Tag Archives: Energy Efficiency

Thermostat Episode Actor and environmental advocate and Energy Upgrade CA in LA County spokesperson, Ed Begley, Jr., gives easy, do-it-yourself tips for homeowners looking to reduce their energy use. This segment highlights “vampire power,” or those electronics sucking electricity but giving you nothing in return, and energy efficient lights for the home. Other Energy Saving Tips: Number two Number three …

USdepartmentofenergy asked: This edition of Energy 101 highlights the benefits of electric vehicles, including improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, and lower maintenance costs. For more information on electric vehicles from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, visit the Vehicle Technologies Program website: www1.eere.energy.gov

Making schools energy efficient need not be an exercise in sacrifice. Schools can get the same or better services, as well as increase the health and comfort of students and staff, all while using less energy. The first step is to get an energy assessment that can help identify and prioritize opportunities for substantial energy and operational savings. Once these …

By Elisa Wood John Lennon wrote that life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. Apparently, the same is true of energy efficiency. Energy savings happen when we’re busy doing other things – Internet-based things specifically. We use email, bank online and download music not to save energy, but to make life easier and more interesting. …

How to grow a solar energy garden By Elisa Wood Getting energy from the sun is a great idea. However, installing solar panels house-by-house is slow, costly and cumbersome, and downright inefficient if the goal is to bring solar to the masses. This problem troubled Paul Spencer after he built his own uber-efficient, custom solar home near Aspen, Colorado in …

Energy benchmarking can help you better understand your commercial property’s energy use and monitor performance over time. It allows for comparisons among similar building types and helps identify which ones could operate more efficiently. The Environmental Protection Agency and its ENERGY STAR® Program offers a free online tool called Portfolio Manager that allows users to track and assess building energy …

When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it’s a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking. Current technologies would use about one-third of the energy generated by the plants – what’s called “parasitic energy” – and, as a result, substantially drive …

Reduces Both Costs and Carbon Ventura County’s outstanding cost savings and sustainability efforts have earned them the silver level in Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Energy Leader Partner Program. The Energy Leader Partnership Program awards local governments who are performing outstanding sustainability efforts with the support to identify and address energy efficiency opportunities in municipal facilities. The County of Ventura who …

By Elisa Wood Why do some states avoid creating policies that encourage consumers and businesses to save energy? What’s the psychology of the laggards? A new report by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy sheds some insight as it examines the states that consistently fall behind in the organization’s annual energy efficiency ranking. The bottom states are: Alabama, …

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 47 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are from existing buildings. From a global perspective, reducing energy consumption in buildings is imperative for a sustainable future. So when property owners and managers transform an existing facility into one that’s a high-performance building, what does that mean? Essentially, it means doing more with less. …

Mix of GIS, technical and financing advice helps countries shift from high-carbon imports to low-carbon domestic energy By embracing an integrated mix of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and grid technologies, countries can put their energy systems on a more sustainable path while developing economically, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. The report, Sustainable Energy Roadmaps: Guiding the …

Whether or not anyone is selling or buying a home in Austin, Tx, there are ways to help it become more energy-efficient as well as environmentally-friendly. Only when it’s time to make becomes a good Austin household, think about the healthier, more economical versions that are offered. Here are some delete word property owners on how to be a bit …

The premise behind the zero energy homes is that you have a house that not only generates its own energy through renewable energy sources but also has less of an initial carbon impact with the materials that are used to build the house. The theory is that you end up with a carbon neutral home. Zero energy homes and similar …

So you want to go green. But where do you start? Unless your sibling or significant other happens to be a green energy specialist or sustainable living expert, the path to true eco-friendliness and energy efficiency is difficult to take. Often times homeowners will simply spend money on perceived fixes because some TV talking head said so, while failing to …

A Case for Energy Efficiency Rebate Program by Katia Lundy, Sr. Marketing Specialist, Member of the Con Edison Green Team If you think it’s hard trying to get a loan from a bank or selling real estate in this economy, try “selling” money. Well, not actually selling money but giving generous rebates and incentives for energy efficiency projects. The sales …

By Elisa Wood January 18, 2012 This is the era of Big Oil. Could the next be the era of Big Efficiency? A new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy suggests the possibility. Re-invented with today’s smart energy technologies, energy efficiency could displace 40 to 60 percent of our total energy needs by the year 2050, according …

Public Utilities Commission orders utilities to use renewable sources before electricity from fossil fuels San Francisco – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted unanimously today to strengthen a key clean energy policy in California called the Loading Order. The Loading Order sets a priority list for electricity sources. California’s utilities must first employ energy efficiency and conservation to meet …

ACEEE REPORT: U.S. BETTER OFF “THINKING BIG” ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY INSTEAD OF FOCUSING FIRST ON DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ENERGY SOURCES How Lack of Emphasis on Major Energy Efficiency Investments Leaves “3 Jokers in the U.S. Economic Deck”; Slashing Energy Use 60% Could Generate 2 Million Jobs & Save the Equivalent of $2600 Per Household Annually. WASHINGTON, D.C.///January 12, 2012///America is …

Utilities worry about a lot of things, such as keeping the lights on, earning a return for investors, and making regulators and customers happy with their service. Now there is a new worry: How can they protect customers from what one utility refers to as “mental fatigue?” By Elisa Wood January 11, 2012 In this particular case, the utility raises …

Electric Energy Efficiency Savings Grows Significantly in the U.S., New Report Shows WASHINGTON (January 3, 2012)—Electric energy efficiency savings are on a growth path in the U.S., and electric utilities are a major force behind the trend. The findings come from a new report published by the Institute for Electric Efficiency (IEE). Overall, the IEE report, Summary of Ratepayer-Funded Electric …