paid editorial at huffington post: affordable green technology for your home | damon m. banks

8/12/2019 Paid Editorial at Huffington Post: Affordable Green Technology for Your Home|Damon M. Banks

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June 12, 2014

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technology alone provides numerous advantages, both short and long term, by improving the home's overall efficiency, but it's often difficult to navigate the many options and methods when finding the best solution for your specific situation. At theforefront of this movement is green expert, Jorge Carrasco, who was kind enough to work with me to better understand the world of green lighting technologies, and themany benefits.

Fully integrated into the long- term conservation programs since 1977, Jorge Carrascoserves as CEO and General Manager of Seattle City Light(https://www.seattle.gov/light/), which has been widely recognized throughout thePacific Northwest as one of the leaders in technological innovation, sustainability andenvironmental protection. Looking far beyond this region of the United States,Carrasco and his team have been continuously pushing green utility trends in

collaborations with others throughout the country to further develop a moresustainable America. With such a firm grasp on this industry, his expert insight intothe many options of green lighting technology has been truly eye opening.

LED Lighting:

Easily one of the more widely known and talked about technologies, LED (LightEmitting Diode) is also one of the most energy efficient solutions, and continues torapidly develop and improve. A perfect solution for homes, residential LED light bulbs, especially ENERGY STAR (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.) rated products, use up to 10 times less energy, and last25 times longer, when compared to the standard incandescent lighting used in thepast. Fortunately, in recent years the prices of these LED lights have also beenreduced, making this a more realistic option when converting an entire home to LEDlighting.

It's estimated that if every household was able to replace one regular incandescentlight bulb with a LED light, that it would prevent an estimated "90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions."(http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/light_bulbs.htm) In laymanterms, this would have the same effect as taking "7.5 million cars off of our highways."Beyond only the gas emissions, this would also save enough energy to light more than2.5 million homes for an entire year. "LED lighting technology is poised to explode,and this will be a huge source of energy savings across the country in the next five years," said Jorge Carrasco.

CFL Lighting:

Though not as broadly talked about as the LED lighting, CFL (Compact FluorescentLamps) are another great option when looking for ways to make homes more energy efficient, while saving money in the long-term. Most recognize CFL lights because of their unique curly shape, which is a version of the long tube fluorescent lights werecognize from schools and many commercial buildings. Today, many companies alsooffer variations that have an encasement covering the curly tubes, providing a morefamiliar looking option.

In most cases, these light bulbs can pay for themselves after just nine months, andthen continue saving the homeowner money for long periods of time due to theirextended lifespan. Under normal circumstances, CFL lights use about 75 percent lessenergy and last 10 times longer (http: //www.energystar.gov/certified-products/detail/light_bulbs) than the standard incandescent lights. Note that allfluorescent bulbs do contain a very small amount of mercury, and should be recycledand not simply discarded. As Jorge Carrasco noted, "While CFL technology is mature,it will see accelerated market penetration now that standard incandescent bulbs areno longer being produced."

Solar Energy:

Though often thought to be an insurmountable task to "go solar," an increasingnumber of homes are taking the plunge to generate electricity using this method. According to CNBC (h ttp://www.cnbc.com/id/101319945), a new rooftop system wasinstalled every four minutes in 2013. Fortunately, the prices of solar panels have alsocontinued to decrease -- nearly 75 percent in the past year alone. This immediate costsavings combined with ongoing incentives by federal and state governments makes"going solar" a very attractive option for homes today.

Another unique option offered by Seattle City Light, and will hopefully continue tospread across the United States, is Green Up. This is where customers purchase greenpower for a portion of their electricity; demonstrating their support for wind powerand other new renewable energy projects, which reduces reliance on fossil fuels,improves air quality and helps reduce the growth of climate-warming emissions.

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"As the market for solar expa nds, utilities like Seattle City Light must figure out whatthat means," said Jorge Carrasco. "For Seattle City Light, we are encouraging ourcustomers to invest in solar and have spearheaded an innovative community solarmodel that we see taking off across the country where customers pitch in to own ashare of a solar installation instead of putting it on their own roof," Carrasco added.

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paid editorial at huffington post: affordable green technology for your home | damon m. banks

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