Efficiency Retrofits Save $4.3M Over 1 Year

Posted: July 21, 2014
Source: Environmental Leader.com

Efficiency retrofits of 236 properties showed a combined water and energy savings of $4.3 million over a one-year period, according to research by Bright Power and the Stewards of Affordable Housing.

Although retrofitting commercial buildings has previously been shown to be profitable, convincing affected parties of the value of multifamily retrofits has been difficult.

The research focused on two programs – HUD’s nationwide Green Retrofit Program and the Energy Savers program offered by Illinois’ Elevate Energy and the Community Investment Corporation. One year of pre- and post-retrofit utility bills were collected for 236 properties and analyzed.

Both programs showed significant water, energy and cost savings.
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Report: Vampire equipment sucking power and draining wallets

Posted on July 2, 2014
Source: Fuel Fix.com

WASHINGTON — The price people pay for always-on, around-the-clock Internet connections with modems, cell phones and laptops may be higher than they think.

According to a new report from the International Energy Agency, all of those networked electronic devices are sucking up a whole lot of electricity — mostly just to maintain their Internet connections — generating $80 billion worth of wasted power in 2013.

For the average household, the bill runs to “many tens of dollars per year, per device,” said Maria van der Hoeven, executive director of the Paris-based IEA. “This may not sound like much, but in 2013, the cumulative impact of 14 billion such devices was … unnecessary operation of over 130 mid-sized coal plants producing around 400 terawatt hours of electricity and all the pollution and carbon emissions that goes with it.”

Power vampires: Household items draining power
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Vampires at home? Household items draining energy

Posted: June 20, 2014
Source: Fuel Fix.com by: R.A. Dyer

Experts at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory have analyzed the consumption of "standby" power by many common household items.

Not using that coffee maker? Turn it off and unplug it. The same goes for your computer and your fax machine.

Like vampires, household appliances quietly suck up electricity while you sleep and while you’re away at work. This is true even if you’ve completely shut down the item, but still have it plugged into a wall outlet. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California tells us that between 5 and 10 percent of all the electricity consumed by residential users comes from devices not in use.

The Texas Coalition for Affordable Power has analyzed data provided by the Berkeley Lab to get a sense as to how much these vampire devices are costing you. We’ve found that idled laser printers and similar multi-use devices may put you out $50 to $130 a year. Digital cable boxes also are big energy hogs.
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Energy Department Announces New Energy Efficiency Financing Publication Available through SEE Action Network

Posted: June 9, 2014
Source: Dept. of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action), a state- and local-led effort facilitated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to achieve all cost effective energy efficiency, recently published a new report that provides an overview of the current state of on-bill lending programs with actionable insights for consideration by state policymakers, utility regulators and program administrators. States and utilities are increasingly turning to on-bill financing to stretch their limited efficiency program dollars and encourage the uptake of energy improvements in residential and non-residential properties.

Entitled “Financing Energy Improvements on Utility Bills: Market Updates and Key Program Design Considerations for Policymakers and Administrators” and authored by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the report describes the historical evolution of on-bill programs and draws on data collected from 30 on-bill programs (13 in-depth case studies) to review and analyze key trends, including their geographic reach, loan volumes and loan performance.
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MGM Resorts International Joins U.S. Energy Department’s Better Buildings Challenge

Posted: May 29, 2014
Source: Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire (CSRWire.com)

Company cited as the first corporation in the entertainment, gaming and hospitality industry to join

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) has announced that it is joining the U.S. Energy Department’s Better Buildings Challenge, a national pledge calling for organizations to voluntarily reduce their building portfolio energy use by 20 percent in ten years.

“Innovating our resorts to operate more efficiently while also offering a remarkable guest experience, is a top priority for our company,” said Cindy Ortega, Chief Sustainability Officer of MGM Resorts International. “Joining the Better Buildings Challenge is another step in our promise to guests, employees and our surrounding communities to employ sustainable best practices at all of our resort destinations.”

Launched in 2011 by President Obama, the Better Buildings Challenge supports the President’s broader goal of doubling American energy productivity by 2030 while motivating corporate and public sector partners across the country to save energy through commitments and investments. In the past year, the initiative has recorded more than 190 participating organizations, including: local governments, school districts, universities, and commercial real estate, healthcare and manufacturing companies.

MGM Resort is the first company in the entertainment, gaming and hospitality industry to join the Better Buildings Challenge. Continue reading MGM Resorts International Joins U.S. Energy Department’s Better Buildings Challenge

EPA Adds Clothes Dryers to Energy Star Program, Increasing Energy Efficiency of New Appliances

WASHINGTON –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the first-ever Energy Star label for clothes dryers. If all residential clothes dryers sold in the U.S. meet these new requirements, the utility cost savings will grow to more than $1.5 billion each year and more than 22 billion pounds of annual greenhouse gas emissions would be prevented. Informed by extensive input from manufacturers, retailers, the U.S. Department of Energy and environmental groups, the new specifications will recognize a selection of highly efficient electric, gas, and compact dryers that will use approximately 20% less energy than what is required by the minimum efficiency standards effective in 2015. In 2013 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved $30 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those of 38 million homes.

“The addition of clothes dryers expands the range of Energy Star products to include one of the most energy-intensive home appliance not yet covered by the program,” said U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Working with industry on innovative approaches to address our changing climate, we are helping consumers select more energy efficient appliances, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.“
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Fluorescent Tubes: DOE Requires Better Energy Efficiency

Posted: April 15, 2014
Source: Energy Manager Today.com

The Department of Energy issued a pre-publication notice of proposed rulemaking regarding energy conservation standards for general service fluorescent lamps and incandescent reflector lamps.  The tube-shaped fluorescent lamps covered by the ruling consume almost five percent of all national electricity consumption, according to a blog posting on the Natural Resources Defense Council.

NRDC applauds the new rules for fluorescent tubes but is less pleased with the rules covering incandescent reflector lamps, the bulbs that go into recessed cans and flood lights.

“Unfortunately DOE was prohibited from setting standards for a large portion of this market due to a funding prohibition caused by a Congressional rider,” according to NRDC.

Study looks at wood pellets as potential source of jobs, energy savings

Posted: April 7, 2014
Source: LaCrosse Tribune.com

The Coulee Region could save millions of dollars a year in energy costs, create more than a hundred jobs and slash carbon dioxide emissions by creating a market for wood pellet fuel, according to a new study.

Commissioned by the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission, the study grew out of meetings in the Kickapoo River Valley after the floods of 2007 and 2008, where discussions focused on how to create a more resilient economy, said Greg Flogstad, director of the planning commission.

The area is dependent primarily on agriculture and tourism, but lacks a third “leg” for the stool.

“There wasn’t much being done with forest wood products,” Flogstad said.

Funded by $52,000 in grants from the federal Department of Commerce and the Wisconsin Department of Administration, the report is designed to outline a model of economic development
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