Gas bills are running high, so finding ways to save on your bill <and> put cash back into your bank account is smart.  Especially if you’re in the market for a new gas applicance like a washer, dryer or water heater.  One word: rebate!

Southwest Gas is offering cash back when you buy qualifying models of Energy-Star and energy-efficient models of gas washers, dryers, water heaters and tankless water heaters from now through the end of November 2011.  Even some programmable thermostats and low-flow showerheads have money-back incentives.  Of course the larger the applicance, the bigger the rebate.  The conservation rebates save you money when you buy the appliance, and the energy efficient equipment helps save money on your gas bill from then on. 

The rebates do come with rules.  So it’s best to go on-line and check out the requirements before you go shopping.  The main one is that because Southwest Gas is offering the rebates, you must be a SW Gas customer and the equipment will be installed and used in your home.  Unless you’re a builder, then that’s a different set of rebate rules.  Check it out.

The list of name brands is super long, so chances are you’ll find an appliance you like that will qualify for the rebate.  Even if you’re not ready to head to the appliance store today, do some research and be prepared.  So when the hot water heater does blow, or the washer does go kaput - you’ve had time to pick out the appliances you would buy when the time comes and you won’t have to make a panic purchase!  Print the list and take it with you when you’re shopping to see if the model you like qualifies for the rebate.  You have until November 2011 - or until the program money runs out - whichever comes first.  So hopefully you’ve got time to make a plan to save money!

If you’re finally getting around to putting up those holiday lights, and you want a change - you might consider energy-saving LED lights this year.  If you’ve already priced them, you know they cost more - sometimes twice as much - but why?  The answers could save you money long after the holidays pass us by. 

Light-emitting diode - or L-E-D lights - are constructed from tiny solid-state chips which convert electricity to light without the use of a filament or glass bulb.  Without the filament, there is nothing in the bulb to “burn out” and there’s very little heat produced… unlike the incandescent bulb, where roughly 90% of the electricity used by the bulb goes to heat that’s produced by the bulb.   

So because LEDs don’t produce heat, they use 90-99% less energy than regular holiday lights, but the technology makes them burn up to 10 times brighter.  They are also safer because they are cooler to the touch, hence cooler to whatever surface you string them to or wrap them around, and they practically last forever!  LEDs have a 50,000-plus hour bulb likfe outdoors - and indoors it can be up to 100,000 hours or longer!  Provided the dog or cat doesn’t chew on them between treats.

Incandescent mini-lights use 10 times more energy than LED minis, and the larger ones use 100 times the energy of the LED version of the same size.  So, here’s the real payoff.  A household using a string of 1000 LED lights for 6 hours a days spends only 50 cents a month to power them.  While the same number of regular mini-lights would cost about $5 a month in electricity and the larger C7s or C9s would run up an extra $50 or more on your monthly power bill. 

And here’s another bonus, when and IF one of the LED bulbs does go out, the rest of the string stays lit, unlike the old kind where you have to endlessly search each and every little socket until you find the faulty bulb!  I know you hate that as much as I do!  To me - that’s worth the extra money right there.  What a bright idea for the holidays!

While green lawns aren’t necessarily a natural fit with desert living, many of us have them and want them to be green and lush at most any cost.  Oftentimes that means polluting the air, ground and water to maintain them.  But a new lawn service says the environment shouldn’t have to pay the price for us to have green grass and lush landscapes.

EcoGreen Lawn & Tree Co. is putting the green back into Las Vegas - one yard at a time.  That’s what it says on their eco-friendly mobile trailer, with two unassuming solar panels sitting on top!  Parked outside in the sunshine all day, the panels pull enough amps of energy to keep battery-powered lawn tools charged and running from sun up to sundown.  Then excess power is stored in batteries so it never runs out. 

Nick and Tim Militello started the business with the desire to use safe enviromental methods in their gardening.  They say it’s only natural for gardners to care for the environment where they make their living.  Natural nutrient-rich compost, organic fertilizers and weed killers keep chemicals out of the water stream.  Battery-powered lawn mowers, edgers and blowers work quietly to keep polluting gas fumes from filling the neighborhood air.  And while the solar panels weren’t cheap - the Militellos say they will pay for themselves within the first year of business.  There aren’t many start-up companies who can brag about that.  Why aren’t there more yard services using these methods?  It seems only natural to me.

Computers and other electronics are some of the biggest energy hogs in our homes and offices.  So anything that helps recude your power use is worth taking a look at and maybe giving it a try.

The EcoButton is a handy little power-saving gadget that sits quietly beside the keyboard to help remind you to save electricity when you step away from your computer.And it’s really simple to use.  It plugs into a USB port and then the L-E-D glowing disc sits on the desktop and waits for you to give it a press when you’re taking a break. 

The EcoButton website takes you through the easy install steps and includes a power consumption screen where you input the wattage of your computer, the size of monitor and the price per kw of electricity to help calculate your energy savings.

While most computers have a stand-by mode, the EcoButton takes your computer down to a deeper energy savings without totally shutting down your computer; it’s called S3 sleep state.  The beauty of that is when you’re ready for lunch or to slip away from your computer for awhile, just press the EcoButton and your computer takes a snooze without losing the work that’s open on your screen.  When you return press any key on your keyboard and the computer refreshes - right where you left off and you’re ready to work again in seconds.  Cool. 

The nifty gadget costs about $20 and the maker says it can save you up to $100 a year on your power bill - depending on how often you remember to use it.  The EcoButton works with Windows 2000, XP and Vista programs.  It is not Mac compatible yet, but they’re working on one.  And you must have the hibernate mode available on your computer for the EcoButton to work.  I couldn’t find it readily available at U.S. retailers, but you can get it on-line.  Here are some sites I found - other than EcoButton.  If you find it in stores - let us all know.  It might make a great stocking stuffer for the holidays!

Las Vegas is the halfway stop of a 16-city tour for the Living Zero Home.  All American Homes, GE, and Planet Green are showing off the eco-home featuring Energy Star products, with technical help from the U.S. Dept. of Energy. 

MGM Mirage - which has its own program for employees called, “Conservation Begins at Home” - is hosting the Living Zero Home to help educate the Las Vegas community on energy savings.  The Home provides hands-on demonstations of energy-efficient lights, insulation, windows, appliances and more in a real-life home setting. 

You can get info on tax credits, construction incentives and applicance rebates available for homeowners who make energy-saving changes in their home.  Check out the link to NV Energy with all of the energy-saving rebates available to Southern Nevadans right now.  There are some good savings to be had.

You can also sign up to win a 42″ LCD HDTV that will be given away at the end of the tour.  (Sheesh, I hope you don’t have to be present to win or you may have to fly to Saginaw or Kissimee to pick it up!  Just kidding.) 

The home will be open Thursday, Sept. 24 through Saturday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Look for it sitting on the strip, in front of the Luxor, on the northeast corner of the property.  Just don’t say, “Avon calling” when you ring the doorbell; that’s so overused.

If you’ve had a hankering for a green secondary education, but didn’t know where to get it - you’re in luck!  UNLV is starting a new minor degree program in Solar and Renewable Energy this fall.  The program is being funded by a $500,000 gift from NV Energy.

Classes will include science-based ciriculums for more technically-oriented careers in solar and renewable energies, and non-science classes for career paths such as eco-managment and sustainability design.   

Dr. Bob Boehm is the Director of the Center for Energy Research at the University and says the time is right for this program.  He says it’s an emerging field that needs higher-educated people for designing and engineering renewable and alternative energy solutions for the country and the world.

The funding will include money for scholarships, undergraduate research opportunities and internships with NV Energy, and public agencies or private sector compaines with a strong focus on in renewable energy - and particularly solar energy.

If you’re interested in the minor degree program, there’s still time to sign up.  Check out registration on their website.

As we head into the hot summer months, who isn’t looking for ways to cut back on their power bill?  It might be that energy leaks in your home are costing you more than you think.  There are ways to find those leaks and tools to keep your energy use low.

ProEnergy Consultants is a local home energy audit company.   They will come into your home with tools like a thermographic scanner to find the abnormally warm or cool spots around windows and doors - even walls where insulation may be too thin - to help you identify where you may have energy leaks and why your bills may be higher than you’d like.  Eillen Ruiz, a ProEnergy consultant will be at the Green Outlet in the Arts Factory on E. Charleston for First Friday, June 5.  She will have solution products like a solar attic fan, which is installed on the roof and uses sunlight to power a fan that pulls warm air out of hot areas of your home - like your garage.  (Eileen likes to call it the “man cave.”  Very fitting.)  Also something simple with a big name - radiant barrier - is simply foil-like material placed over your attic insulation to reflect the heat from the sun.  It helps keep more heat out and ultimately the house cooler.

Find Eileen at First Friday and check out a lot of other neat ideas she’ll have with her at the Green Outlet in the Arts Factory.  Otherwise check out their website if you’re interested in an audit.  By the way, home audits go for about ten cents a square foot.  And after they identify the problem areas of your home - you can take their ideas to improve energy savings and do them yourself, or they put you in touch with the right people who can install energy saving products for you.  If you’re looking to lower your power bills - it’s a cool place to start!

We’re all trying to save money, so it’s nice to find a popular service that’s almost too good to be true.  Goo Goo 3-Minute Car Wash for $5 is one of the best deals in town.  But the business also serves the environment by recycling a huge portion of its water used to wash vehicles.

Owners Forrest and Sara James brought Goo Goo to Las Vegas this year.  The chain started in the south where water and sewer rates can be high, so recycling the biggest ingredient of the business only made sense.  And it made even more sense to the Jameses to bring it to the drought-stricken desert where having enough water is a huge concern.   Goo Goo recycles 80% of its water and also uses biodegradable soaps and polishes, which help keep the eco-friendly business running smoothly.

But probably the most appealing thing to customers about Goo Goo is its $5 price, with a quick towel dry after the wash free unlimited self-serve vacuuming under a shaded canopy!  And if that’s not cheap enough, click and print a savings coupon from the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s website.  Goo Goo is a member of SNWA’s Water Smart Car Wash program.  Check out Goo Goo at their two locations - one at E. Charleston east of Fremont, and the other on W. Charleston near Lindell.  I think you’ll go ga ga, too.

Living in the desert, not many of us can relate to life in a tropical rainforest.  But we don’t have to live there or even visit one to understand why they’re important to all of us and why it’s important to save them.

Prince Charles of Wales is launching a new internet campaign to help sign up the world in an effort to save the planet’s ranforests.  Well-known celebrities and unknown faces - with the help of a digitally created big green frog - are part of a video message showing their support for saving the myterious tropical habitats.  They’re asking for all of us to get on board by signing up in this global campaign of famous and just regular people - like you and me!

If you’re not familiar with what rainforests do, the trees help turn dangerous carbon dioxide into oxygen for the planet.  When they’re cut down, they release that carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - not to mention wiping out the home for hundreds of unknown native plants and animals that are vital to our eco-system.  Rainforests hold the keys to curing many worldwide illnesses that are yet undiscovered.   Read more about them and it may urge you to sign up.  The Prince of Wales will then take our show of support to world leaders to help convince them that saving such a critical part of our environment could make a huge differnce in controlling the world’s climate change.  Ribbit.

Most of us just open our power bills, grumble a little and then pay it.  But with NV Energy’s new rate hike proposal this week, we might all take a second look at how we can reduce our power consumption and our bills.

NV Energy actually has several programs to help either reduce your energy use around the house and or help pay your bill.  A very successful program called, “Cool Share” - formerly “Cool Credit” - helps reduce your power bill by conserving energy during the hot summer months.  NV Energy will deliver and install a brand new digital thermostat at no charge to you, in exchange you agree to let the power company cycle your air conditioner on hot days above 104.  You can also manage your thermostat remotely from your computer while at the office.  That could help save up to 20% over the long run of the year.  Check out the details of the program and sign up if that sounds like a good deal to you.

Comfort Savings is a free energy assistance program for income-qualified customers, whether you own or rent a home, condo or mobile home.  You will get an in-home evaluation to see where you might need some improvements to help save energy around the house.  It could be simply installing CFL lights, adding insulation, weather stripping or window caulking, etc. 

Another assistance program is NV Energy Connection which is run through the state.  It offers financial assistance and a similar weatherization program. 

And Project REACH helps vulnerable seniors over the age of 65, medically fragile, Reserve and National Guard customers pay their bill, if they meet the income requirements.

Equal Payment allows you to average your bill over a 12-month period.  So instead of paying those huge spikes in the summer, you can make equal payments every month.  How do they know what to charge you?  The past year of energy use is averaged out over the next twelve months.  It doesn’t save you on your energy bill, but it allows you to budget your money by knowing what your power bill will cost every month.

If you don’t qualify for assistance, you can help yourself by evaluating your home with an on-line questionnaire which really analyzes how you use power around your house.  It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to fill out the details of your applicances, habits around the house, etc. and the results really show you where you’re spending your on power bill.  you can even compare your home to your neighbors with similar size homes.  Check our My Account.  It costs nothing to take the test.

And NV Energy offers lots of great energy-saving ideas on their website, too.  Many of them are free, some are low cost and some moderate cost.  All of them can save us money on our power bills and that will definitely come in handy this fall should the proposed rate hike gets passed.