Looking for a USGBC LEED for Homes Study Guide?  They’re now available to pre-order from USGBC, visit the site here.

The USGBC’s LEED for Homes Study Guide is a perfect compliment to taking Populus Sustainable Design Consulting’s LEED for Homes Intensive Training.  We have an upcoming class scheduled in Boulder, Colorado for evenings in January 2010 – now’s the time to register!  Whether you’re looking for a comprehensive class on residential building science, green building or energy efficiency – this class has it all.

Looking for a better understanding of pending climate change legislation?  Like most of us, you’ve probably read bits and pieces regarding “carbon cap and trade,” “Waxman-Markey,” and “Kerry-Boxer.”

If you’re looking for an informative breakdown of the proposed legislation, including a general overview of how the proposed cap and trade regulatory scheme would operate, check out this helpful Faegre & Benson Climate Change Law Update webcast.  The webcast contains four parts, addressing federal legislative proposals, carbon offsets, federal regulation and case law, and regional and international programs.

Electric rates going up – if you live in Xcel Energy electric territory, you can expect to see your electric bills go up starting in January 2010.  Last Friday, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s request for a rate increase, which will raise the average residential electricity bill by an estimated 6.5% or $4.43 a month.  You can read more about the coming rate increase and the PUC’s decision here.

Have you heard of “Cash for Caulkers?”  Yesterday, President Obama proposed a home energy retrofit rebate program as an effort to create more green jobs, while lowering energy consumption through increased home energy efficiency.

Want to learn more? See the White House press release and a transcript of  the president’s remarks.

Populus is a full service sustainable design consulting firm that focuses on high performance, net-zero and near-net-zero custom residential and multi-family projects.  Populus guides architects and builders through the requirements of mandatory green building codes and optional green home certification programs, providing HERS rating, LEED for Homes Green Rater services and municipal energy code consulting.  In addition, Populus offers an Energy Code Workshop for architects and municipalities, as well as LEED for Homes training.  Visit Populus at www.popboulder.com.

Congratulations to Michael DeLeon and Frank Romero of Team Talud for earning an honorable mention at USGBC’s GreenBuild Natural Talent Design Competition!   Romero and DeLeon went on to the national USGBC competition at GreenBuild after taking first place in the USGBC Colorado’s competition.   David Neiger, Principal at Populus Sustainable Design Consulting, served as an advisor to Team Talud, providing the team with guidance and mentoring on high-performance design and building-integrated energy solutions.