All new buildings, starting in 2010, to be 30% more energy efficient, according to Alliance to Save Energy.

Historic Preservationists are becoming the true pioneers of the green building movement. The Alliance to Save Energy is calling for all new buildings starting in 2010 to be 30% more efficient.

Take a look at this Green Buildings video from the beta site, Clean Skies, The Energy and Environment Network. A great resource. If you can't play the video above, here's the link: Green Buildings cleanskies.com

Brought to you by Marshall Mechanical, your Richmond VA Green Building and Energy Efficiency Experts, for all your residential and commercial building HVAC and plumbing needs.

$28 million in Stimulus provides RVA Homeowners with Energy Efficiency Rebate of up to $2,000; Federal Tax Credits of 30% of purchases

If you caught NBC WWBT 12's new story this morning, you already know that Virginia is receiving $28 million from the Federal government to help homeowners become more energy efficient in the form of an energy rebate of up to $2,000. According to the news story by Laura Geller, if the stimulus program is successful, Virginia is apt to receive another $35 million.

These Virginia state rebates are in addition to the Federal Tax Credits we told you about earlier this year.

If you own an existing home, you can qualify for Federal Tax Credits of 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, in 2009 and 2010, for replacement windows and doors, insulation, roofs, HVAC, water heaters (non-solar) and biomass stoves. For HVAC, this means energy efficient air conditioners, heat pumps, climate controls or programmable thermostats, etc. Sure, up to $1,500 credit is really good but listen up.

Here's the unbelievable news... If you are a homeowner of an existing home OR if you are building a new home, Federal tax credits are available at 30% of the cost, WITH NO UPPER LIMIT for the following: Geothermal Heat Pumps, Solar Heat Panels, Solar Water Heaters, as well as small wind energy systems and fuel cells.

This is in addition to the Virginia State rebate on energy efficiency just announced, of up to $2,000. As soon as the details of the stimulus rebate are posted on the VA Stimulus website, we will post again to give you that link.

Marshall Mechanical is experienced in installing Geothermal Heat Pumps by WaterFurnace and is a WaterFurnace HVAC dealer right here in Richmond VA. WaterFurnace has helpful information on their website to educate the home owner about using the 30% tax credits.

Like to know more about what the U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has to say about the Return on Investment of Geothermal Heat Pumps? You can read the full article right here. What you need to know is that while the installation price is of a geothermal unit is higher than that of traditional air-source systems of the same heating and cooling capacity, the additional costs are returned to the homeowner in energy savings in as little as 5-10 years. System life is estimated at 25 years for the inside components and 50+ years for the ground loop.

At Marshall Mechanical, we are your Richmond VA Green Home and Energy Efficiency experts. We will help you navigate through the Virginia State Stimulus Rebate for Energy Efficiency and we will help you get the paperwork right to apply for the Federal Tax Credits. Most of all, we will work with you one-on-one to take the time to answer all your questions about what HVAC units or programmable thermostats are best for your home. We can even give you a estimated calculation of Geothermal heat pump monthly savings for your home in just minutes.

Your Richmond area home is an investment. Let us help you maximize it. Call Sean Cantrell or Mike Smith at 804.323.0189 today to help you take advantage of the Virginia energy efficiency stimulus rebates and Federal tax credits. And then enjoy your comfortable home and your energy savings for years to come.

Celebrate Earth Day and save over $150 by installing a Lennox programmable thermostat in your home!

In celebration of Earth Day, Marshall Mechanical is making it very easy for you to do your part to not only save energy but also save money for years to come.

From now until April 30, 2009, you can purchase the Lennox® ComfortSense(TM) 5000 Series Touchscreen energy-saving Thermostat for $25 off the retail price with free installation! That's right, for just $199 installed, you can have an effortless and efficient temperature control that automatically controls your energy cost all year round. This is a savings of $150 off our regular price!

We can help you calculate your specific savings by using the EPA's Energy Star Lifecycle cost estimate worksheet for a quality programmable thermostat. What you need to know is that an average home can save up to $269 per year every year, compared to a regular thermostat.

Summary of Benefits for 1 Programmable Thermostat(s)* Heating Energy Cost with Energy Star T-stat:

• Heating Savings: $210 yr
• Cooling Savings: $59 yr
• Life cycle savings 15yrs: $2,989
• Life Cycle energy saved (MBTU)-includes both Heating and Cooling: 195
• Simple payback of additional cost (years): 0.3
• Life cycle air pollution reduction (lbs of CO2): 27,287
• Air pollution reduction equivalence (number of cars removed from the road for a year): 2
• Air pollution reduction equivalence (acres of forest): 3

So get a great Earth Day deal -- save money now with our free installation offer, begin saving both money and energy immediately after installation and reduce your carbon footprint for years to come!

This is yet another way Marshall Mechanical is your full service Richmond heating, cooling and plumbing partner. We know your home is an investment and we help you maximize it. And we help you give back to the environment at the same time.

But hurry, this Earth Day offer expires April 30th, 2009*. Call or email Sean Cantrell or Mike Smith today at 804.323.0189.

*This offer is for the Lennox brand of 5000 series thermostat. If customer prefers, certain models of the Honeywell brand of thermostats can be installed in place of Lennox. Call Mike Smith for details.

How to GREEN UP your next Easter: great suggestions on how to reduce your environmental impact!

Low Impact Living » Blog Archive » How To Make Your Easter Green

Yep, even us HVAC guys love this article from Low Impact Living because of all the creative suggestions on how you can reduce your environmental impact and still have a great time celebrating the Easter holiday. Everything to make your spring celebration eco-friendly -- from eggs, candy, food and even the egg hunt -- and teach your children to be "Green" in the process. Chances are, your kids will have a few ideas of their own.

You can buy organic eggs, use natural food dyes, use reusable and biodegradeable wicker baskets. You can even grow your own grass inside your easter basket which then doubles as a great springtime decoration. Using fair trade, organic chocolate is pretty cool too.

And even for the holiday meal, you can check out a local organic farmer or farmer's market, or maybe consider a vegetarian feast (ok, maybe not for us HVAC guys but we do like to eat healthy when we can).

Bridgette Steffen, who posted the article, also went so far as to talk about how Easter is a time of the celebration of regrowth, renewal and life. And what better time to reduce your environmental impact by growing new plants, cleaning up the neighborhood, using more national ingredients.

This article is just filled with tips and links to help you have a greener Easter and Spring season. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

At Marshall Mechanical, we're here to help you keep your home green and healthy all year long. Don't forget to hit the tell-a-friend button and bookmark this article for future use!