By John Otterbein |
In the world of energy efficiency, clothes dryers were the kids picked last during recess basketball games, overlooked for more promising appliances. As refrigerators, clothes washers, and dishwashers became incrementally more efficient over time, clothes dryers were left to their energy squandering ways.
Clothes dryers hadn’t received an upgrade to their appliance efficiency standard for over…
By Lowell Ungar |
This post originally appeared on the ACEEE Blog.
Now that one energy efficiency bill is before the president, the real legislative work on energy efficiency begins. The Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015 (S. 535) is three steps forward, a collection of three useful but relatively modest provisions on residential water heaters and commercial buildings. But there is a long way to go.…
By John Otterbein |
Last we left Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS), they were overseas playing a major role as Energy Continuity Systems (ECS) in Japan after the devastating Fukushima disaster disabled forty-eight of Japan’s fifty nuclear reactors. Rolling blackouts and sporadic outages plagued the Land of the Rising Sun years after the monstrous earthquake rocked the world, instilling a heightened awareness of…
By Jim OReilly |
What ingredients are propelling Delaware, and what could ensure progress in New Hampshire? The following 2015 Regional Roundup case study takes a closer look at the paths these states are taking to capture all cost-effective energy efficiency.
In our 2013 Regional Roundup, we rated the state of Delaware as "Still in the Starting Blocks," noting that "the clock [ran] out before legislation aimed…
By Samantha Bresler |
While the oil bills from heating your home are still fresh in your mind. While you still seethe from the snow and slush, I want to offer a suggestion.
Air-Source Heat Pumps.
Air-Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) warm our houses by extracting heat from the outside air and pumping it indoors. But, if you live in a climate that regularly dips below freezing temperatures, it becomes increasingly…
By Brian Buckley |
CLICK HERE to access a March 2015 webinar recording featuring LED Street Lighting Conversion Strategies, feauturing a case study of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Certain elements of our community’s infrastructure often go unnoticed, residing in the background of our increasingly busy lives. Think about it. How much time do you take out of your day to dwell on the importance of paved…
By Jackson Morris |
Originally posted on Switchboard (NRDC's blog), and authored by Jackson Morris, this post takes a magnifying glass to New York's REV Track 1 Order and lays out all of the juicy details for your reading pleasure. Big thanks to NRDC and Jackson Morris for this illuminating contribution.
There are big goings-on in the Empire State these days related to how to move to a 21stcentury electric…
By Patrick Wallace |
In the Amazing Spiderman, Peter Parker’s uncle, Uncle Ben, leaves him with some words of wisdom that Parker carries with him throughout the Spiderman series: With great power, comes great responsibility. As someone who’s been tracking investment in energy efficiency in our region, a similar thought, which is the title of this post, comes to mind.
Investment in energy efficiency in…
By John Otterbein |
This blog is the first in a series looking into the key insights of the newly released 2015 Regional Roundup of Energy Efficiency Policy in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States.
The winter months of the past few years have been long, harsh, and expensive. Electricity customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region have incurred higher costs during these periods, largely as a result of…
By Steve Nadel |
Originally posted on ACEEE's blog, this post is part one in a series where ACEEE examines the most effective roles for energy efficiency programs and market-driven solutions in scaling the deployment of energy efficiency. Thanks to Steve Nadal and ACEEE for sharing!
The fundamental question that policymakers ask themselves is, Are we being the most responsible stewards of public dollars? For…