"Terry Horton" wrote in message
...
| On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 16:42:52 GMT, "Texensis"
| wrote:
|
| "Terry Horton" wrote in message
| .. .
| | On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 11:40:32 GMT, "Texensis"
| | wrote:
| |
| | "Mike Dahmus" wrote in message
| | .. .
| | | On 16 Apr 2003 14:55:57 -0700, (ctt) wrote:
| | snip|
| | | A lot of people seem to think that "push mower" means "gas
| powered
| | | mower that is not self-propelled".
| | |
| | | ---
| |
| | And just why does the City sell those nasty little electric
mowers
| on
| | the cheap and not do anything about discount hand-mowers?
| |
| | Good question. Both would reduce VOCs.
| |
| | It's just as stupid as the fact that the City gives breaks on
| | air-conditioning to people who already have it but does nothing
| about
| | cheap fans for those who don't.
| |
| | The city subsidizes replacement of wasteful air conditioners
instead
| | of building more fossil fuel-fired generating facilities to run
| them.
| | At least that's the theory.
|
| The City helps buy a.c. units that would have been bought anyhow,
| because the old, existing one needed replacement--virtually any new
| unit is better than an existing one.
|
| Maybe it's changed, but used to be you couldn't just plop down a
| replacement unit. The house had to be insulated, weatherized, leak
| checked, solar screens installed to qualify for the city program.
The
| conservation incentive is I think key to the program's benefit.
|
| People who don't have a.c. or who have old, inefficient a.c. that
still
| works will keep the status quo, because the City subsidy goes to
| people who can already afford a new unit, not to people for whom
| the subsidy is not enough to make a difference.
|
| A definite issue. You have to apply for the loan like any other and
| meet credit and income requirements. This will definitely exclude
some
| low income families that might benefit. OTOH, anyone living in a
| leaky house with an old a/c is probably going to save more money
each
| month on electricity than you'll spend making payments on the loan.
|
| Bottom line though, is it good deal for us as citizens and
taxpayers?

See:
http://www.austinenergy.com/home/estar_ac.htm and
http://www.austinenergy.com/home/ac-rebates.html
The city will fork fifty bucks over just like that on window units and
up to $600 on the big stuff.

writing as somebody with old wiring and other ancient systems and no
a.c. and very high property taxes