Utility Tracking and Benchmarking Blog | WegoBlog

WegoWise joined over a thousand attendees (and Daryl Hannah) at the annual ACI National conference last week in Baltimore, MD, where we found great weather for walking by the harbor, a huge variety of sessions, and a lot of knowledgeable people from different industries.  A Home Energy Leadership Summit led off the week, followed by the Home Performance Conference. 

Whether you want to be a more informed citizen or just want to kill some time before 5 on a Friday afternoon, WegoWise has got you covered. This week we take a look at some ways to green your home and office.  So peruse our best links, give us some feedback and be sure to share some of the info you just gleaned with other interested parties at the parties you are hopefully attending this weekend. Brought to you by Dan, Nate, Sean, Lily, Catherine, and Casey.

It is hard to think of the music industry and musicians as being green – especially when musicians travel from city to city on large buses, use tons of lighting and other visual effects, and their attendees consume large amounts of food and drink that in most cases, ends up in a landfill.  Additionally, the music industry is the second dirtiest industry in the world, which, according to Leslie Uppinghouse, the production manager of Austin’s South by Southwest festival, is surpassed only by the construction industry.  Every year, tour buses contribute approximately 150,000 tons of carbon emissions, a stadium performance can contribute anywhere from 500 to 1,000 tons of carbon emissions, and a midsize venue uses 470,000 plastic cups, 200,000 napkins, and 600 lightbulbs.  That is a lot of waste!

Often overshadowed by topics such as energy efficiency and water conservation, indoor air quality is increasingly entering the forefront of discussions around green building. What's being discovered is that our homes and apartments are often the source of a multitude of pollutants and allergens, which can lead to a startling number of short and long term health effects. Don't despair though, because WegoWise has some at home tips to remove indoor air pollution and make your home a healthier place to live in.

Whether you want to be a more informed citizen or just want to kill some time before 5 on a Friday afternoon, WegoWise has got you covered. This week we take a look at high gas prices and some ways to avoid them.  So peruse our best links, give us some feedback and be sure to share some of the info you just gleaned with other interested parties at the parties you are hopefully attending this weekend. Brought to you by Dan, Nate, Sean, Lily, Catherine, and Casey.

An energy audit is an examination of a building for energy efficiency improvement purposes. Through analysis of energy usage, building characteristics, weather data, and the typical usage of the building, an energy audit can recommend energy conservation measures.  The measures are assessed for their savings potential, as well as their ability to maintain or improve the quality of life within the building.

For many property owners wishing to make energy efficient upgrades to their buildings, the dream proves impossible due to a lack of upfront capital.  Even if they were able to secure a loan to pay for the upgrade, there would be no guarantee they’d be in their home long enough to see full payback and subsequent savings from the improvement.  This is where an emerging financing structure known as Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans enters the conversation.  These exploratory programs forge public-private partnerships that aim to spur investment in the energy efficiency of our built environment.

The overall water and energy efficiency of your building is a function of three things:
1. Design and construction

Whether you want to be a more informed citizen or just want to kill some time before 5 on a Friday afternoon, WegoWise has got you covered. This week we take a look at single family houses, from building them better to selling them better.  So peruse our best links, give us some feedback and be sure to share some of the info you just gleaned with other interested parties at the parties you are hopefully attending this weekend. Brought to you by Dan, Nate, Sean, Lily, Catherine, and Casey.