Looking to upgrade the efficiency of an existing home?  If you’re trying to prioritize improvements, understand energy savings and the impact of various energy upgrades – take a look at Microsoft’s Hohm online tool, which is still in beta, but is accessible from Xcel Energy’s website.

The online software will ask you detailed questions about your home and will also link with Xcel Energy to analyze your utility data.  If you want the software to analyze your utility data, have a copy of an Xcel Energy bill handy so that you can input your account number.

After you answer the interview questions, Microsoft Hohm will create an energy report that prioritizes the most cost effective improvements you can make to your home and show you the energy savings associated with each improvement.  If you have been looking for a tool to prioritize energy upgrades and to optimize the efficiency of your home – this may be just the tool you’re looking for!

From the Boulder County ClimateSmart Loan Program:

• Boulder County commercial property owners are eligible to apply for a  wide range of energy efficiency & renewable energy measures.
• Invest in improvements that will save energy, reduce your utility bills and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
• Repay loans through a special assessment on your property.

Attend one of our informational sessions this week!

• Thursday, Jan 21^st 8:00am-9:00am in Boulder
• 3rd floor of the Boulder County Courthouse 1325 Pearl St. Boulder CO 80302
• Friday, Jan. 22^nd 3:30pm-4:30pm in Longmont
• Longmont Civic Center 350 Kimbark St. Longmont CO 80501

Find out more information online at www.ClimateSmartLoanProgram.org

Boulder County has released its proposed revised BuildSmart code.  The main driver behind the BuildSmart revisions was to create a prescriptive alternative to the performance pathway, which can be used where projects meet certain criteria.  We’ll be sure to post upcoming public hearings on the revised code here on the Populus blog.

A message today from USGBC’s President regarding the rescue (and eventually the rebuilding) effort in Haiti:

Dear USGBC members,

The events in Haiti over the last 24 hours have been hard to comprehend. Already a fragile country filled with poverty and despair, the devastation caused by the earthquake will require a rescue and rebuilding effort of enormous magnitude.

I traveled to Haiti this past spring with UN Special Envoy to Haiti President Bill Clinton and a small UN working group and we have already started to develop a strategy for the rebuilding effort.

I wanted you to know that I sent him a letter last night offering to work with our members to develop solutions informed by our work in New Orleans and Greensburg, and I’ll be meeting with him and his team in New York next week to discuss opportunities and potential resources that could be needed in the days ahead. You will find on our website a place where we will report on any initiatives as they develop with information about how members of our USGBC family can get involved.

But immediate rescue assistance is critical. The Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund has been established to help channel assistance efforts.

Please visit USGBC.org for more information or visit www.clintonfoundation.org/haitirelief to provide immediate assistance.

I’m always humbled by the deep compassion and commitment of our members in these incredibly difficult situations, and your input into our thinking and our efforts is always valued.

Thanks very much,

Rick Fedrizzi
President, CEO and Founding Chair
U.S. Green Building Council

Populus will be teaching an Economics of Green Building course in Denver on Thursday, March 18, 2010 on behalf of HalfMoon Seminars.  The all-day seminar at the Denver Doubletree Hotel is designed to qualify for 7.0 HSW PDUs for Colorado Architects and qualifies for other continuing education credits as well.  The class will be taught by David Neiger and Laura Hutchings, principals at Populus Sustainable Design Consulting.  For more information, or to register, download the Economics of Green Building class brochure.

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.