By dlenergyefficiency |
While the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) had developed significant momentum updating appliance standards during President Obama’s first term, we have been disappointed in their ability to complete rulemakings of late.
Over the past year and half, DOE has failed to meet deadlines for eight separate product categories. Such delays hold up effective dates for the new standards — sacrificing…
By dlenergyefficiency |
The saying, "you only have one chance to make a first impression" has never been so true than for the CFL. When the highly efficient light bulb was first introduced into the market two decades ago, even the most die-hard energy efficiency experts would agree the technology was probably not ready for prime time. The light output was low and the bulbs took a long time to "warm up".…
By dlenergyefficiency |
With the growth of home entertainment systems, home computer systems and battery-powered devices, the number of consumer electronic products we own has mushroomed in a matter of just a few years. Consumer electronics now represent the fastest growing sector of residential energy consumption — and one of the biggest areas of wasted electricity.
External power supplies (EPS) — the little black…
By dlenergyefficiency |
You may be surprised to hear that Distribution Transformers (which include the round barrel-looking devices on telephone poles) offer significant energy savings opportunities. Although most transformers are quite efficient (efficiencies over 98%), the sheer volume of these deployed throughout the country mean even small improvements can result in big savings.
A few weeks ago, DOE…
By dlenergyefficiency |
Congress and the President are set to pass a spending bill that will, among other things, defund the enforcement of the EISA light bulb standards for the 2012 fiscal year. While this means that the Department of Energy (DOE) will have no funding to enforce the standards until October 2012, the standards themselves remain in place.
The details of the new provision, like the standards themselves…
By dlenergyefficiency |
To the surprise of many, water heating is the third largest energy expense in the home behind space heating and cooling. On average, water heating represents 17% of energy use in the home. Water heating in the Northeast is dominated by three main fuels; natural gas, electricity and oil. While exciting efficiency opportunities exist in products fueled by gas and oil, game changing…
By dlenergyefficiency |
Future appliance standards could eliminate growth in residential sector energy use through 2035, according to an analysis conducted for the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook 2011.
While modest improvements to the efficiency of products "covered" by the federal appliance standards efficiency program will achieve sizable savings, by adopting more aggressive standards…