A number of Houston jobs will be supported through a new program aimed at increasing energy efficiency.

As part of the Green Office Challenge, city officials and several local organizations are working together to launch the Energy Efficiency Incentive Program. The program will provide office building owners, property managers, and tenants a financial incentive to reduce energy consumption in their building.

The EEIP - started by the City of Houston, the GeoTechnology Research Institute/Houston Advanced Research Center, and the Clinton Climate Initiative - is being funded by $3 million of an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

"The Energy Efficiency Incentive Program is an unprecedented opportunity for commercial building owners and managers to actively engage in the city-wide sustainability strategy - to make Houston a greener, cleaner and healthier place for ourselves and future Houstonians," Mayor Annise Parker said in a statement. "The energy efficiency projects completed as part of this program will significantly reduce energy consumption, save money, create green jobs and help buildings achieve their sustainability goals."

In order to be eligible for funding, business owners must have an energy manager perform an energy audit and make energy conservation recommendations. Those recommendations must result in at least a projected 15 percent savings in energy costs in order to be eligible.

Eligible businesses will then be able to receive incentives of up to 20 percent of the up-front implementation costs, with the maximum incentive allowed per building ranging from $20,000 to $200,000. At least 60 percent of the funding will be used for projects costing less than $500,000.

Building owners shouldn't worry about footing the bill for the remainder of the upgrades, as those costs should be reimbursed through reductions in utility costs within 18 to 48 months of the project's completion.

Labels: Houston Jobs

Local officials and residents who will lose their Houston jobs (Click here) if the Constellation lunar exploration program is canceled are attempting to fight back.

Although President Barack Obama's proposed budget includes an additional $6 billion over five years for NASA, it calls for an end to the Constellation program. The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Council Member Mike Sullivan is leading an effort to convince the current administration that canceling the program would be a mistake.

The district that Sullivan represents includes the Johnson Space Center. If the Constellation lunar exploration program is shut down, it will result in the loss of 7,000 Houston area jobs.

During a recent Houston City Council meeting, Sullivan said he would work with the local congressional delegation, the Greater Houston Partnership and the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to preserve the Constellation program.

"We will have a coordinated plan moving forward," he said.

However, officials have come up with another plan that could save those jobs. That plan includes making the Houston area a base for the Mars exploration plan, which NASA Administrator Charles Bolden recently described, saying he wants to shift the manned space effort toward the goal of sending humans safely to Mars, possibly by the 2030s.

The loss of 7,000 jobs would be a huge hit to the Houston area's economy, which has managed to succeed during the economic downturn when compared to most other cities.

During December 2009, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area's unemployment rate increased from 8.2 percent to 8.3 percent, following a decrease from 8.4 percent during November. Despite the increase, the area's rate was still lower than the national unemployment rate at the time of 10 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 2,535,600 workers during December, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 2,532,900 workers during November, but a 3.5 percent decrease from December 2008.

Labels: Houston Jobs

With a population of 2.14 million there is no shortage of schools in Houston. If you are looking for a university or college job, there are over 55 colleges and universities alone in Houston.

If you are looking for teaching jobs, one of the best places to start would be Rice University; which is known for being the leading teaching and researching universities in the US, and ranked the 17th best university. Another great site to check would be the University of Houston which has over 36,000 students from 130 countries, so if you’re looking for diversity, you’ll find it there.

Or if you’re looking for jobs in Houston at a religious university, than the Houston Baptist University might be more up your alley. HBU is ranked in the top tier among best universities offering master degrees. If you’re looking to teach law, Houston is home to four law schools. Or if you’re looking to teach in the private industry, Houston has over 300 private schools.

Whatever your needs are, the best place to start is the school website you are interested in. They should always have a Houston jobs section. Or checkout Cheezhead. Whatever level you want to teach at, you should have no problem finding a position in such a vast education market.

Labels: Houston Jobs