and folding a small flap within the document's corner. Read more at The Daily Green

Page 2: Green Market Press December 2012

VOLUME1, ISSUE 2 PAGE 2

In addition the City of Naperville will receive accurate usage information much more efficiently, which will help them provide you with even better customer service and offer you new features and services that give you more control over your usage.

Typical Arguments Against

Smart Meters 1. Smart meters are less accurate than analog meters.

Public service commissions require meter manufacturers to supply independently certified testing results to prove that their smart meters provide accurate measurements.

2. Smart meters are a health threat because they com-municate using wireless signals.

There is no credible evidence of any threat to human health from the radio frequency emissions at or below limits developed by the Federal Communications Com-mission. You get more exposure to radio frequency (RF) emissions from 15 minutes of cell phone use per day for a year than RFs from 375 years from a smart meter.

3. Smart meters will not keep my data secure.

Consumption data is protected now and utilities are work-ing with nation cyber-security experts to audit their sys-tems.

4. Smart meters are hazardous, increasing the risk of fire and explosion.

Provided they are installed by trained professionals, smart meters meet requirements and standards spelled out in the National Electric Safety Code.

5. Smart meters are an invasion of privacy.

Unless you install a home energy management system, smart meters cannot tell how homeowners use energy. There are laws regulating the use of personal information for business functions.

6. Smart meters do no provide any consumer benefits.

This is perhaps the biggest myth. Once activated, smart meters improve power outage detection and recovery. They also provide near real-time energy usage informa-tion, including how you can manage the real-time pricing of power.

What's a smart meter?

When you were a kid, you probably noticed your electric meter spinning away on the side of your house. Maybe you’ve even had your dog bark like crazy when the meter reader from your poles and wires company came into your yard to take your monthly meter reading. In my house in the 1970s my father, the kind teacher and Guidance Director-was always yelling about the lights being left on or telling the family to put on a sweater if you were cold. Now, new electronic meters called advanced meters or “smart” meters may just change all that.

A smart meter is a new type of electric meter that provides accurate, detailed readings about exactly how much elec-tricity you're using and when you’re using it. They read smart meters electronically, so no meter-reader visit is re-quired. Your dog may be disappointed, but you’ll be happy about all kinds of new information about your electric usage that was never before available. Traditional meters only measured your total electricity consumption, but smart me-ters can give you information at a very detailed level (in 15-minute intervals) and they can help you monitor and man-age your electricity usage hour-by-hour, day-by-day or week-by-week.

The best thing about smart meters is all the information they supply. They call it two-way communication, but smart meters actually supply important information to three dif-ferent parties:

You will be able to get a detailed, constantly updated snap-shot of your daily energy usage, either through an in-home energy monitor or an online portal.

The Municipality will be able to use the information from your smart meter to detect outages to do an even better job of delivering electricity to your home or business.

Smart Meter Pros and Cons, Really? by Benevolus Green

Editorial Cartoon by Don Landgren Jr., TelegramTowns

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Drafts According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can waste 5% to 30% of your energy use. Start simple and adopt that old Great Depression fixture -- the draft snake, which you can easily make yourself. Just place a rolled bath towel under a drafty door, or make your own. You can use any scraps of fabric -- even neckties -- and fill with sand or kitty litter for heft.

Furnace Filters It's important to replace or clean furnace filters once a month during the heating season. Dirty filters re-strict airflow and increase energy demand. You may also want to con-sider switching to a permanent filter, which will reduce waste and hassle. Did you know that disposable fiber-glass filters trap a measly 10 to 40% of debris? Electostatic filters trap around 88%, and are much better at

controlling the bacteria, mold, vi-ruses and pollen that cause illness and irritation. They cost $50 to $1,000 or more. Another good choice is a genuine HEPA filter, which can remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles. HEPA filters are based on Department of Energy standards. But avoid "HEPA-like" filters, which can be vastly less ef-fective.

Winterize A/C and Water Lines Drain any hoses and air conditioner pipes, and make sure you don't have excess water pooled in equip-ment. If your a/c has a water shutoff valve, turn it off.

Make sure any hoses are drained and stowed away neatly. Turn off exterior water spigots. It's also a good idea to seal any water leaks around the place -- and don't forget to remove any window A/C units and store them so you don't invite cold drafts all winter.

Install Storm Doors and Windows The simple act of installing a storm door can increase energy efficiency by 45%, by sealing drafts and re-ducing air flow. Storm doors also offer greater flexibility for letting light and ventilation enter your home. Look for Energy Star-certified mod-els.

Storm windows can also make a

Home Weatherization Tips

huge difference when the cold wind starts blowing. It is well worth it to get them out of the shed or attic and install them for the season.

Heating System Tune-Up Just like cars, heating equipment needs periodic tune-ups in order to run their best. Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly ad-justed will reduce energy use, sav-ing up to 5% of heating costs.

The good news is many utilities offer free annual checkups by quali-fied technicians -- but you often have to call early, as HVAC crews get backed up once heating season starts. Some furnace manufacturers and dealers also offer free or dis-counted inspections.

More Tips... For more winterization tips, please visit The Daily Green.

TheDailyGreen.com is a consumer's guide to green living, with daily news, tips, recipes, features and more. The information on this page has been adapted from "19 Easy Home Winter-ization Projects"http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/winterize-home-tips-energy-461008

For excellent do-it-yourself

weatherization information

use the U.S. DOE Public

Services web site at:

http://energy.gov/public-

services/homes/home-

weatherization

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Everywhere we look, we see advertisements selling all things “GREEN”. From conserving energy to recycling, the twenty-first century is chock full of companies and others advocating new plans of action that prevent excess waste. Of course, like countless other earth-conscious people, I’m pro-green all the way and I try my best to implement every green technique that I can both in my business and family. That is why I try to remember an old mentor of mine back in the day who argued to me that if a green product is to be viable in his view, it must be of good quality, attractive to the user and cost effective. Well, he did not say it quite as clear. In his terms, “I don’t want to see a long hair, tie dye t-shirt and verachi sandal wearing hippie trying to sell me something that looks like it comes from a commune in the “Cali” desert some-where”. That said, I have often used The Daily Green web site as a source for products. Here are a few you may like: Chocolate

Conventional chocolate production isn't good for the Earth, fueling wars in Africa, engulfing rain forests, spreading toxic pesticides and paying out meager wages. But luckily for us there is a sweet story to tell, with organic and fair trade chocolate becoming much more widely available, and supporting sustainable agriculture and worker health and rights. A good example of this is “Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates”, which offers a potpourri of sumptuous chocolate hearts, filled with everything from natural organic peanut butter to vanilla, to fresh raspberry and more! The Cupid's Cups (pictured) go for $14.50.

3D Wooden Alphabet

Puzzles

For young kids, this 3D wooden alphabet puzzle is a triple threat: building dexterity and language skills in the playful form of a colorful crocodile. Better still, it's made from sustainably harvested pine by Golden Palm International, an organization that pays fair wages to artisans in Sri Lanka. $34 from tenthousandvillages.com.

$10 = YOUR AD HERE!

NCEC is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Your sponsorship helps us continue and develop our environmental education programming which benefits our residents, businesses, community

and our future!

Christmas Gifts for the Environmental Steward in your Life

Solar Powered Watch Powerful in looks and in eco-friendly technol-ogy, this solar-powered watch from Pulsar will keep anyone on time for that big appointment ... or that deep-water dive on vacation. When fully charged, look forward to 180 days of uninter-rupted power. (amazon.com, $89)

Bamboo Mouse Whether it's Mac or PC, this optical mouse is made with style from eco-friendly bamboo. (amazon.com, $22.85)

Photovoltaic Laptop Bag With a shell and interior lining made from 100% recycled PET (soda bottles), the Voltaic Gen-erator is the first solar energy-collecting bag powerful enough to charge a laptop. $599 at voltaicsystems.com, 1-877-304-6861. Up-cycled Floppy Disc Note Pads Made from postconsumer recy-cled paper and seemingly ancient floppy disks, these Recycled Floppy Disk Notepads are a radical throwback to early '80s technology. $5.95 each at greenfeet.com, 1-888-562-8873.

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GREEN MARKET PRESS PAGE 5

more sustainable, healthy future.

Send us your pledge and we’ll add it to the list and keep a tally of the difference we collectively make!

Send your pledge to Kelly at: [email protected]

TODAY!

As of November, 2012, I pledge to make a personal change in habits that will reduce the green house gasses in my commu-nity by: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

enced earthquakes linked to frack fluids pumped into deep injection wells. With two major faults, the New Madrid and Wabash faults, underlying southern and eastern Illinois, understanding the potential seismic threats is imperative.

Additionally, according to Scott Tinker, the State Geologist for Texas and past president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, “although a lot of people are drilling and fracking a lot of wells in a lot of formations across the country and producing a lot of oil and gas, it is just that that the state of the art technology -- even at a fabulous, historic, energy-focused legacy institution like UT -- is still finding its learning curve.“

It also means that "we" -- as in the U.S. and the rest of the energy-consuming world -- are a long way from being able to make clear-headed, long-term energy policy and investment decisions based on true understanding of the Fracking technology upheaval.

So, what does this mean to us here in Naperville? Quite simply, if this form of drilling is allowed in “far off places” of our state that we don’t have the opportunity to view frequently, it opens the flood gates for additional and fracture drilling in Lake Michigan, which is our primary water source and threatens all of our livelihoods. Join Naper-ville for Clean Energy and Conservation, Sierra Club, Environment Illinois, and Natural Resource Defense Council On Wednes-day, 12-12-12 to learn about this critical issue facing us all.

Jodi : Taking my bike (and trailer for toting) for all trips un-der 2 miles one way.

Stephanie : Continue to remind my children to turn off the lights and take shorter showers.

Bill : Donate to NCEC on an annual basis

Kelly: Keep active and donate more to NCEC

What is a personal sustainability pledge?

As part of NCEC’s mission, our goal is to educate residents about how their personal actions effect global climate change. As part of our mission, we are encouraging residents to submit to us their personal actions they are taking in their own lives to help reduce the green house gasses in our community. Al-though the City of Naperville, and many of our local business along with a significant number of individuals in our commu-nity have sustainability plans, it will take all of us collectively to pitch in, turn off, conserve, reduce, recycle, and re-evaluate daily habits in order to make the substantial difference needed to reduce the green house gasses in our community.

We invite you to pledge your personal efforts to address energy conservation, renewable, sustainable food, commuting, water conservation, green space, recycling and any other sustainabil-ity issues directly affecting our community. By making your pledge public, it not only might subconsciously help you stay committed, but will also help build a sense of community and support for one another as we all journey on our paths to a

On Wednesday Dec 12, at 7:30PM, the Naperville for Clean Energy and Conservation will be discussing a “Fracking” Program presented by the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter.

Industry is proposing to use high-volume horizontal hydraulic frac-turing to reach oil and/or natural gas in the New Albany Shale. After drilling into the shale, which is located between 4,000 to 5,000 feet down, the well bore is then drilled horizontally for up to a mile. Fol-lowing the drilling the well is then “completed” or “fracked.” Fracking is process in which water, sand and toxic chemicals (Fracking fluid) are injected into the well at high pressure to create small cracks in the rock that allow natural gas to freely flow to the surface.

Each well uses between 2 to 8 million gallons of fresh water taken from our lakes and aquifers. Since one well is often fracked up to 18 times and there could be one well for every forty acres of land within the New Albany Shale, this amounts to an enormous quantity of fresh water permanently taken out of the system.

In some areas, after a well has been fracked, people’s well water has become contaminated by chemicals (some radioactive) that migrate into aquifers through natural fissures and/or possibly through aban-doned wells.

Several states, including Ohio, Texas and Arkansas have experi-

NCEC Member Personal Sustainability Pledges

Make Your Personal Sustainability Pledge

NCEC / SIERRA CLUB OF ILLINOIS DEC. 12 MEETING

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GREEN MARKET PRESS PAGE 6

will find posted on their site include NCEC meetings, Green Drinks events, Fox Valley Electric Auto Asso-ciation meetings, as well as a myriad of other fun, local gatherings that are of particular inter-est to “green” minded people.

There is no fee to join the group, and most Meetups are free of charge as well. Log in to the Meetup site and JOIN US!

www.meetup.com/Naperville-area-sustainability-group

Naperville Area Sustainability Group is a local Meetup group established to act as a local connecting place for green peo-ple, groups, events, and activities. Set up in June of 2010, the group now has over 300 members, and is growing every day. Meetups you

In the past, the house with the most decorative holiday lights used to be considered the 'best'. Times have changed. The cost of electricity goes way beyond the utility bill. Electricity drains natural resources.

1. Reduce the size of outdoor lighting displays

A smaller presentation of lights can still be attractive, and more appropriate in the 'season of giving'. Saving electricity is also a way of giving, since conserving resources benefits everyone.

2. Use LED lights for house and Christ-mas tree lighting

LED (Light Emitting Diode) holiday

lights use up to 95% less energy than larger, traditional holiday bulbs and last up to 100,000 hours when used indoors. LED holiday lights use .04 watts per bulb, 10 times less than mini bulbs and 100 times less than traditional holiday bulbs. Over a 30-day period, lighting 500 traditional holiday lights will cost you about $18.00 while the same num-ber of LED lights costs only $0.19. As an added bonus, if one of the LED lights burns out the rest of the strand will stay lit.

3. Outdoor Mini-lights will also save energy

A 100-light string uses only 40 watts. If you're buying a new set of lights, com-pare based on equal 'lighted lengths'. Some higher priced brands have 100

Every month people across the globe who are interested in environmental issues meet up at informal sessions known as GreenDrinks. GreenDrinks - Naperville, which was founded in February 2010, is just one of 750+ of these chapters worldwide. It's a lively mixture of people from business, NGOs, academia, our community and government. Come along and you'll be made welcome-TEETOTALERS TOO. It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there's always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, ever expanding network. These events are very casual, and food and drink are on your own. There is no fee to participate. We are a green social networking event in every sense - 'self-organizing' and 'organically-growing' - so spread the word and see you at the next Green-Drinks - Naperville! We meet the last Wednesday of most months, be sure to check the webpage for location: www.greendrinks.org/il/naperville .

Meetup With Naperville Area Sustainability Group

A Green Christmas with Reduced Lighting

Green Drinks — Naperville

mini-lights for only 8 1/2 feet of length, while some 100 mini-light strings cover up to 40 feet in length. For the most efficient outdoor holiday lighting, con-sider the new solar LED strings now available.

4. Turn tree lights and outdoor house decorative lighting off at bedtime

It's simply a waste of energy to leave the holiday lights on at night after eve-ryone's gone to sleep.

Naperville Area Sustainability Group

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After 20 months of construction and a full class year of operation, Rock Valley College is beginning to welcome students into its new Math and Science Center. College President, Jack Becherer says, “We are defining our future…” with the $30 million building. The “Green” project is a modern structure with a miesian style of minimalist aesthetic. That is, one of beautifully articulated steel and glass at the north entry, not necessarily orthogonal boxes but traditional house profiles to the south with a modu-lar façade floating between and reinforcing the Mid-west landscape of its regional location. The Karl J. Jacobs Center for Math & Science is the second USGBC registered building on campus and is rede-fining the community college’s academic proviso.

Course offerings on campus range from an Associ-ate of Applied Science in Sustainable Energy Sys-tems where graduates have the skills to become a certified Alternative Energy Hybrid System Integra-tor. The program trains site feasibility analysis through which students learn how to determine the best application of alternative energy sources to use for any particular residence or small business. In another program, students can seek a Green Energy Certificate having four (4) basic compo-nents similar to other professional certifications: a basic math review; electric power systems opera-tions; solar photovoltaic systems and an introduc-tion to the design & installation of wind powered renewables. Some of these classes are taught in this building that showcases alternative energy sys-tems that help the building reduce its energy usage by 46% below an ASHRAE 90.1 standard baseline. Moreover, the savings is expected to reduce annual Operation and maintenance overhead costs by $165,000.00 annually.

Designed primarily to control the amount of solar heat permitted into the greenhouse space, the

“Good Day Sunshine” The Karl J. Jacobs Center for Math & Science in Rockford,

Illinois Provides Sunlight & Power

Another year and another class begins at Rock Valley College where, nestled in the Forest City and county seat of Winnebago County, the 217 acre college of 9,000 students will be having classes in its newest Math and Science Building. The Karl J. Jacobs Cen-ter opened its doors last year and has a 1.2kW Photo-voltaic (PV) Integrated Curtain Wall located at the South and South East corner of the 106,000 square foot institutional building. The curtain wall designed by Demonica Kemper Architects, has a Visible Transmit-tance of 50% harvesting needed light into the second floor Greenhouse while producing electricity from the sun through a mosaic of photovoltaic cells. Atlantis Energy Systems, Inc supplied the outer glass layer of the integrated unit with 6”x 6” Polycrystalline silicon or multi-crystal Si cells in 10 different glass sizes. The circuited layouts laminated with an advanced, long-life encapsulate that hermetically seals the PV cells and wiring to withstand entrance of environmental contami-nants completing the outer layer of the PV glazing.

In Pursuit of USGBC LEED Gold Certification, the pro-ject includes a 420 Ton Geothermal System, Chilled Beam Cooling, VAV air handling, Energy Star rated equipment and countless other measures that assure stakeholders that this project will secure the commu-nity college’s standing in Illinois as the first academic institution to have two (2) LEED Gold buildings on its grounds.

Green Business of the Month Contributed by Kelly Andereck, A Design Consulting

Photo 1 South Entry to Karl J. Jacobs Center for Math & Science Building at Rock Valley Community College 

Page 8: Green Market Press December 2012

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$10 = YOUR AD HERE!

NCEC is a 501c3 non-profit organiza-tion. Your sponsorship helps us con-tinue and develop our environmental

educational programming which bene-fits our residents, businesses, commu-

nity and our future!

GREEN BUSINESS DIRECTORY

$10 = YOUR AD HERE!

NCEC is a 501c3 non-profit organi-zation. Your sponsorship helps us continue and develop our environ-mental educational programming which benefits our residents, busi-nesses, community and our future!

Page 9: Green Market Press December 2012

VOLUME1, ISSUE 2 PAGE 9

6”x6” photovoltaic cells supplied by Chinese com-pany LOF, reduces the amount of daylight through the clear low iron gl2ass by 50% (typical solar heat gain coefficients range from 0.17 to 0.72 with an optimal daylight transmittance range of 5 to 35%) in addition to providing a secondary benefit of reducing electricity consumption by 3,819kWh annually. The10 glass panels making up the south east and southwest corners of the second story greenhouse are integrated glass units filled with argon and as-sembled with Tyco Electronics (TE) SOLARLOK Straddle Edge Junction box. The top row of PV laminated glass uses Multi-Contact PV-JB2 J Boxes. Wiring of the series connected curtain wall was provided in the horizontal mullion and was then passed through to the utility vault located on the ground floor.  

Cost

A typical first cost of a curtain wall is approximately $100.00 per square foot with an additional cost for integrating thin film PV products of about $80.00/sf. Consequently, a Federal Tax Credit in place until 2017 providing businesses with a 30% direct reduc-tion of the tax burden reduces net cost burdens to $54.00/sf (of the $80.00 premium cost). In addition, the MACRS accelerated depreciation allows the business to depreciate any BIPV curtain wall in 5 years rather than a typical capital investment of 39 years. As a result, the actual net cost becomes a $14.00 per year tax savings, not to mention, factor-

Green Business of the Month K. Andereck

Naperville’s Kelly Jon Andereck, LEED AP, Principal of A Design Consulting provided design assistance and specification writing. Atlantis Energy Systems, Inc. coordinated and performed the PV integration with Syracuse Glass the manufacturer of the IG Units all of which took place in New York outside the USGBC LEED Regional materials (MRc5) option where those building materials and/or systems are extracted, harvested, and manufactured within 500 miles of a project site. Finally, Rock Valley Glass bid the installation of the BIPV Curtain wall. As the specification was written, the team focused on the technical issues surrounding the glass, lamination and series connections with bypass diodes. The stumbling block had become the J box or edge con-nection that linked the Individual PV Integrated IG Units in series. Unable to provide conformance to UL Standards or IEC certification for the Edge Con-nection with the Multi-Contact PV-JB/EM at 1.34 inch profile, the AES team searched in vein for a suitable edge connection that would work with the low profile mullion design specified by the architects. It became clear that very few approved products were available to U.S. projects unlike in Europe where various products are available to use as the connections. Never the less, with the TE Connec-tivity straddle edge junction box the design team was allowed to conceal the edge connector into the building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) modules with a 0.39 inch (10mm) profile and innovative edge of the solar window mounting, literally fitting into the mullion of the IG units.

ing in a small local/municipal or state rebate the payback becomes an estimated 24-36 months (Federal IRS Tax Rulings on this subject are avail-able at (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb07-14.pdf and http://sustainability-counsel.com/2011/02/25/significant-irs-ruling-on-energy-property-qualifying-for-investment-tax-credit/ or search IRS for private letter ruling 201043023)

Page 10: Green Market Press December 2012

NCEC, founded in 2007 became an official 501c3

not-for-profit organization August 2008. We

strive to educate, demonstrate and develop means

to help ourselves and community move toward a

more sustainable and carbon-free way of living in

order to protect our planet and ensure a healthy sustainable life for future generations.

3835 Caine Court Naperville, IL 60564

Naperville for Clean Energy and Conservation

1/9: Meeting Room A

2/13: Meeting Room A

3/13: Meeting Room B&C

4/10: Meeting Room A

5/8: Meeting Room A

6/12: Meeting Room A

Our meetings are always open to the public, and we hope you can join us. Meetings are at 7:30 PM, generally on the second Wednesday of the month at the Naperville Munici-pal Center located at 400 South Eagle in Down-town Naperville.

Upcoming NCEC .….

Phone: 312-523-4347 Fax: 630-983-6124

[email protected]

Your business tag line here.

http://ncec.us/

Yes, I want to make a tax deductible donation TODAY

to help develop a

CLEAN FUTURE

For myself, my community, and our children!

DONATE

More than half of the new solar stores will get non-traditional solar panels, dubbed thin film. Wal-Mart's use of thin film on rooftops is expected to be one of the largest commercial installations of the technology in the U.S., says Jonathan Bass, spokesman of SolarCity, which is installing the solar at the stores. We are wondering, will the new 170,000 square-foot store in Naperville use solar panels? Let us discuss at our next meeting

7/10: Meeting Room B&C

8/14: Meeting Room A

9/11: Meeting Room A

10/9: Meeting Room A

11/13: Meeting Room A

12/11: Meeting Room A

2013 Meeting Dates Next Quarter:

We are looking for your input

And much more as we continue to help our community develop

the means by which we can grow as a sustainable community