Energy Education Resources
Buncombe County’s Plans to Reach 100 Percent Renewables Goals
This article originally appeared in the 2022-2023 edition of the Green Building Directory. The Perplexities of Pristine Power: Buncombe County’s Plans to Reach 100 Percent Renewables Goals By David Gordon Five years ago, Buncombe County, in collaboration with the City of Asheville, voted to adopt a resolution for county operations and the community…
NOW is a Great Time to Start Thinking About Solar
If you have ever thought about energy sustainability in your home, you probably thought about solar energy. We sat down with Clary Franko from Sugar Hollow Solar, a local Asheville-based installer, to find out what questions we’d need to ask when starting the solar search. Some questions to consider would be: How much energy…
Solarize Asheville-Buncombe Case Study
Case Study Introduction Asheville, North Carolina is a small to medium-sized city in the mountains of Western North Carolina with a population just under 100,000. Asheville is the county seat of Buncombe County, which has a population of 260,000. Asheville and Buncombe County are committed to sustainability and are leaders in the state in municipal…
Air Sealing in Your Home
Overview Air sealing is one of the most cost-effective steps you can take to increase comfort and reduce energy consumption and utility bills. Air sealing refers to blocking leaks in a home or business that allow conditioned air (inside air) out and unconditioned (outside air) in. The more this is controlled, the less energy it…
Variable-Speed and Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pumps
Electric air-source heat pumps are an energy-efficient way to heat and cool homes and businesses in moderate climates. Air-source heat pumps use electricity to move heat from a cool space to a warm space, making the cool space cooler and the warm space warmer. Because they move heat rather than generate heat, heat pumps can…
Solar Energy
Solar panels collect sunlight and turn it into electricity, providing on-site energy generation and a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. They can be roof- or ground-mounted at homes, businesses, and at solar farms. Unlike fossil fuels, the panels produce no pollutants or emissions while generating electricity. By generating energy at your home or business, solar…
Geothermal Heat Pumps
Geothermal heat pumps, also called ground-source heat pumps are a type of highly-efficient heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the earth’s fairly constant and consistent temperature. The earth’s temperature is generally warmer than the air during the winter, and cooler than the air during the summer. In Western North…
Battery Storage – Education PDF
The Blue Horizons Project has created educational materials for the general public, homeowners and business owners on the topic of Battery Storage. This includes how battery storage systems work and information on how you can benefit from this technology. [embeddoc url=”https://bluehorizonsproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Battery-Storage-PP-Presentation.pdf” download=”all” text=”.”] Download Battery Storage PDF
Electric Vehicles – Education PDF
The Blue Horizons Project has created educational materials for the general public, homeowners and business owners on the topic of Electric Vehicles. This includes how electric vehicles work and information on how you can benefit from this technology. [embeddoc url=”https://bluehorizonsproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Electric-Vehicles-PP-Presentation.pdf” download=”all” text=”.”] Download Electric Vehicles PDF
AMI Meter – Education PDF
The Blue Horizons Project has created educational materials for the general public, homeowners and business owners on the topic of AMI meters. This includes how AMI meters (smart meters) work and information on how you and the utility company can benefit from this technology. [embeddoc url=”https://bluehorizonsproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/AMI-PP-Presentation.pdf” download=”all” text=”.”] Download AMI Meter PDF