Investments in energy efficiency can involve substantial up-front costs, but they can also pay for themselves several times over. In some cases, they can confer additional benefits that exceed savings from reduced energy use. Honeywell recently completed a $2 million Smart Building retrofit project at the Spring Creek Towers complex in Brooklyn, New York. The… Keep reading →
Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington is home to great basketball, and also to the prodigal son, now a history professor, and dear old friends, John and Carole Clark. IU is a 650-mile drive from Bethesda, Maryland, mostly on Interstate 70 – that’s one long day on the road each way, or maybe a more civilized… Keep reading →
by Pete Danko Fuel cells are not a renewable energy source, of course, although they can be tied to renewable energy. But even using fossil fuels their ability to produce electricity through an electrochemical process – instead of combustion – can make them flexible, relatively clean and efficient energy producers. And quiet, too, the U.S.… Keep reading →
Determining the value of a Nest thermostat appears straightforward – compare the costs of purchase and installation with the total energy cost savings gain. However, this equation doesn’t account for an increasingly popular and potentially disruptive business model: the bundled energy efficiency/electricity supply contract. About the Nest Thermostat The Nest thermostat is the most publicized hardware… Keep reading →
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab designed a way to dynamically control light and heat transfer through windows, which can save heating/cooling and lighting costs by reducing the amount of energy needed to perform those functions. The technology works by embedding nanocrystals – invisible to the naked eye – within the glass that can… Keep reading →
The damage already done will take its toll US Department of Energy (DOE), like energy bureaucracies elsewhere, prefers to avoid unpleasant subjects whenever possible. But occasionally, the bad news cannot be avoided. A report released by the DOE in July 2013 warns that the nation’s entire energy system is vulnerable to increasingly severe and costly… Keep reading →
How green is your college or University? The Sierra Club’s magazine “Sierra” just released its ranking of US schools based on metrics including energy efficiency, total energy consumption, sustainability-related curriculum and many more. “By showing such strong leadership on so many fronts – from energy use and transportation to the courses they offer – the… Keep reading →
It’s an old adage in the energy business that forecasts are always wrong and miscalculations regarding US gasoline demand growth and advanced biofuel supply growth led to a regulatory regime that is increasingly becoming untenable. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week issued its 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) final rule. This year’s volumetric requirement… Keep reading →
As consensus builds around climate change, with new evidence seeming to emerge daily, many questions remain about the degree to which human activity contributes, the rate at which carbon dioxide levels are increasing, the severity of and speed at which the changing climate will impact modern society. New research into the planet’s most recent warming… Keep reading →
America currently uses more air conditioning than the rest of the world combined. That could change. Stephen Lacey: August 13, 2013 America used to be the king of car sales, but China took that crown in 2009. America also used to be the world’s biggest polluter, but China now has that dubious distinction… Keep reading →
