A meaningful agreement in Copenhagen?

Did I call it or what? Look what happened in Copenhagen. Infighting, confusion, developing countries aligned against industrialize nations. Alas, a “meaningful agreement” was finally reached. While there was so much attention being paid to what was happening – and not – as the world’s top leaders arrived last week, the summit will be known more for what didn’t happen than for what did.

A meaningful agreement? With no commitment to a legal treaty, no firm target for limiting the rise in global temperatures, no target year for peaking emissions, and developing countries left out of the deal-making, all the hot air expended in Copenhagen did nothing but increase global warming by some unknown degree.

They did come up with target of limiting global warming to a maximum 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times as a requirement to stave off the worst effects of climate change. There also was agreement by rich nations to jointly mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries. However, environmentalists are not happy, neither are those from the developing nations in Africa and elsewhere. Over the next weeks and months in Copenhagen’s wake, we’ll see what real progress was made, and what it will mean for you, I and America.

In Washington as the Christmas recess approaches, the Senate is occupied with health care reform, leaving little time and energy to extend tax credits that expire at the end of the year, jeopardizing jobs in the biofuels and alternative energy sector. The House has already passed an annual tax extenders package, extending three dozen tax incentives for another year, but that's not enough.

That means tax credits for biofuels, research and development and hybrid trucks may expire in two weeks, creating investment uncertainty and possible job losses in those industries that rely heavily on the development tax credit for labor and equipment costs. So, stay tuned. We’ll see what happens after we pop the champagne on News Year’s Day.

Now that most of these United States are in the throes of winter, did you know that homes lose most of their heat energy through drafts arround windows? Poorly insulated roofs are problematic, too, but whose going to replace a roof in the dead of winter?

We can reduce our home heating costs by up to 30 percent through proper insulation and air sealing methods around drafty windows. Sealing out the cold around windows, doors, electric outlets, anywhere where there’s an opening that air gets in or out will save you money. Replacing windows is costly, though there are lots of tax credits and incentives available in many states. If replacing windows isn’t possible, there are ways to reduce those cold-air drafts.

First, test for leaks by holding a lit candle, a match or lighter near windows and doors. Once problem areas are identified, there are plenty of plastic window-covering products that will work to cover them. They can be found anywhere from Home Depot, Lowe’s, ACE, Kmart, even Target. You can find the material just about anywhere this time of year. Before you buy any pre-packaged kits, it‘s more cost-effective just to purchase a heavy-duty clear, plastic sheet, cut it to the size you need and tape it to the inside of your windows. This will cost about $20-$25, depending on the number and size of windows in your home. That’s clear, polyethylene sheeting and just plain old Duct Tape or clear packaging tape.

A tip: If using pre-packaged kits, the adhesive double-sided tape issued with them might not work properly on window and door molding if the outside temperature at 40 degrees or below. The tape just won’t stick, especially if the molding is metal or fiberglass. You can pre-heat the molding before you use the tape but that’s tedious and doesn’t work very well.

I'll provide simple energy- and money-saving suggestions each time I blog. Stay tuned, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!