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divicountdown

Rebuilding my site with Divi 4: Coming October 17th

I built this site on WordPress.org and have used many free themes and plugins throughout the years to make it happen.  There comes a time in one’s digital life you have to look to professional tools to take things to the next level.  I’ve used Divi 3 in other web development projects over the last two years and have been nothing short of impressed with the functionality and speed at which I am now able to put up a great looking responsive and mobile-friendly site.

The best part about developing wit Divi is their video tutorials which are searchable.  That allows me to get the info I need quickly and get back to developing.  Their tech support is on point and they do a fabulous job of building community around the platform where you can learn a lot from other developers.  I enjoy working in this platform so much that am now in the process of migrating the remaining sites that I manage over to Divi, including this one.  I’ll be sure to post updates on my progress and the results soon.

I decided to post about the Divi 4 announcement mostly because they have also announced an awesome giveaway.  The Divi Team is giving away a MacBook Pro and entry to the giveaway is free (moneywise).  It will cost you an email sign-up, a retweet, or you can make a blogpost just like this one for bonus points.  I can tell you from experience they never send me spam and you can always adjust your subscription settings after the fact.  Take a look at the giveaway, and connect with me if you have any questions about the Divi platform!

-AH

Sun_Flower_Panel

Why Energy Utility Companies Are Inherently Against Solar

I recently read a news report about Faith Community Church in Greensboro, North Carolina who installed an “illegal” third party solar array. The array itself is a little over 5 kilo-Watts which is relatively small. The idea here is that the installer has installed the solar array on the church for free and will sell the church the energy it produces for half the rate the regional energy company Duke Energy charges. Even though this array only produces a mere fraction of the Energy the church requires, they have attracted the attention of the all-mighty Duke Energy (a massive energy utility in the south) and will likely be “Duking it-out” in court. So what gives? Why is this illegal in North Carolina? Why does Duke Energy even care? Continue Reading →

Earth Day 2015

Church Energy Series

Stewardship & Alternative Energy 101 For Churches

Recently, St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin, TX made major waves after their successful implementation of alternative energy with a solar PV system atop their campus parking garage. This was a major accomplishment not only for St. David’s but also for the city of Austin, paving the way for more commercial alternative energy projects downtown.  Cost savings alone was not the primary driver of the solar PV project.  It was St. David’s value of energy stewardship principles that are an essential part of their mission and culture.

As the discussion of energy stewardship commences at your church, a few questions will undoubtably surface.  In this post, I will answer some of the most common questions I receive about stewardship and alternative energy with respect to churches. Continue Reading →

Photo of St. David's

St. David’s Takes Downtown Austin Solar

It started with a vision 10 years in the making.  When the church leaders of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin Texas came together to discuss a solar system for the church, there was a much bigger picture in mind.  This wasn’t a project about saving money on energy costs.  The addition of the solar panel system at St. David’s was another milestone towards the church’s value of leading the community of downtown Austin in environmental consciousness and conservation of resources. Continue Reading →

Solar Church

Why The Church Should Be Influencers of Energy Stewardship

Why should the church care about energy? One word comes to mind. Stewardship.

How a church manages its energy says a lot about its attitude towards stewardship.  Waste in the church is simply unacceptable when there is so much need in the community.  In most churches in America, energy costs are the church’s second largest operating expense behind salaries.  Churches across the country have the opportunity to turn one of their greatest challenges into an incredible point of outreach.

Continue Reading →

solar installation

Church Energy Series: Investing in Alternative Energy

Churches like any other commercial buildings require large amounts of energy to operate.  Activity in churches range from office work, conferences, and meetings through the week to full blown live productions of the weekends.  All of the IT, lighting, audio visual equipment, kitchen appliances, security, heating, and air conditioning systems contribute to rising energy costs which seem to inch higher and higher into the church operating budget.  Paying more on energy bills means there is less money available for other ministry activities. Continue Reading →

Maranatha-Chroma-Q-purple

Maranatha Lights The Way With Chroma-Q Inpire Mini LED House Lights

When Maranatha Assembly of God in Forest Lake, Minnesota learned that they could lower their energy bill through their energy provider Xcel Energy’s “Smarter Lighting for Less” rebate program, they jumped at the opportunity to upgrade to LED house lighting.   Continue Reading →

Church Energy Series

Church Energy Series: Calculating ROI On LED Stage Lighting

Church Energy Series

Church Energy Series: Upgrading Fluorescent Tube Lighting To LEDs

Fluorescent Lighting

In this church energy series, we’ve been covering ways to get fast return on investment with upgrades to energy efficient lighting.  Upgrading lighting at your church can be one of the quickest bang for your buck items to get instant energy savings.  Today we look at a fixture that is prevalent in many church auxiliary rooms, halls, classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, and some sanctuaries:  fluorescent tubes. Continue Reading →

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