Join Us for the 2024 SEEDS Of NEPA Free Book Share Event!

Got books to share or looking for your next great read?
Don’t miss this fantastic community event at the Wayne County Fairgrounds!
Whether you want to drop off, take home, or swap books, we’ve got you covered. Check the list below for days and times for each activity.

For more information or to volunteer, email Jessica at jessica@thecooperageproject.org.

Let’s make this event a huge success and keep the joy of reading alive in our community!

Sustainability in the Community

 My name is Ovidiu Cocieru. I am an assistant professor of management at the University of Scranton. Today, I want to share why we decided to electrify our house, including adding solar panels to our roof.

When we bought our house two years ago in the Clarks Summit area, we knew we wanted an older house that we could improve in time. I also had a general idea that I wanted to move towards electrification and away from gas, for several reasons. I was aware of the environmental and health impact of using fossil fuels. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law right around the time we finalized purchasing our home. Our kitchen had electric appliances at that time, but we still had a 20-year-old gas furnace and a 10-year-old gas water heater. The one thing we did immediately after buying the house was to update the electric panel.

While I didn’t have a set timeline, as things happen sometimes, life pushed us to move faster on some decisions than we expected.

Last year, our water heater broke, and we had to decide on a replacement. Knowing about the IRA incentives, we decided on a heat pump water heater. After researching different incentives available to us, I knew that PPL would offer several incentives if we went ahead and transitioned to electric heating and added insulation in our attic. Although it was a financial effort to complete all these three projects in a matter of months, we decided to do that. The IRA and PPL incentives were of huge help. In another article, I will discuss our experience with purchasing and installing heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and insulation.

Transitioning to an all-electric house had several immediate benefits: (1) We no longer had to deal with two utilities, which lowered our cost because the gas company charged a base fee for delivering gas, and (2) we could choose our electricity provider through papowersiwtch.com. Essentially, this allowed us to sign a long-term, fixed-rate electricity contract while saving money from working with one utility, not two.

This year, we made another big leap and added solar panels to our house. Several considerations led us in that direction. 1. The IRA has a 30% tax incentive for solar installations. 2. We believed the election could have unpredictable effects on the IRA or the solar market. 3. There are enough disrupting global events, such as wars, that could affect energy prices in the long term, even if we signed for a 2-year fixed rate with PPL. 4. Our area suffered several power outages, and we wanted to move towards the ability to protect our house from that. While just adding solar panels to our roof does not solve an outage, adding battery storage in the future would resolve that issue. And lastly, the biggest reason of all. 5. PPL has a net metering program that effectively reduces our electricity consumption to 0 annually.

Regardless of any events rattling energy markets, we knew that electrifying our house and installing solar on our roof would protect us from price spikes for the next decades.

Next month, I will tell you more about the steps someone should take before going solar.

Starting this month, we are introducing an “Ask SEEDS” column.  Energy-related topics introduced here will also be posted in our new Discussion Board for any follow-up discussions or related questions.

The question this time is “What is the difference between an Energy Audit and the Energy Assessment SEEDS offers to its members?

Both are very similar in the sense that in both cases the lighting and energy sources of your home are checked. Your attic insulation (as much as possible) and your windows are also looked at. Both the assessment and audit will provide recommendations on how to reduce your energy consumption. The biggest difference is that an energy audit is performed by professionals, who also do a door fan pressure test to check and quantify air leaks in a house.
SEEDS energy assessment are free and performed by volunteers. We try our best to schedule assessments when requested, but we are limited by the availability of our volunteers.  An energy audit normally has a price tag and is performed by a professional. Your utility may offer a rebate for an energy audit, to reduce some of the cost.

Have more questions on this topic? Subscribe to the Message Board! Find more info in the next section of this Newsletter!

Subscribe to SEEDS new online message board to ask questions, share expertise, and get alerts on upcoming learning opportunities!

Have a specific question about solar, energy efficiency, or clean tech?
Want to promote an upcoming event or resource?
SEEDS is building an online forum to serve as a center of knowledge on all things clean energy!

Visit https://groups.io/g/NEPA-solar-and-energy-efficiency or send an email to NEPA-solar-and-energy-efficiency+subscribe@groups.io to subscribe!

NEW SEEDS BOARD MEMBER: 

Doug Mandaglio is a visionary in technology and community development, with a deep-rooted passion for the environment. Growing up he spent his summers in rural New York, which instilled in him a profound respect for nature, shaping his love for the environment. Now residing in Pennsylvania, Doug focuses on integrating technology with out-of-the-box thinking to create innovative solutions that benefit both communities and the planet.

His career in tech and marketing provided Doug with a solid foundation, but it was his desire to make a meaningful impact on his community that led him to join the SEEDS board. Here, Doug channels his expertise into advancing the organization’s mission, emphasizing sustainable growth and organizational awareness.

Doug thrives on the connection between nature and technology, often finding inspiration by getting purposefully lost in the serene landscapes of Pennsylvania. Whether he’s working on community projects or exploring innovative ideas for sustainable energy, Doug is dedicated to creating a future where technology and the environment coexist harmoniously.

Holding a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from West Virginia University with a focus on marketing and business, Doug has honed his skills in storytelling and brand development. He uses these talents to build strong, engaged communities, helping organizations articulate their vision and achieve their goals.

#SEEDSGoodNews

Do you have any #SEEDSGoodNews stories to share with the SEEDS community? Send them to us at  newsletter@seedsgroup.net or tag us on social media!  They can be local stories from your community, or stories from around the world–anything to celebrate and spread the word about the progress of energy efficiency, renewable energy or sustainable living wherever you hear about it!