President Obama continues push "cash for caulking"

The efficiency President

The President is continuing his push for a new stimulus plan based around energy efficiency dubbed, "cash for caulking".

"The simple act of retrofitting these buildings to make them more energy efficient — installing new windows and doors, insulation, roofing, sealing leaks, modernizing heating and cooling equipment — is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest things we can do to put Americans back to work while saving families money and reducing harmful emissions," President Obama said at a Home Depot today.

Can plastic be green?

Can something bad be turned into something good?

This morning President Obama announced his desire for a 'cash for caulking' program. Essentially, the President is trying to create incentives for home owners to weatherize their homes.

Thus, the Plastics Make it Possible SM campaign sent me some info on how plastics can help increase energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. According to Plastics Make it Possible plastics have 3 offerings:

• Insulation: From rigid polystyrene foam insulation panels (expanded or extruded) that can help homeowners save hundreds of dollars each year on heating and cooling bills, to plastic wrap that can reduce infiltration of outside air by 10-50 percent, plastic can help drastically reduce the energy required to heat or cool homes.
• Composite Lumber: Lumber made from recycled plastics and plastic-wood composites can outlast traditional materials and requires less maintenance. Composite lumber is resistant to weathering, requiring less material to be used over time, which saves energy. It is also eco-friendly as much of the lumber is made from recycled materials and/or can be recycled.
  
• Piping: Using cross-linked polyethylene piping (called PEX), which is lighter and more flexible than other materials, allows for multiple feed lines throughout a house, which allows hot water to arrive faster to a sink or shower which can significantly save water.

No doubt these plastic offerings are noteworthy, but do these offerings offset the negative impact of plastics on the environment? Can plastic recycling make plastic sustainable, or should plastic-alternatives be the real focus?

Energy efficienct tax credits

Need a new water heater or air conditioner?

So you aren't going to qualify for any bailout money or a mortgage modification? You could still find yourself claiming some bailout cash if you plan to upgrade your home with any of a number of products that enable increases in energy efficiency. For example, if you are replacing windows, adding a new AC unit or a water heater, for instance, you could claim a 30 percent tax credit up to $1500 for your effort.

Have bigger plans, such as adding solar panels to your roof? The credits are even far greater (more).

Wasting waste heat: Where is Congress?

Waste should be illegal

There is a massive amount of heat lost during most industrial processes, but there are now companies converting this waste heat into electricity. 

According to CNBC, this saves clients $500 million, while eliminating 40 percent of fossil fuels used by utilities. That would eliminate 20 percent of US CO2 emissions. 

That's the environmental equivalent of taking every car and light passenger vehicle off the road.

Where is Congress? 

This is game changing technology that has nothing but upside for the American economy, and almost no one knows anything about it.  Must not be enough pork in it for Congress?

Have you made your home more efficient?

Was it cost-effective?

I was reading an article about how to make your home more energy efficient using techniques such as new windows, wall and ceiling insulation, caulking and weather stripping windows and doors, planting shade trees and painting your home light colors in warm areas, and dark colors in cooler climates.

Obviously, if you are making some updates to your home, doing some of these things is worth the effort. Likewise, the caulking and weather stripping is an easy no-brainer, but the rest are fairly expensive, and a number of people commented that such improvements weren't cost effective?

Any proof out there?