Does Daylight Saving Time Actually Save Energy?
A recent post from Tufts University suggests that the benefits of DST are not necessarily related to energy savings.
Department of Energy
Defending Energy Star Against the Trump Administration
US State Attorneys To Sue Trump Administration Over Energy Efficiency Standards Clean Technica, April 5, 2017 US State Attorneys led by New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman have filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for illegally blocking energy efficiency standards that the claimants believe not only cut costs but cut pollution levels as … Read more
The Five Biggest Accomplishments of the ENERGY STAR Program
Daniel Pidgeon, ERS, for Zondits The Energy Star program was launched by the EPA and DOE in 1992 to promote energy-efficient household appliances, lighting, heating systems, air conditioners, and other such items. The program is completely voluntary, and both manufacturers and consumers enjoy the benefits. By setting an international standard for energy-efficiency, this program has … Read more
Optimizing Grid Investments for the Grid of the Future
US administration: Energy storage and other grid investments vital to security and resilience Energy Storage News, January 9, 2017 Energy storage should be properly valued and supported at federal level in the United States, according to a government document analysing and evaluating energy policy released by officials of the outgoing Obama administration. The Quadrennial Energy … Read more
Five Efficiency Standards Under the Trump Administration’s Purview
Fate of Five Final Energy Efficiency Rules Could Be Up to Trump Bloomberg BNA, December 29, 2016 Five final energy efficiency appliance standards issued by the Obama administration Dec. 28 could be undone by the Trump administration due to a new review period. The Energy Department issued final rules increasing energy efficiency requirements for walk-in … Read more
Developing a New Generation of Energy Efficient Motors
NEXT GENERATION ELECTRIC MACHINES Department of Energy AMO’s Next Generation Electric Machines (NGEM) program is an RD&D effort leveraging recent technology advancements in power electronics and electric motors to develop a new generation of energy efficient, high power density, high speed, integrated medium voltage (MV) drive systems for a wide variety of critical energy applications. … Read more
Better Buildings through CHP
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits The national market for combined heat and power (CHP) projects is growing. Traditionally, the technology was most frequently implemented in large and energy-intensive industrial facilities. However, certain regions of the country are realizing that smaller CHP systems can benefit a wide range of facilities and provide not only energy cost … Read more
Energy Models: An Economical Investment
Levon Whyte, ERS, for Zondits Construction projects cost a lot of money to develop. The last thing any construction firm wants to do is budget additional costs for developing a building energy model. Energy modeling, however, may prove to be more cost-effective than one might initially assume. Energy models simulate how much energy a designed … Read more
California Proposes Energy Efficiency Computer Standards
California Energy Commission Considers Bill to Mandate Energy-Efficient Computers Government Technology, April 11, 2016. Image credit: Simon All computers sold in California could be required to adopt stricter state energy standards by 2018, cutting computer energy consumption by as much as half, according to new regulations being proposed by the California Energy Commission. The commission’s latest … Read more
Do Energy Efficiency Upgrades Measure Up for Homeowners?
How to determine if energy efficiency upgrades are right for your home (and budget) Inhabitat, April 1, 2016. Image credit: AllanW So how do home performance upgrades pay off? From 2010 to 2013, the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program upgraded nearly 120,000 homes and buildings achieved total verified energy savings for the 3-year evaluation period provided of … Read more