Best Practices

It’s always interesting to witness a convergence of events that serve to highlight and illustrate an issue raised in the course of public debate. Such a convergence has occurred in recent weeks, in this case involving energy efficiency standards set by the states and the federal government, which date to the days when Ronald Reagan was governor of California and public consciousness began turning to the idea that energy was a vital commodity that needed to be regulated via public policy. On December 31, with most of us ensconced in a holiday glow against the biting cold, the Associated Pres

The Solid-State Lighting (SSL) industry is poised to take a leap forward in energy efficiency and performance as Northeast Energy Efficiency (NEEP) updated the DesignLights Consortium®’s (DLC) SSL Qualified Products List (QPL) at the turn of the year.

We all know what the outdoors can do to revitalize our health.  We feel more connected, nourished, and energized after we venture out of our homes and take a deep, endless breath of fresh air, soak up vitamins from sunlight, or drop in on the crest of an interminable wave. What if I told you that the same raw nourishment from the outdoors can reduce your heating and cooling bill?

I get it.  No really, I do.  You’re an environmentalist – well, so am I. You wanted to lessen your carbon footprint just like the rest of us – and I applaud that. So in a desperate attempt to decrease the environmental burden of doing laundry, you decided to hang your clothes out to dry. But this isn’t Little House on the Prairie! This is an urban area and countless people just got a free look at your unmentionables. That guy down the street? Yeah, he saw them.  The old lady on your block almost tumbled over when she saw those, “new-fangled undergarments” of yours.

At a time when states are still struggling to recover from the recession, investment in energy efficiency is providing a much needed boost.

As 2013 nears its end, important work on energy efficiency policy and programs is still on going. Below are the important proceedings that NEEP is keeping an eye on.

I recently returned from the first-ever National Summit on Integrating Energy Efficiency and Smart Grid, where I experienced a series of Aha! moments.

October is passing like the brisk wind that blows leaves from their heightened homes, colorful vestiges of spring and summer are littering the soon to be frozen landscape.

The NYC subway under water, unprecedented flooding in Colorado, early season blizzards curtailing Halloween trick or treating – over the past few years we’ve all seen these images flash across our screens and many of us have been directly affected by these extreme weather events.

In the distance, there is a soft humming of a compressor, the ticking of its meter, and the whirring of the fan.  The warm blanket of air envelopes the room.  The small metallic grating in the wall glints with polished cleanliness.  The faint scent, the very aroma, of money saved in your wallet perfumes the room.