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"Green Button" Project is a Breath of Fresh Air
Philip Henderson
My electricity bill looks like it was designed to confuse customers. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in feeling this way. Fees with seven decimal places, a "multiplier," distribution, transmission, generation charges, a single "kwh" usage amount. My home address is listed in four seperate places. There are TEN different phone numbers listed (yes, 10). The only aspect of my electricity usage that is clear is the amount I owe for it. [continue reading]
Opportunities for Energy Innovators
Elisa Wood
For a long time, "clean" and "green" marked the forward trend in the energy industry. Then came the quest for "smart" energy. And now "innovation" is the buzzword. [continue reading]
Seeking Warmth in Maine - A Community Reaches Out
Macie Melendez
On Friday, The New York Times published an article titled "In Fuel Oil Country, Cold That Cuts to the Heart." The article, about the Hartford's, an elderly couple in Maine who can't afford to pay for the oil needed to heat their (rather leaky) home, is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. [continue reading]
I’ll Take “Home Energy is making me smarter” for $1,600
Macie Melendez
It was during a Double Jeopardy round a couple of weeks ago that I actually realized how much I’ve learned in my Assistant Editor role here at Home Energy. As one (actual) contestant asked for the $1,600 clue under the Architecture category, I waited at home, on my couch, to shout the answer. [continue reading]
Building Reuse Trumps Demolition
Macie Melendez
A recent report produced by the Preservation Green Lab of the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the potential environmental benefit of building reuse. This study, The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse, concludes that, "when comparing buildings of equivalent size and function, building reuse almost always offers environmental savings over demolition and new construction." [continue reading]
A New Track For Clean Air Compliance
Macie Melendez
As mandated under the Clean Air Act, a suite of upcoming air regulations will soon impose limits on the emissions of multiple air pollutants. A new report done by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) reveals how energy efficiency can be used by states, policymakers, and utilities developing compliance strategies to meet the goals of federal air regulations. The report, “Energy Efficiency: The Slip Switch to a New Track Toward Compliance with ... [continue reading]
Three Jokers in The Energy Deck
Elisa Wood
A recent report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) suggests the possibility. Re-invented with today’s smart energy technologies, energy efficiency could displace 40 to 60 percent of our total energy needs by the year 2050, according to The Long-Term Energy Efficiency Potential: What the Evidence Suggests. [continue reading]
California Program Would Help Homeowners Increase Energy Efficiency, Buy Solar Panels at No Upfront Cost
Brad Copithorne
Last week, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) released a proposal by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) that, if adopted, would create the nation’s first statewide on-bill repayment (OBR) program for energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to be financed entirely by third parties. [continue reading]
Big Energy Savings from Battery-Powered Products
Pierre Delforge
By a 3-0 vote at the end of last week, the California Energy Commission adopted a minimum energy efficiency standard for battery chargers, making California the first state in the nation to do so. [continue reading]
The Passive House Revolution
Charlie Hoxie
In the U.S., green building can mean a lot of things — recycled greywater, roof gardens, solar panels and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification all come to mind. But in Europe, many green builders focus laser-like on the amount of energy a building consumes, half of which typically comes from heating and cooling. Twenty years ago, German physicists erected a home that demonstrated ... [continue reading]
