talking points & email suggestions
NOTE: When emailing your representative, please be sure to let them know that you are their constituent and include your name and address in the email.
Step 1: click this link to open a list of delegates in a new tab or window.
Step 2: use the clickable links to begin an email to your delegate.
Step 3: copy/paste the suggested emails directly into the body of each email.
Additionally, use the talking points below when you call to speak with your legislator.
Step 1: click this link to open a list of delegates in a new tab or window.
Step 2: use the clickable links to begin an email to your delegate.
Step 3: copy/paste the suggested emails directly into the body of each email.
Additionally, use the talking points below when you call to speak with your legislator.
Download the CSV on the right to access contact information for each member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
|
|
email to delegate:
Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. <Representative>:
If you know your representative remind him how you know him/her. <example - I am writing because I have met you a few times when you were running for office. I remember when you were campaigning at the Vienna farmer market when it was still off Church Street near the W&OD path, and when you helped the Madison HS band move equipment at a home football game.>
I am writing to urge you to support a bill introduced in the legislature HB-461 for a geothermal heating tax credit for residents of Virginia. There are a several reasons the bill is good for the citizens of Virginia:
<your name>
<your city>
If you know your representative remind him how you know him/her. <example - I am writing because I have met you a few times when you were running for office. I remember when you were campaigning at the Vienna farmer market when it was still off Church Street near the W&OD path, and when you helped the Madison HS band move equipment at a home football game.>
I am writing to urge you to support a bill introduced in the legislature HB-461 for a geothermal heating tax credit for residents of Virginia. There are a several reasons the bill is good for the citizens of Virginia:
- to support jobs in Virginia,
- to help residents reduce residential energy bills and makes the cost of operating a home more affordable,
- to reduce the amount of money leaving Virginia to support jobs elsewhere,
- to increase energy security for our country, and
- to cut CO2 emissions to lessen the effects of global warming.
<your name>
<your city>
If you already have a geothermal system
Dear XXXXXX,
I call on you to approve the HB-461 renewable energy property tax credit on Monday, February 3, 2020.
The bill establishes a reasonable tax credit outlay over multiple years and promotes Virginia long-term resident homeowners to invest in renewable energy.
I’ve already invested more than $30,000 in a geothermal system for my home. I love that I no longer have to pay $5000 per year for oil heat and air-conditioning. Now, my annual cost is less than $2000. The savings allows me to pay for other good and products I purchase here in the Virginia Commonwealth.
Now, I’d really like to invest in a solar system on my roof. That would provide for my electric needs and provide additional power to the Virginia Commonwealth when it’s needed (usually during peak energy usage periods in the summer).
HB-461 is a win-win for Virginia residents and for the Virginia Commonwealth.
Again, I call on your leadership to approve the HB-461 renewable energy property tax credit on Monday, February 3, 2020.
additional paragraphs
The argument for reducing CO2 emissions is simple and is well known. We need to reduce CO2 emissions for our future generations to protect coastal areas from sea level rise and the effects of climate change in general. Geothermal heating is the single most energy efficient method of heating and cooling for homes and buildings. By using the heat from the ground instead of the air it is possible to make a heat pump for heating or cooling as energy efficient as possible.
____
Geothermal heat pumps use water that is circulated in pipes placed in the ground called a loop field. A few feet below the surface the ground is nearly a constant temperature throughout the year, around 58 degrees here in Virginia. With an entering Water Source of 58 degrees, a Geothermal heat pump needs to raise the temperature 12 degrees To heat a house to 70 degrees in the winter . A conventional air-based heat pump uses the outside air as its heat source. A typical winter day in Virginia of 35 degrees would require a conventional heat pump to raise the air temperature 35 degrees to make a home comfortable. The difference in energy use to raise the temperature 12 vs 35 degrees is significant, while both Geothermal and conventional air systems use electricity, the Geothermal systems use much less electricity, thus making Geothermal significantly more energy efficient. Installing the loop field piping in the ground either by trenching or drilling wells is expensive and causes Geothermal systems to cost more to install.
----
A Geothermal system creates more jobs than installing a normal air-based heat pump. It requires several different skills: well drillers to access the heat of the earth at moderate depth; trenchers to connect the well piping to the dwelling, but because water is used, the connecting piping needs to be below the frost line, so it must be buried at a depth of a few feet; and, the jobs of installing the “furnace" inside the dwelling which exchanges the heat from the water in the wells with air in the home. This requires at least 6 times the labor needed to install a conventional gas fired furnace or electric heat pump. And because all of this labor must exist on site in Virginia, the labor is local and contributes directly to the local economy. In addition, these are good jobs that pay a reasonable wage. However, because of all the labor, installation is more expensive. These systems pay out over time, but the payout can be more than a decade and most residents won't take the risk on such a long payout.
----
This is why a sizable tax credit is needed. Homeowners and commercial business owners need an incentive to install these systems at least until geothermal becomes a conventional method for heating and cooling. There are precedents for these types of tax credits in the early stages of adoption for new technologies. In the early years of development of natural gas production from shale, tight gas sands and coal beds, the federal government provided sizable tax credits for production from these resources. Now that shale gas is main stream, the credits from the 1990s are no longer needed. Geothermal energy needs these same incentives to get accepted by the general public. It provides incentives for more jobs in the Virginia economy and reduces the resources needed for importing fuels from out of state for heating and cooling buildings. Once Geothermal becomes commonplace, lenders will include its value in the assessment of a dwelling. With long term financing these systems become economic quickly.
____
Geothermal heat pumps use water that is circulated in pipes placed in the ground called a loop field. A few feet below the surface the ground is nearly a constant temperature throughout the year, around 58 degrees here in Virginia. With an entering Water Source of 58 degrees, a Geothermal heat pump needs to raise the temperature 12 degrees To heat a house to 70 degrees in the winter . A conventional air-based heat pump uses the outside air as its heat source. A typical winter day in Virginia of 35 degrees would require a conventional heat pump to raise the air temperature 35 degrees to make a home comfortable. The difference in energy use to raise the temperature 12 vs 35 degrees is significant, while both Geothermal and conventional air systems use electricity, the Geothermal systems use much less electricity, thus making Geothermal significantly more energy efficient. Installing the loop field piping in the ground either by trenching or drilling wells is expensive and causes Geothermal systems to cost more to install.
----
A Geothermal system creates more jobs than installing a normal air-based heat pump. It requires several different skills: well drillers to access the heat of the earth at moderate depth; trenchers to connect the well piping to the dwelling, but because water is used, the connecting piping needs to be below the frost line, so it must be buried at a depth of a few feet; and, the jobs of installing the “furnace" inside the dwelling which exchanges the heat from the water in the wells with air in the home. This requires at least 6 times the labor needed to install a conventional gas fired furnace or electric heat pump. And because all of this labor must exist on site in Virginia, the labor is local and contributes directly to the local economy. In addition, these are good jobs that pay a reasonable wage. However, because of all the labor, installation is more expensive. These systems pay out over time, but the payout can be more than a decade and most residents won't take the risk on such a long payout.
----
This is why a sizable tax credit is needed. Homeowners and commercial business owners need an incentive to install these systems at least until geothermal becomes a conventional method for heating and cooling. There are precedents for these types of tax credits in the early stages of adoption for new technologies. In the early years of development of natural gas production from shale, tight gas sands and coal beds, the federal government provided sizable tax credits for production from these resources. Now that shale gas is main stream, the credits from the 1990s are no longer needed. Geothermal energy needs these same incentives to get accepted by the general public. It provides incentives for more jobs in the Virginia economy and reduces the resources needed for importing fuels from out of state for heating and cooling buildings. Once Geothermal becomes commonplace, lenders will include its value in the assessment of a dwelling. With long term financing these systems become economic quickly.