Alan Meier is senior executive editor of Home Energy.
United States Leads in Refrigerator Efficiency
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Japan recently adopted the International Standards Organization (ISO) energy test procedure for measuring the energy use of its refrigerators. This is a closed-door, constant temperature test, similar to that used by the U.S. Department of Energy. Now it is easier to compare the energy use of Japanese, European, and U.S. refrigerators. [continue reading]
Ventilation Fans: the New Energy Hogs?
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The article on ventilation fans ("Mechanical Ventilation for the Home," p. 13) contains some remarkable information. The good news is that sizing and installation guidelines are being established and that small ventilation and exhaust fans themselves are improving. [continue reading]
Solar Sneaks in the Back Door
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Several articles in this issue deal with solar energy. [continue reading]
Catastrophe Under a Hot Thin Roof
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It's summer and it is hard to ignore the heat out there. In this issue, Home Energy offers three ways that energy professionals are beating the heat. [continue reading]
Preventing Urban Heat Catastrophes
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The heat wave in Chicago last summer created a great deal of human discomfort and, by many estimates, caused over 500 deaths in three days. The overwhelming majority of these deaths occurred in buildings with indoor conditions that were reported as stifling. [continue reading]
Is My Home's Energy Use Average?
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Many of us have heard this question after reviewing a household's utility bills. [continue reading]
What's So Great About Moving Heat?
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There are several articles in this issue about heat pumps-both air source and ground source. Heat pumps are attractive because they extract heat from otherwise unavailable sources and move it to useful places, like inside homes and water heaters. [continue reading]
Carrying the Torch for Energy-Efficient Lighting
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About every two years, I write an editorial about lighting. [continue reading]
January/February 2010: LEDs: Avoiding the CFL Debacle
Alan Meier
The lighting efficacies of LEDs have been rising steadily and are poised to overtake CFLs. Fluorescents and CFLs still outshine LEDs with respect to general applications and cost of light, but LEDs are already superior for some niche applications and offer many new exciting illumination opportunities. Now we need to ensure that the reputation of this new energysaving lighting source won’t be undermined by a tidal wave of shoddy products. Tests for quality, ... [continue reading]
March/April 2010 Editorial: Home Energy Monitors
Alan Meier
Home Energy Monitors, that is, devices that display a home’s energy consumption have been touted as Silicon Valley’s contribution to the national energy conservation effort. A Home Energy Monitor (or HEM) constantly informs the occupants of their home’s electricity and gas consumption, along with conversions to monthly costs and comparisons with previous periods. Some models can (or will) communicate with heating and air conditioning systems. These devices will enable ... [continue reading]
May/June 2010 Editorial: Targeting the High Users
Alan Meier
Photo by Jovan Peric - Fotolia.com Homes with high energy consumption are likely to provide us more opportunities to save energy. If that’s true, then why don’t we see more programs and businesses geared toward the high users? [continue reading]
July/August 2010 Editorial: A Cottage Industry with High Electricity Use
Alan Meier
Can growing marijuana change the way homes use electricity? In rural Humboldt County, in far-northern California, there’s no doubt that it can. Figure 1 tracks average monthly residential electricity use in Humboldt County and in California. Until the mid-1990s, these two values were almost identical. But after 1996, Humboldt County’s electricity use suddenly turned upward. What happened? In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 215, which legalized the medical use of marijuana. In practice, Proposition 215 ... [continue reading]
November/December 2010 Editorial: Restoring Credibility in the Efficiency Marketplace
Alan Meier
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and nowhere is this adage truer than with the assurance of a manufacturer’s compliance with energy efficiency standards and endorsement programs. If any link is broken in this process, then it is impossible to “haul up” those energy savings for the consumer. The Department of Energy (DOE) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are finally taking actions to repair some of the ... [continue reading]
March/April 2011 Editorial: The Making of an Industry at ACI
Alan Meier
Sometimes it’s only possible to recognize progress by turning around and seeing how far you’ve traveled since the journey began. That’s certainly the case for the energy-conservation industry. Gradually an industry devoted to improving home performance is taking shape. The number of technologies, techniques, and tools dedicated to reducing energy use, improving comfort, and fixing building defects continues to grow. [continue reading]
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