New home construction is poised to transform significantly in the year 2020 in California when Zero Net Energy building solutions will be required as part of designing ZNE-compliant homes. What does this mean exactly for homeowners? Let’s take a closer look at the rules. Think of your home now – in fact, you’re probably sitting… Read more »
Zero Net Energy: What Is the Initiative?
How many times do you turn the lights on in your house? How often do you turn the heat on in your home during the winter, or crank the A/C in the summer? Every time you click that thermostat to a higher temperature or turn your light switches on, you’re using energy. We’re not saying… Read more »
Sun Beats Wind: Solar Now the Top Green Energy Supply in CA
Big news in the energy field here in California: Solar became the No. 1 source of renewable energy in the state in 2015. That’s according to data compiled by the California Independent System Operator, the primary grid manager in the state. Their numbers show that last year, utility-scale solar power plants produced 15,591,964 megawatt-hours of… Read more »
Six Steps to a Greener Home
These days it is becoming more and more important to strive for energy efficiency in your home. Saving energy is not only good for the planet, but it will save you money on your energy costs as well. If you want to go green at your home but are not sure how to do so,… Read more »
Solar Impulse 2 Resumes Its All Solar Flight
Last week, a solar-powered plane that is flying around the world without any fuel left Hawaii after being stranded there for nearly 10 months due to some technical difficulties. The plane – Solar Impulse 2 – is co-piloted by Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss explorer and psychiatrist, and Andre Borschberg, a Swiss engineer. The pair takes… Read more »
Solar is Coming: San Fran to Require Panels
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently passed a new law that will require all new buildings that are 10 stories in height or smaller to add solar panels. The new rule goes into effect January 2017, building on an existing California law that requires all new small- and mid-sized buildings to make a portion… Read more »
Homes Need To Breathe – Don’t They?
Intuitively, this makes sense, doesn’t it? We want fresh air in our homes. It’s healthier. But let’s think this through. How is air drawn into our homes and what must it pass through to get inside? Two conditions must exist: first, there must be an opening of some sort connecting the outside to the inside,… Read more »
The Green Materials Market for Building Is Going to Skyrocket in 2015
Everyone’s going green. According to a Transparency Market Research report, the green materials market for building is going to skyrocket from its $106.32 billion value in 2012 to a whopping $234.77 billion industry value by 2019. It’s not difficult to see why the industry is growing at such a rapid pace. With the striking health… Read more »
What Does It Mean to Be GreenPoint Rated?
Here at Ricks Energy Solutions, we use the GreenPoint Rating system to evaluate how energy-efficient and environmentally friendly your home is. But what exactly does that mean? GreenPoint Ratings are essentially a system put in place by the non-profit organization based in California geared at promoting healthy, energy- and resource-efficient buildings. GreenPoint Rated houses are… Read more »
The Many Benefits of Home Energy Audits
Whether we realize it or not, our homes are constantly using energy. In many cases, this is a good thing and we are actively aware of the process. In others, excess energy gets consumed and wasted, costing the homeowner money for no good reason. Fortunately, a home energy audit can provide you with a thorough… Read more »