Households paid a record $1,419 on average for electricity in 2010, the fifth consecutive yearly increase above the inflation rate, a USA TODAY analysis of government data found. The jump has added about $300 a year to what households pay for electricity. That’s the largest sustained increase since a run-up in electricity prices during the 1970s.

Electricty is consuming a greater share of Americans’ after-tax income than at any time since 1996 — about $1.50 of every $100 in income at a time when income growth has stagnated, a USA TODAY analysis of Bureau of Economic Analysis data found.

Greater electricity use at home and higher prices per kilowatt hour are both driving the higher costs, in roughly equal measure:

•Residential demand for power dropped briefly in 2009 but rebounded strongly last year to a record high. Air-conditioners and household appliances use less power than ever. A new refrigerator consumes half the electricity as a similar one bought in 1990. But consumers have bigger houses, more air-conditioning and more electronics than before, outpacing gains in efficiency and conservation.

“People have made a lot of money selling weight loss programs. It’s the same for energy. Behavior is hard to change,” says Penni Conner, vice president of customer care at NSTAR, a Boston-based utility.

•Prices are climbing, too, hitting a record 11.8 cents per residential kilowatt hour so far this year, reports the Energy Information Administration. The increase reflects higher fuel prices and the expense of replacing old power plants, including heavily polluting — but cheap to operate — coal plants that don’t meet federal clean air requirements.

“Higher bills are a huge problem for low income families,” says Chris Estes, executive director of the North Carolina Housing Coalition, which opposes a proposed rate hike in its state by Duke Energy. “Utilities are what people’s budgets start with.”

Duke Energy says the rate increase is needed to pay for replacing old power plants and making the transmission system more reliable. The Charlotte-based utility has reached a tentative agreement with North Carolina to raise rates 7.2% in February, lower than its original 17% request.

“The industry as a whole is facing higher costs because we’re retiring our aging fleet” of power plants, says Duke Energy spokeswoman Betsy Conway.

Electricity cost varies widely depending on where you live. Cheapest: Northwest communities near hydropower dams — as low as 2 cents per kilowatt hour. Most expensive major utility: Consolidated Edison, supplier of New York City — 26 cents per kilowatt hour, according to EIA.

High taxes, limits on air-polluting fuels and the expense of maintaining an underground transmission system keep consumer costs high, says ConEd spokesman Chris Olert.

A potential bright spot: Electric bills appear roughly the same so far this year as last when adjusted for inflation, based on preliminary reports.

However, the future of energy prices and the upcoming closure of more polluting coal plants makes the long-term outlook cloudy for consumers. Duke Energy plans to ask for another rate hike next year to cover the costs of new natural gas-fired plants.Electric bills
By state, what residential customers paid in cents per kilowatt hour in 2010 (roll over the map or sort the table):

U.S. average: 11.54

The goal of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is to help a family by providing a new home that meets their unique needs.  We believe that the solar array in this project is so important to the family’s ability to sustain the home ling term.  Offsetting the balance of the electric usage this new home will use, is the first step in helping the family live in their new home successfully over time.

So much to do! Installing the racking, stringing the panels, running the conduit and fishing wire to where the inverter will be placed, etc. For Clean Energy’s part we expect have about 1- 2 days to make all of the pieces of the puzzle fit, so this is going to be a blast – BRING IT!

Schell Brothers, a homebuilder located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, announced today that the company has been selected as the builder for an upcoming episode of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The build will take place in Sussex County, Delaware to benefit a local family in need who will be surprised when Ty Pennington of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition knocks on their door. Several finalists in Sussex County are being considered for the build, and one lucky family will experience a life-changing thrill when they open the door on August 22nd and a flurry of construction activity begins. Schell Brothers employees and the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team will work with community volunteers to build a dream home for the deserving family in just one week.

The project is well-suited to Schell Brothers, a unique residential construction company that has based its business strategy on building happiness and giving back to the community, making them an ideal partner for the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show. In addition to homebuilding, Schell Brothers has been involved in several local charitable endeavors, including Habitat for Humanity, the Lewes Canalfront Park project, the Sussex County Land Trust, and local events to support cancer research. The company’s culture of happiness and commitment to excellence plays out in a variety of ways, most notably the happy stories employees create for each new home customer. Throughout the home buying experience, employees and homeowners develop friendships that often last long after the home is built. It will be natural for this enthusiastic team to parlay their talent, energy, and experience into creating a dream come true for a needy family.

According to company owner, Chris Schell, “We’re proud to be part of this project that will bring our whole community together to impact a local family’s life for years to come. A group of positive people all working in the same direction is an unstoppable force – this will be a memorable experience for us all.”

The public is invited to support the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition effort by attending a Pep Rally on Tuesday, August 16th at Cape Henlopen High School. Promotional items such as T-shirts that have been designed exclusively for the Delaware build will be available at a recommended donation and several fundraisers have been planned. For more information about events, volunteering and other details related to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Delaware, please visit SchellBrothers.com/Extreme.

The Emmy award winning reality program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, now entering its 9th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Brady Connell and George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman of Endemol North America. The show airs Sunday from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment.”

He was right, that generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn’t have the green thing back in that customer’s day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she was right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn’t have the green thing back then?

Call to Vendors

This year’s 4^th Annual Clean Energy Fair is scheduled for Saturday, September 24^th from 11a.m.-3p.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center in downtown Rehoboth Beach, DE.

This event is free to the public.

We are seeking an assortment of vendors in the categories of Renewable Energy Sources, Green Builders, Eco-friendly Home Products, Services, and Associations. This is a great event to promote your business and establish contacts with your industry peers and with the community you serve.

Don’t miss out! Reserve your spot today!

Exhibit Booth Space

Exhibitor will receive one indoor booth space, 10’ x 10’ (one 6 ft. table and two chairs). Table skirts are not provided. Exhibitor will be responsible for their own display.

Exhibitor Fee

The exhibitor fee is $200.

Booth space is limited and availability will be on a first come first-serve basis. Clean Energy USA reserves the right to approve all vendors.

For more information about becoming a vendor, please contact Lyn Mox or Megan Spangler at 302.227.1337

I showed them what I do at Clean Energy USA, and told them the steps to get to my position. They had a lot of great questions. I explained to them that Renewable Energy would be a big part of their lives when they enter the job market and how important it is to stay in school, get your education and let it guide them to the career that works for them. I want to thank all the staff and students for their effort to learn about Clean Energy and show the kids that there are a lot of options for them. Just let your dreams soar!
Craig Littleton, Solar Sales Specialist

Mike Zayatz teaching about Solar!

Clean energy USA participated in a career day event at the Delaware Business, Industry, Education (BIE) Alliance What in the World? Program that was held at the William Henry Middle School in Dover DE.
The program consisted of 12 different professionals that gave short (10 minute) presentations to small groups of 5^th and 6^th grade students.  At the sound of a whistle each group of students would move on to the next presenter.  There were twelve stations set up in the gymnasium.  This was a very effective way to allow the children to see many different types of occupations and industries, in one place in a very short amount.  Clean Energy USA received a great acceptance as many students said they would rather stay and learn more when the whistle was blown.

I personally had a great time. It is nice to give back to the community, it always makes you feel good.

Mike Zayatz

With the price of installing solar at an all time low and state and federal incentives still in place, there has never been a better time to go green. Installing solar makes financial sense over time regardless, but 2011 may be the last chance for many Delaware and Maryland residents to get the best of all worlds.

written by Clean Energy USA’s CEO, Dave Preston

The Tenth Time is the Charm

Clean Energy USA’s top salesperson, Craig Littleton, has taken the plunge at the 20th Annual Lewes Polar Bear Plunge for the tenth year in a row.

Organizers say the Lewes Polar Bear Plunge has set attendance and fundraising records.

The annual event saw a record number of participants on Sunday and raised a record amount of money for the Special Olympics of Delaware.

Officials say 3,094 people participated in the plunge and raised $550,000. That brings the amount of money raised in the 20-year history of the plunge to more than $5.5 million.

It is fun stuff!