David Reynolds, ERS, for Zondits Seriously. The point of this article is to challenge those who believe in energy efficiency and all of the benefits it provides to society and to the environment – and to our continued employment in a noble field. It is time to rethink, reevaluate, and restate the benefits of energy … Read more
How Utilities Can Become Efficiency Innovators Greentech Media, November 28, 2016 The New York Public Service Commission, seeking innovative solutions in its Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding, instead opted for an outcome-oriented approach to measuring and incentivizing efficiency performance. An outcome-oriented metric would focus on the policy goal of reduced energy use overall, putting a smaller … Read more
Jon Maxwell and Brian McCowan for Zondits, June 8, 2015. Image credit: PixShark “Thank you. Your evaluation has helped us greatly with improving our program.” How often do evaluators hear that phrase? The answer is, of course, not very often. The reasons are many and varied, but the overriding reason is that evaluators, program administrators, … Read more
EU plan for CO2 limit to power reserve schemes hasty: Poland Reuters, November 30, 2016 The European Commission’s proposal to attach emissions limits to subsidies paid to utilities that set aside capacity to avert blackouts would be hasty and bad for the environment, Poland’s energy ministry said. A draft law published by the EU executive … Read more
Climate hawks unite! Meet the newest members of Congress who will fight climate change. Grist, November 16, 2016 Last week was an awful one for anyone who cares about the environment. The new Congress and president-elect have a broad, aggressive, anti-environment agenda. Donald Trump has promised to scrap the Paris agreement, repeal all climate regulations, and … Read more
Elana Cole, ERS, for Zondits One of the largest online lighting distributors recently shared some information with Zondits regarding the ENERGY STAR program for lighting, specifically the new 2.0 version for lamps that goes into effect on January 2, 2017. What is ENERGY STAR 2.0? ENERGY STAR 2.0, which replaces the current 1.1 version, includes … Read more
What do the 2016 election results mean for energy efficiency? American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), November 10, 2016 Now that the hard-fought 2016 election is over, I think it is useful to consider its impact on energy efficiency policy. No doubt, a lot of uncertainty remains because of President-elect Donald Trump’s lack of … Read more
Britain’s last coal power plants to close by 2025 The Guardian, November 9, 2016 The last coal power station in Britain will be forced to close in 2025, the government said as it laid out its plan to phase-out the polluting fossil fuel. Ministers promised last year that the UK would close coal power within … Read more
Guess who gets zapped by Springfield’s latest energy-efficiency plan Crain’s Chicago Business, November 5, 2016 Who knew cutting electricity usage could cost so much? The state’s large industrial and manufacturing companies would see significant increases in their electric bills to help bankroll a dramatic expansion of energy-efficiency programs run by Commonwealth Edison and downstate utility … Read more
Santa Monica City Council Votes in the World’s First Zero-Net Energy Building Requirement; Implementation Begins in 2017 City of Santa Monica Newsroom, October 27, 2016 The Santa Monica City Council voted this week to approve an ordinance requiring all new single-family construction in the City of Santa Monica to be zero-net energy (ZNE), the first … Read more