As a Catholic nun, Sister Ann Provost has long believed in the power of prayer.

But the sun's might in knocking dollars off the electric bill? Or the ability of automatic sink faucets to seriously cut down on water waste?

That's new territory for the executive director of Mercy Neighborhood Ministries of Philadelphia, a nonprofit community group serving the Tioga neighborhood. Yet into that foreign terrain she has taken a giant leap of faith.

When Mercy purchased a West Venango Street factory building dating from 1919 for $225,000 in July 2005, Sister Provost led a search for an architect to convert the crumbling brick hulk into an inviting community center. Some of the firms that responded suggested she consider a revitalization that would meet the U.S. Green Building Council standards for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

"To be honest, we didn't know what that meant," Sister Provost recalled during an interview last week.

They do now. In October, the Mercy Family Center became the first LEED-certified building in North Philadelphia, earning a silver rating for green features incorporated into its nearly $7 million redesign.

They include five skylights, to reduce artificial-lighting needs, and interior walls that do not reach to the ceiling, to maximize the use of natural light and air flow.

A white roof helps keep the building cool in summer. Toilets have dual-flush capacity, to allow for more or less water use depending on the need. Outside, a native-plant garden replaces what used to be paved parking lots.

As it turns out, LEED is a perfect fit, Sister Provost said: "As Sisters of Mercy, care of the environment and all the resources we have been given are a top priority. We were able to take it a step forward."

Most of us are not given to paroxysms of delight over appliances, however handy they may be.

But Paul Thompson is different, and not long ago the Washington Crossing retiree discovered something big - a new kind of water heater that saves him hundreds of dollars a year.

It's a heat-pump water heater, and it works like a refrigerator in reverse. It takes heat from the surrounding air and transfers it to the water. Basically, using electricity to move the heat is more efficient than using it to create the heat.

Once a niche, almost-oddball product, it has hit the big time. Two major companies, Rheem and General Electric, have introduced models in recent months.

The industry and the federal government's efficiency program, Energy Star, say the new appliances are the first major energy-efficiency improvement in electric water heaters in decades.

For those with natural gas, tankless water heaters were a big step. But electric tankless heaters aren't as efficient.

Heat-pump water heaters use roughly half the electricity of a standard electric heater. According to Energy Star, one heat pump can save a family of four $450 a year.

And they look cool, sort of like oversized R2D2s.

Consumer Reports says the average water heater lasts 10 to 15 years. They get less efficient as they age because they build up calcium. So if your heater is getting close, these are worth checking out.

Thompson was into the game early.

It was November 2007, and he'd just gotten an oil delivery. His water heater ran on oil - the only oil he'd used since the previous May - so he was able to calculate exactly how much his hot water was costing.

Over 51/2 months, he'd used 134.5 gallons at a price - then - of $2.50 per, so he figured a total of about $720 a year. "Yikes," he said. "That's what I said. Yikes."

He thought he might have a leak. But no. And he didn't want to resort to two-minute showers.

So he went online and discovered heat-pump hot-water heaters. He asked plumbers and contractors if they knew anything about the heaters. No one did.

Choices were few back then, but one was touted for do-it-yourselfers. So Thompson, who's handy, ordered one and installed it himself. At $720 in hot water a year, "I was motivated," he said.

His appliance, an early version, was actually a retrofit that coupled with his existing tank. He also installed an electricity monitor to see if it lived up to the hype.

"It absolutely did," he said. He now figures his hot water costs him $300 a year.

The new water heaters from Rheem and GE are hybrid versions that operate on the heat-pump principle much of the time. But if you have visiting shower hogs, you can activate standard electric elements to heat the water faster - sort of like flooring a Prius.

Peco, one of the utilities giving rebates to customers who buy specified appliances, is offering $300 for heat-pump water heaters.

These heaters also are eligible for federal tax credits equal to 30 percent of the cost - if you haven't already hit the cap of $1,500 with other energy improvements.

Good thing, because the sticker shock can be a jolt. Both the Rheem and GE 50-gallon units cost about $1,500. Even if the savings pay you back in a couple of years, that's a heck of an up-front cost.

A few cautionary words: Naturally, the units aren't as efficient in cold temperatures. So in this region, don't put it in a cold garage, although Rheem spokeswoman Laura Butler says they work well down to 40 degrees.

Also, it stands to reason that when the unit is heating the water, it's cooling the surrounding air. So your furnace might kick in more often, blunting any savings from the more efficient water heater.

But Thompson's unit is in his basement, and he says slightly cooler air down there hasn't been a problem. Some basements even have residual heat from the furnace that the water heater could take advantage of.

Another benefit for Thompson is that the heat pump also dehumidifies the air. He no longer needs a separate dehumidifier - another energy saving.

Finally, the new units are taller than standard ones, they need a line to get rid of condensation fluids, and they make noise - but less than that of a dishwasher, says GE spokeswoman Allison Gatta.

Jack Strong, who manages Smart Energy Solutions, the for-profit arm of the city's Energy Coordinating Agency, is sold on the new appliances.

"The system works," he said. "They have good reliability."

Thompson, meanwhile, is all but gloating.

"I'm saving lots of money," he said. "And I'm not burning oil."

The Philadelphia Water Department will begin collecting municipal stormwater fees based on the amount of impervious surface on many existing and newly constructed buildings starting July 2010.  Join this inner city Philadelphia tour of three green roof installations. See them up close, hear about their benefits, talk to the product representatives, and see what all the buzz is about.

Cost: DVGBC Member $25 • Non-Member $35 • Student $15

Register by Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Register Online Here!

Create awareness about green practices and the built environment and LEED!!!
Join us as we walk from the Comcast Center in Philadelphia to NJEDA Riverfront Technology Center in Camden, NJ. 3.5 miles. 90 minutes.

Great SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES will be available.
 
Donations will be used to further the mission of the Delaware Valley and New Jersey Chapters and will help us work on green jobs, address climate change, and support green building in the region.

Walkers: Members $20, Non-Members $25, $15 for students.

Teams of 5 - $75
Student Teams - $50

Walkers receive a eco-friendly t-shirt, breakfast snacks, light lunch, water.

Register Here!

Who knew kitty litter was such a great diagnostic tool?

The inspectors had thrown the switch, starting a giant fan brought in to suck the air out of David Krupp's Bella Vista apartment.

They were professionals - certified home energy analysts - and their job was to determine whether the building Krupp had rehabbed was green enough to be Energy Star certified.

And within minutes, the breeze drawn through the space was perfumed with an acrid feline funk.

This was a problem. Krupp didn't have a cat, but his downstairs neighbors did. This meant the smell was coming through the floorboards.

Krupp had been feeling confident. He'd spent a year gutting a century-old brick triplex at Eighth and Fitzwater and turning it into something green.

Krupp wanted his construction to be 25 percent more energy-efficient than international code requires. He'd spent more than $8,700 making his work environmentally friendly, going all out.

In addition to the garden-variety dimmers, timers, and motion detectors, he had sprayed soy-based insulation on the exposed brick walls, shot shredded recycled newspapers into the ceilings, laid floors of reclaimed red pine, then installed two solar panels on the roof to heat the water.

He was eager to have me watch as a pair of energy inspectors probed his handiwork for leaks.

An Energy Star building brings some financial benefits - beyond lean gas and electric bills, which averaged $78 a month this winter for the apartment Krupp shares with girlfriend Olive Prince. If he sells the building one day, certification will likely command a higher price.

But this was more about commitment than cash, he said. He believes in doing something sustainable. And that turned out to be a challenge in Philadelphia, where many contractors think of greenery as something to fold and bank.

He wound up becoming the general contractor himself to ensure the job was to his own specs.

Krupp, 29, is a wiry Melrose Park native who looks like a young David Brenner and speaks with the measured precision of an engineer. He majored in information systems at Carnegie Mellon, minoring in architecture and business.

"This is very important to me," he told me before the inspection. "I don't want to walk around thinking I constructed an energy-efficient building without really knowing."

Ted Dillon, one of the testers, last month had done a preliminary check that looked promising for certification. But things went quickly south Tuesday when he returned with Karen Stabenow, a colleague at Smart Energy Solutions.

With the fan roaring and the space depressurized, you could feel the leaks.

Cool jets of air streamed out of holes in the brick that Krupp thought he'd plugged. He and his carpenter, Eric King, started squeezing caulk into them.

The fan identified gaps in the floorboards, drafty places behind the light switches - all needing attention before the place could ace the test. Krupp - arms crossed, looking like an expectant father - asked Dillon, "Is this pretty standard for rehabs?"

"Yeah, rehabs are tough. Especially for you guys who like brick walls."

Krupp shrugged.

By 1 p.m., progress was so slow that Dillon was pessimistic that he'd have time to test both apartments with the door fan and sample the ductwork in both apartments.

He decided to try Krupp's ducts next - tape the vents, then blow air into the galvanized steel tubes to find any breaches.

Those turned out to be the trouble spot. Somewhere buried in the walls were the reasons air was spilling out of the ducts. There was no way Krupp could get his star with leaky ducts.

It could cost more than $1,000 to find the problem, the testers told him. The ducts weren't easily accessible.

"Any other option?" Krupp asked cooly. He thought of a friend who has an infrared camera. The camera translates variations in temperatures into different colors, so all he would have to do was run the heat or air conditioner and the camera should spot the leaks. That might work.

The testers would have to come back another day. But Krupp was already starting to feel better. He grabbed a handful of raw almonds, his lunch.

"I plan to have a party when this is all done and we're certified," he announced. I'll bring the newspaper hats.

Fridge on the fritz? Washer on its last wobbly legs?

Or maybe they're just old energy hogs that should be laid to rest.

Now's the time. Uncle Sam and others are all but lining up to pay you to do it.

The only problem with the bonanza is that you almost need a Ph.D. researcher - or at least a computer-savvy teen - to sort out the deals.

How much money you can get back hinges on which state you live in, which company provides your electricity, which appliance you're interested in, and whether the store itself is having a sale.

You may even be able to score more than one rebate for the same appliance.

So start your homework. It might take a while.

Appliances certainly make our lives easier. The trouble is that they suck away at the energy grid - and your wallet - like greedy parasites. Especially the older ones, manufactured before energy efficiency improvements.

On average, your dishwasher, fridge, freezer, washer and dryer use 18 percent of household energy, says the Electric Power Research Institute.

With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a gusher of money went to states for the appliance version of Cash for Clunkers.

New Jersey, which is doling out $8.3 million in ARRA funds, has been offering rebates on heating and water heater products.

Beginning April 1 - with final details expected today - the state will move into "upstairs" appliances with $25 to $100 rebates for clothes washers, dishwashers and refrigerators that meet specific Energy Star standards.

Energy Star is a federal program that rates appliances and other goods according to their energy efficiency.

Meanwhile, New Jersey's Clean Energy program has its own rebates for clothes washers, dehumidifiers and room air-conditioners.

Pennsylvania, with $11.9 million in ARRA funds, is still tweaking the details - not to mention the launch date - but Department of Environmental Protection spokesman John Repetz said the plan is to offer rebates for water heaters and non-electric furnaces, likely $100 to $500.

Officials took the heater route because many residents are already eligible for appliance rebates through their utility companies, including Peco and PPL.

State law requires the utilities to reduce energy use 1 percent by mid-2011 and 3 percent by mid-2013; getting old appliances off the grid is one way to do it.

Peco is offering nearly two dozen energy efficiency rebates - $25 to $300 for a hot water heater, depending on the size and type, $75 for a freezer, $90 for a whole house fan, 17 cents a square foot for a white roof, and so on.

PPL is offering $10 to $75 for various appliances and is rolling out rebates on office equipment, such as copiers.

Many appliance retailers are stepping into the morass of details, offering their own guides for how to get the most out of a purchase.

Sears, for instance, runs a Web site that tracks various programs as new deals emerge. For people who do not have Internet access, Sears has store computers to look up deals and print out rebate forms.

"It's a great time to buy," says Sears' lead appliance executive, Doug Moore. By piggybacking deals, "customers are in some cases seeing a $550 item net down to $200."

In New Jersey, stores are teaming up with the state Board of Public Utilities to offer instant rebates instead of making customers fill out forms.

Which prompts another word of caution: Most programs last only until the money is spent. New Jersey figures its ARRA appliance rebate funds will be exhausted in a month. Pennsylvania utilities think their programs will continue a year or more.

As much as this will aid your pocketbook, will it help the environment, which, in addition to stimulating the economy, is the whole point?

Two University of Delaware professors, Burton Abrams and George Parsons, doubt it.

Among several flaws, they noted in a recent report, the federal program does not require old appliance recycling.

So if older, less-efficient refrigerators aren't taken off the grid, but just moved to the basement as beer reservoirs, overall power consumption will increase.

To thwart that possibility, Peco and PPL will pay you $35 to let them take away your old fridge or freezer, and while they're there, $25 for a room air-conditioner.

New Jerseyans make out better: The state will pay $50 for the old fridge or freezer.

If only I could get that kind of deal on my old stereo.

 
GreenSpace: Where to Get Appliance Help

Department of Energy site on rebate programs and how to do a home energy audit: www.energysavers.gov.

Energy Star Web site for appliance ratings and how to figure out if a new refrigerator will save you money: www.Energystar.gov. Click on "Find Energy Star products," then "refrigerators," then "refrigerator retirement savings calculator." Come with the size or model number of your current unit.

For updates on Pennsylvania's rollout of the federal Cash for Clunkers appliance program: www.depweb.state.pa.us. Click on "energy rebate$" on the right.

For updates on New Jersey programs: www.njcleanenergy.com. (Click on "new appliance rebates.")

Peco's rebate site: www.pecosmartideas.com.

PPL's rebate site: www.pplelectric.com/e-power.

For Sears deals, www.sears.com/energystar.

- Sandy Bauers

Clean Air Council is proud to host a forum designed to educate the region's transportation firms on the benefits and challenges of Liquid Natural Gas for the drayage industry in Philadelphia.

Fleets around the country are increasingly making the switch to Liquid Natural Gas in order to take advantage of the cost and environmental benefits of this domestic fuel.

Location: DVRPC - 190 N. 6th St, 8th Floor

Join us for Green Homes 101, an introduction seminar to green homes. Learn about green design; how to identify green-washing; how to lower utility bills and be more comfortable in a healthier home or workplace! If you want to understand the fundamentals of sustainable design, join us for a basic, non-technical seminar in high-performance design, materials and systems.

Following the Green Homes 101 seminar will be a tour of the luxury new green home community, Sheldon Crossing, located in the heart of Manayunk. Sheldon Crossing has been recognized by the USGBC and will earn a Platinum LEED certification because of their state of the art construction practices and exceptional building materials. These high performance homes will use less energy, water, and natural resources while offering a healthy environment with improved air, acoustic, and water quality. This revolutionary, eco-friendly development is the first of its kind in the area and includes such features as vegetative green roofs, geothermal heat and solar energy. Light fair food and drinks generously provided by Denise Lehmann and Alex Plessett of Sheldon Crossing.

Location:
4709 Sheldon St., Philadelphia, PA 19127

 Register online.

More and more religious communities – churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and religious schools – are interested in addressing environmental concerns, but are not certain how to get started. This interest in the environment has been accompanied by an interest in green building – a brand new concept to the religious community.

In this two-part workshop we will get to tour the recently completed FriendsCenter designed by UJMN Architects + Designers. The project has just received LEED Platinum certification, making it the first of it's kind in the state of Pennsylvania, and is the first location in Pennsylvania to utilize deep-standing column wells for geothermal heat exchange. The project also includes a gray water recycling system and a green roof.  Christopher Kenney of UMJN and Rob Diemer of AKF will lead tours of the building and will give a follow up presentation.

The second part of the workshop will feature the Rev. Fletcher Harper of GreenFaith. He will describe GreenFaith’s Building in Good Faith project and resource – a web-based resource to educate religious groups about green building and the LEED standards, and to address the questions and concerns that many religious groups pose when considering green building.
GreenFaith conducted research on religious attitudes and questions about green building for two years prior to designing Building in Good Faith. Harper will present a summary of GreenFaith’s findings, along with recommendations about how green building professionals can work effectively to help religious groups make their building and renovation projects models of environmental sustainability.

Cost: $15 for DVGBC Members, $20 for Non-Members, $10 for students

This program has been approved for 2 AIA CE Credits

 Register online by April 16. 

Join us for a night of social and business networking at Yards Brewery. Relax and have fun with green building professionals who are passionate about the environment, renewable energy, green jobs, energy efficiency, and DVGBC.

901 N. Delaware Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19123
April 6, 2010
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

This event is free!

Register online.