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Redefining the Term "Mobile Home"
Jim Gunshinan
The most energy efficient home is one that's already built. Keeping a home out of a landfill saves all the materials in the house, as well as all the energy used to create the materials—the building's embodied energy. And historic homes preserve a slice of culture that would otherwise be lost forever. And what's better than keeping one 100-year-old house out of the landfill? Keeping two 100-year-old houses out of the landfill. [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]
New Label for Things Made from Wind Energy
Jim Gunshinan
I am composing this blog post on a computer that was likely assembled in a factory that runs on electricity made from coal. The aluminum for the case and other parts of the computer probably came from a smelter powered by natural gas. The electricity powering the computer here in California could come from a combination of natural gas, from hydropower, wind power, or a solar thermal plant that uses the Sun’s energy ... [continue reading]
ACI's Energy Upgrade California
Steve Mann
ACI's Energy Upgrade California, held January 10-11 in Los Angeles, presented a pretty good picture of how the Energy Upgrade California program will roll out across California. Currently an investor-owned utility (IOU) pilot program, it offers modest rebates for whole house improvements. There are a variety of rules and regulations, and paperwork, and processes that were all laid out pretty clearly at the conference. In addition, the local municipalities talked about their related programs and ... [continue reading]
Say Goodbye to a Lightbulb We All Know and Love
Jim Gunshinan
You know which light bulb I mean. It is the one you burned your hands on when trying to unscrew it too soon after it’s been turned off. It’s the one you put in the lamp in your living room to read by in your comfortable chair; the one you use to light the stairways at night. It’s the 100-watt incandescent that uses practically the same technology put together ... [continue reading]
ACEE Reports on Extension and Modification of Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives
Leslie Jackson
ACEEE wrote to us in December about the tax package that had just passed the Senate and was likely to pass the House of Representatives: It includes extensions and revisions to three existing federal energy efficiency tax incentives: for appliances, a one-year extension; for new homes, coverage for 2010 and 2011; and for home retrofits, one year with modifications. Under the pending bill, the appliance credit is extended for one year, and efficiency criteria and incentives have ... [continue reading]
Why We Save: When the Cost of Energy Hits Home
Tom White
As we work to save energy, one of our goals is to save dollars for consumers. But there are other costs that energy professionals can minimize as well, for example, obtaining and transporting energy and building materials. Knowing that we are helping to minimize these 'external' costs will renew our motivation to save energy, and hopefully inspire home energy users to save as well. 'External' costs include the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill; U.S ... [continue reading]
Through prediction or performance, how do we meet our energy challenges?
Jim Gunshinan
Henry Gifford, a mechanical systems designer and principal at Gifford Fuel Savings, Inc. in New York City, is suing the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for millions of dollars. Gifford, in the class action suit, claims that the USGBC has committed fraud in the selling of its Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED) program, and has unfairly kept work away from people like him who are not involved in the program. (Photo of Henry ... [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]
Democrats More Prone to Guilt
Jim Gunshinan
In general Democrats are more sensitive to the negative effect of their actions on others. That is one conclusion of a study done by Cornell University researchers, who shared their findings at the Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change Conference (BECC) now taking place in Sacramento. Cornell Economist Benjamin Ho explained that an extensive human behavior study showed that Democrats are more likely to respond to television commercials and other media used to get a person ... [continue reading]
