Energy efficiency lowers costs in recent PJM capacity auction ACEEE, June 1, 2016. Image credit: AndreasEOS700D By Brendon Baatz, Manager, Utilities Policy Energy efficiency provides many benefits to the electric utility system. One of these benefits is reducing the market price for electric generation. PJM Interconnection, the operator of the largest electric grid in the United … Read more
Ryan Pollin, ERS, for Zondits. May 13, 2016. Image credit: geralt Ed Hawkins is a climate scientist at the University of Reading and an author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and now he has struck a chord with his global temperature visualization. In three days, his tweet showing mean global temperature for every month … Read more
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits Brownstoner recently reported on a real estate developer who purchased a seven-unit townhome in Brooklyn for $6.8 million in 2014. The developer plans to substantially renovate the building, creating a single-family dwelling, and the architects chosen for the job, Baxt Ingui, are well known for using passive house and energy … Read more
Protecting Our Health Through Energy Efficiency and Building Upgrades Energy Star, April 28, 2016 Did you know our sister group here at EPA offers an excellent guide about how to protect indoor air quality (IAQ) while making building upgrades? The Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for School Building Upgrades (the Guide) “walks” users … Read more
We’re tracking major US energy efficiency metrics on a new webpage. Check out how 2015 measures up. ACEEE, April 15, 2016. Image credit: PDPics We picked metrics covering residential and commercial buildings, state adoption of building codes, energy savings from appliance standards, industry energy intensity, combined heat and power (CHP) capacity, personal and freight transport energy … Read more
Allison Donnelly, ERS, for Zondits. May 3, 2016. Image credit: Marc van der Chijs Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by former Obama energy advisor Jason Bordoff entitled, “How Driverless Cars Could End up Harming the Environment.” Among the host of benefits being touted by proponents, one that has been getting increasing … Read more
Oracle Corp. (ORCL) To Tap US Utility Transition With Purchase Of Energy Efficiency Developer Opower Inc. (OPWR) IBT, May 2, 2016. Image credit: Peggy_Marco U.S. software giant Oracle Corp. says it wants a slice of the clean energy transition unfolding across America’s $2.3 trillion utilities industry. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) announced Monday it will buy software-as-a-service company Opower Inc. … Read more
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits. April 25, 2016. Image credit: philriley427 A new study by Groundswell shows that the poorest American households pay the greatest share of income on electricity. According to City Lab’s summary of the study, the “bottom 20% of earners spend almost 10% of their income on electricity, more than seven times the … Read more
Go Green, Save Green: Sustainable Laundry Operations Facility Executive, April 19, 2016. Image credit: Hans According to the Environmental Protection Agency, businesses and other institutions account for 17 percent of water taken from public water supplies in the United States. They also generate 45 percent of the U.S. green house gas emissions. Nevertheless, healthcare, hospitality, and other industries … Read more
LA Will Face Blackouts This Summer Due to Its Gigantic Natural Gas Leak Gizmodo, April 5. 2016. Image credit: tpsdave A coalition of agencies including the California Energy Commission, California Public Utilities Commission, California Independent System Operator, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power just released a report on how the Aliso Canyon leak is … Read more