Green Mountain Energy Company and the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas (HBA Dallas) have again joined forces for the 16th annual Parade of Homes™, which will showcase upscale, high performance and environmentally-friendly custom homes at Shaddock Creek Estates in Frisco, Texas. This year's event will take place Saturday, May 19, through Sunday, June 10.

This marks the third year for Green Mountain Energy Company to serve as the title partner for the Parade of Homes event. As part of its partnership with the event, Green Mountain is offsetting the Parade of Homes™ electricity-related carbon dioxide (C02) emissions to make the event carbon neutral. Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, has been identified as a major cause of global climate change.

The Parade of Homes is an open house event, where area builders get to present the very latest innovations and building technologies directly to the public. Each home will feature state-of-the-art amenities and luxurious decor. Discount tickets will be available at Tom Thumb stores throughout the metroplex.

"The Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas is very proud and excited to continue its working relationship with Green Mountain, promoting clean electricity for this year's Parade," said Bob Morris, executive vice president of HBA Dallas. "Since there is an ever-growing interest and demand from homebuyers for environmentally-preferable products and services, Green Mountain, and the pollution-free electricity products it offers to residential customers in Texas, is a great addition to the Parade of Homes."

Green Mountain Energy Company and the HBA are offering attendees some new attractions during this year's Parade of Homes. First, the participating homes will be either meeting or exceeding the rigorous green building standards in advance of Frisco's full city-wide enforcement in the summer of 2007. Second, Green Mountain will make a presentation about the environmental benefits of clean electricity on the demonstration stage. Green Mountain representatives will also be available at the Parade site to answer questions about, and sign up people for competitively-priced Pollution Free^SM electricity.

"Green Mountain is sponsoring the Parade of Homes and offsetting the carbon emissions associated with the event's electricity usage to educate homebuyers and event attendees about the benefits of pollution-free electricity," said Paul Markovich, senior vice president, Residential Sales, Green Mountain Energy Company. "We are pleased to partner with a great organization like the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas, especially since these homes are built to green building standards."

For more event details, visit the HBA Dallas Parade of Homes page.

Every dollar spent for construction of new transmission lines to support the development of wind resources in Texas will result in a $5 to $7 reduction in energy costs, according to testimony filed this month with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) by Electric Transmission Texas LLC (ETT), a proposed joint venture between subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.

The testimony, which was submitted as a part of the PUCT's Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) Docket, supports a study by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) through ETT's own analysis while at the same time providing an additional analysis sponsored jointly by ETT and The Wind Coalition, a group of large wind developers, equipment suppliers and public interest organizations promoting wind development in the south central United States. The jointly-sponsored study focused on the benefits of new transmission to support wind resources throughout the state and did not specifically address the ETT proposal filed in the CREZ Docket.

"The jointly-sponsored analysis validates the conclusions of the earlier ERCOT study, which indicated that consumers would save between $221 million to $1.278 billion per year with the addition of 1,000 to 5,250 megawatts of wind generation," said Calvin Crowder, ETT executive director.

"In fact, the study jointly sponsored with The Wind Coalition, as well as our own separate analysis, concludes that the savings initially projected by ERCOT are conservative. "Clearly, there is a strong economic case for moving forward to build new transmission lines to ensure the development of wind resources throughout the state," Crowder continued. "At the same time, we advocate seizing upon what we see as a unique opportunity to address the long-term transmission needs within ERCOT."

ETT has proposed the construction of approximately 1,000 miles of transmission lines to support development of Competitive Renewable Energy Zones in Texas. At the same time, ETT proposes consideration by the PUCT and ERCOT of a high-voltage, high-capacity backbone transmission system to support long-range reliability and customer growth needs facing the state.

For more details about the plan, check out the press release.

In honor of Earth Day, Business Week devoted it's weekly "Five for the Money" to a few quiet ways to make homes more energy-efficient. The magazine focused it's tips on the ways that homeowners can make smaller investments that over the course of months or years can recoup up-front costs.

Here are a few of their suggestions:

Follow the EnergyStar
A joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Dept., EnergyStar is probably the easiest way to pick out energy-saving appliances. According to the program, a family using approved appliances can save up to a third on its energy bill—complemented by a similar reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Since the EPA began the program in 1992 with products that included computers and monitors it has expanded to consumer goods ranging from lights to refrigerators. The program aims to endorse products that have equivalent performance to their more wasteful counterparts.

Watch Your Water
Anyone can take shorter showers or run the dishwasher less often, but there are also devices that can help. For one thing, inexpensive flow reducers can reduce a faucet or shower head's output without sacrificing water pressure.

Less known is a device called the Metlund Hot Water D'MAND System put out by Costa Mesa (Calif.)-based Advanced Conservation Technology. The device recirculates water from the hot water pipes to ensure that bathers are never running the faucet waiting for hot water. As with so many tricks in the green arena, the savings are gradual but, Johnston says, real.

Dual flush toilets could also become more common. Available from several manufacturers, they allow users to decide flush intensity depending on their needs. Even with the amount of water expended per flush shrinking in normal toilets, Smith says families will quickly recoup their money with one of these commodes.

For more tips, check out the full article Five Green Fixes for Your Home.