• 05.05.2008 - City Waives Fees for Residents to Go Solar - Contributed by: Kelli Narde on 5/5/2008
 
Effective May 1, 2008, the City of Littleton became the first city in Colorado known to waive all city building permit fees for the installation of solar hot water and photovoltaic (PV) systems for existing residential structures.
 
The city council amended the city code to encourage Littleton residents to install energy saving systems in their homes. Over the last 12 months, Littleton issued approximately ten permits for solar installations. The revenue collected on these permits was approximately $6,500. Waiving the permit fees won't cause a significant impact to the city budget but it is hoped will inspire homeowners to take advantage of the significant energy and cost savings associated with solar systems.
 
According to the Governor's Energy Office (GEO), solar heated domestic water is one of the most effective ways to incorporate renewable energy into a home. Up to 15 percent of the annual energy consumed is used for domestic water heating. By using solar energy to heat domestic water, homeowners can significantly reduce their water heating costs while also mitigating the consumption of fossil fuels.
 
Solar electric grid tied PV systems allow the owner to send excess energy back into the grid, mitigating the susceptibility to fluctuations in the price of electricity. Distributed solar electric systems also decrease the demand for electricity generated from fossil fuels plants, which leads to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
 
Substantial rebates of up to $12,000 for solar electric systems and up to $3,000 for solar domestic hot water systems are available from the GEO's Residential Solar Program. Visit www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/ResidentialSolarProgram.asp or call Chief Building Official Jim Thelen at 303-795-3784.

• 04.04.2008 - $4,000 per solar system in new Colorado State rebates are now available! - The state is offering up to $2000 for Solar thermal and Electric systems. The rebates could be matched by your energy providers and even non-profit organizations. Which means you could receive up to $4,000 in rebates for either systems. United Power has already jumped on board. Check with your energy provider or locan energy non-profit to see if they are offering the rebate. If they aren't, ask them why.

• 04.01.2008 - U.S. Department of Energy Implements Criteria for ENERGY STAR® Water Heaters - "The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced new ENERGY STAR® criteria for water heaters, the first in the history of the program. According to DOE projections, by the end of the fifth year in effect, the new water heater criteria are expected to save Americans approximately $780 million in utility costs, avoid 4.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and achieve cumulative energy savings of more than 3.9 billion kilowatt-hours and 270 million therms of natural gas." Read more here.

• 01.24.2008 - Brand New Simply Efficient Office - We've opened a brand new office in Lakewood! Come visit us at 7717 W. 6th Ave.

• 01.06.2008 - Colorado Report States That It Could Be A Clean Energy Hub - "Colorado has the potential to be a huge exporter of renewable energy, according to a new resource report compiled by Colorado energy officials. But the clean-energy potential and its economic benefits carry a major caveat: whether billions of dollars can be raised to build the power facilities and the transmission lines needed to transport the energy. The report from the Governor's Energy Office calculates that Colorado has vast resources of wind and sun -- enough, theoretically, to generate more than 10 times the power that the state uses on its highest-demand days." Read more here.

• 11.06.2007 - Colorado's Climate Action Plan - "This Colorado Climate Action Plan is a call to action. It sets out measures that we in our state can adopt to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 20 percent by 2020, and makes a shared commitment with other states and nations to even deeper emissions cuts by 2050. Why is this important? For Colorado, global warming will mean warmer summers and less winter snowpack. The ski season will be weeks shorter. Forest fires will be more common and more intense. Water quality could decline, and the demand for both agricultural and municipal water will increase even as water supplies dwindle." Read more here.

• 10.24.2007 - Mayor Backs 'Green' Plan for Denver - "Mayor John Hickenlooper today formally adopted Denver's Climate Action Plan, a series of steps intended to reduce the city's per capita greenhouse emissions 10 percent by 2012." Read the full article at the Denver Post.

• 05.08.2007 - Simply Efficient has launched its new web site. We hope you enjoy it!

• 04.01.2007 - Governor Ritter has renamed OEMC the "Governor's Energy Office". Please be patient as they improve their website to 'Advance Colorado to a New Energy Economy'. Click here to learn more.