By Bill McCann
The first batch of energy audits required of houses going up for sale in Austin show that most of the houses are wasting a lot of energy-and money-through leaky air conditioning and heating ducts in their attics.
Some 86 percent of the first 310 audits conducted under a new city ordinance have leaking air ducts above the 10 percent or less leakage rate considered acceptable from an energy-efficiency standpoint, according to Austin Energy, which is overseeing the program. The average leak rate of the 310 houses is 22 percent, but some houses have two or three times the average.
Added together, the 310 houses are wasting more than 807,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually from the air ducts alone, or the equivalent of the electricity used in 67 Austin homes in a year, according Austin Energy.
"The results so far are confirming what energy professionals have been saying all along - that homes are wasting a lot of energy," said Austin Energy spokesman Carlos Cordova. "We believe that the ordinance will help raise public awareness so that people will do something about it."
Under the ordinance, as of June 1 Austin Energy customers whose houses are going up for sale must get an energy audit by an outside professional, unless the house is less than 10 years old or meets one of several other exceptions. The ordinance also includes provisions for energy audits of apartment buildings and energy ratings for commercial buildings.
The City Council approved the ordinance last November over the objections of some real estate interests. The ordinance does not require a property owner to take steps to improve the house once the audit is complete, but the seller must provide a copy of the audit to a prospective buyer and the energy auditor must provide a copy of the audit to Austin Energy, which is compiling audit information.
Supporters of the ordinance believe that it will help improve the efficiency of the housing stock in Austin, thereby raising the value of homes, reducing energy bills and helping reduce peak power demands on the city electric system. As part of Austin's Climate Protection Plan to reduce greenhouse gases, the city has a goal of offsetting 700 megawatts of peak power demand by 2020.
Austin Energy officials say the timing is right for Austin homeowners to make energy-efficiency improvements to their homes.
For one thing, Austin Energy and Texas Gas Service are both offering rebates for various energy improvements, Cordova said. Combined, those rebates can total up to $2,000. In addition, new federal law allows up to $1,500 in tax credits for certain energy improvements.
"The resources are out there right now to help people make their homes more energy-efficient," Cordova said. "That in turn raises the value and reduces the energy bills. There has never been a better time in Austin's history for people to improve the efficiency of their homes."
Austin narrowly missed having its ordinance become toothless last month when one legislator attached an amendment to a solar energy bill that would have prevented the city from enforcing the Class C misdemeanor penalty for failing to comply with the ordinance. However, the solar legislation died along with numerous other bills, leaving the penalty for non-compliance intact.
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1. Austin, Texas
(Austin-Round Rock, Texas)
Cost of Living: 3 of 50
Housing Opportunity: 24 of 50
Unemployment Rate: 1 of 50
Average Salary: 20 of 50
© iStock
2. Phoenix, Ariz.
(Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Cost of Living: 13 of 50
Housing Opportunity: 14 of 50
Unemployment Rate: 6 of 50
Average Salary: 21 of 50
© iStock
(Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va.)
Cost of Living: 38 of 50
Housing Opportunity: 21 of 50
Unemployment Rate: 2 of 50
Average Salary: 4 of 50
© iStock
(Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas)
Cost of Living: 16 of 50
Housing Opportunity: 10 of 50
Unemployment Rate: 8 of 50
Average Salary: 34 of 50
© iStock
5. Cincinnati, Ohio (tie)
(Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.)
Cost of Living: 9 of 50
Housing Opportunity: 7 of 50
Unemployment Rate: 23 of 50
Average Salary: 33 of 50
Independent Colorado-based grocery chain Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage this week opened its first store in Austin near the University of Texas.
The 13,500-square-foot store at 3901 Guadalupe St. is the chain's third location in Texas following stores in Dallas and Amarillo. In time the Austin store will employ about 50 people.
Natural Grocers has 32 stores in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. The chain will add Utah to that list when a store opens there this summer.
Natural Grocers' stores carry all organic produce and other organic and natural grocery products. Other merchandise includes a sizable selection of vitamins and supplements and home care, beauty, books, pet and other products aimed at a healthy lifestyle.
This year, Natural Grocers made a decision to stop using shopping bags in all of its stores, offering customers the chance to buy recyclable cloth bags or use recycled boxes. The chain encourages customers to bring their own recyclable bags.
Austin is the best city in America to get a fresh start, according to a new report from Relocation.com
The online moving service company ranked Austin No. 1 on its list of the best cities to start over and seek out new economic opportunities.
Relocation.com used the following elements to create its list: city "popularity" based on consumer requests for moving quotes to move to that city; economic-growth prospects; home affordability; and the strength of a community as reflected by volunteerism rates.
The top cities following Austin, in order, are Dallas; Charlotte, N.C.; Denver; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis; and Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and a three-way tie for 10th place between Houston, Seattle and Las Vegas.
"Studies have shown that many people don't like where they live,” said Sharon Asher, chairman and founder of Relocation.com. “At the same time, a lot of people are looking for work, whether they're unemployed now or fearing layoffs. It's a scary time, but for some it might be a good time to think about starting over.”
A good chunk — 60 percent — of executives believe they have a right to know how employees portray themselves and their companies on online social networks, according to Deloitte LLP survey.
But 53 percent of employees say content posted on their Facebook and Twitter accounts are not a boss’s concern.
That belief is even more prevalent among younger workers. Sixty-three percent of workers ages 18 to 34 say employers have no business looking at their online activity.
But most employees (74 percent) recognize that using online social networks make it easier to tarnish a company’s reputation.
“With the explosive growth of online social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, rapidly blurring the lines between professional and private lives, these virtual communities have increased the potential of reputational risk for many organizations and their brands,” said Sharon Allen, chairman of the board, Deloitte LLP. “It is important for executives to be mindful of the implications of this connected world and to elevate the discussion about the risks associated with it to the highest levels of leadership.”
Just 17 percent of executives have formal ways to monitor the possible risks related to social network use. But nearly half (49 percent) of employees say such strict guidelines would not change their behavior online.
More than 2,000 employed adults -- half men and half women -- were interviewed for the survey, as well as 500 business executives
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