Category: The Energy Entry

Source: Energy Manager Today.com

Commercial buildings account for more than 40 percent of all energy used in the US.  Of this, somewhere between 15 and 30 percent is wasted. Cost and energy savings do not have to equate with large capital investments; they can come from better operation of building systems.

Using utility interval data with high frequency weather and climate data, we’ve conducted remote building energy assessments of hundreds of buildings here at FirstFuel. The findings show us that building age is not a proxy for building performance, nor are just the physical assets. We have seen buildings constructed in the 1960′s that perform significantly better than newly constructed LEED buildings. New technology is not enough to minimize energy expenses – buildings also need to be properly operated.

Here are the top three operational saving opportunities we have identified in performing our rapid building assessment. These are no-cost opportunities that save money and energy immediately – and often provide more comfort for building users.
Continue reading How Small Operational Changes Can Save Energy and Money in Your Building

Source: Written by Chris Ciarlo, KTVN News

The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project is a public interest organization focused on promoting and advancing energy efficiency in the southwest, including here in the Silver State.

They looked at the utility energy efficiency program “Best Practices” and then calculated how much money Nevada would save and how many jobs would be created, if most of us made a few changes to how we use energy.

“$3.4 billion of net savings and at the same time support 4,700 new jobs in the state.”
Continue reading Key to Job Creation Could Be Found in Energy

Source: The Exploratorium at Pier 15/17

Our new campus on San Francisco’s Embarcadero encompasses two historic waterfront structures: Pier 17, built in 1912, and Pier 15, built in 1915, with a major renovation in 1931. We are not replacing these landmark buildings, but bringing them to life once again.

We began that transformation at Pier 15, which will open to the public in spring 2013. Development of Pier 17 will follow, allowing space for future growth. The one new structure on the site—the glass-and-steel Bay Observatory—will provide a transparent lens on the waterfront, offering a contemporary counterpoint to the historic surroundings.

When we’re done, our aim is to have a LEED Gold, net-zero-energy facility with features that push the envelope of green technology and environmental awareness.

Source: Rocky Mountain Institute Outlet

In the 1933 movie King Kong, the Empire State Building sets the backdrop for the ape’s climactic defeat. Throughout decades of art and culture, America’s favorite building has hosted tragedy and inspired grand solutions. The building magnifies our indomitable spirit and aspirations that carry America forward.

Delve into the past — and the ideas that emerge are powerful.

Built during the Great Depression, the Empire State Building changed the course of real estate development in Manhattan, and it is poised to do so again. In a time of global warming and lackluster economics, is the “world’s most famous office building” leading us again to a more inspired way forward?
Continue reading Building Inspiration Through an Iconic Retrofit

Source: David Roberts, Grist.com

The installed cost for residential solar power systems in Germany — that is, installations of up to 10 kW — is considerably less than in the U.S. Why? That’s the subject of a fascinating analysis [PDF] from sharp minds at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The researchers conducted a survey of German solar installers and reviewed public and private consultant data to get a handle on the German market. The answers they found aren’t as obvious as you might think.

For one thing, it isn’t mainly about the hardware, or the panels themselves. Those costs are comparable. The difference comes almost entirely in “soft costs” — customer acquisition, labor, interconnection to the grid, and the like. Long story short, when it comes to residential solar, in the U.S. it costs a little bit more to do … just about everything.

Let’s look at some graphs! (All these graphs come from the paper — you can find sources documented there.)
Continue reading Why is rooftop solar cheaper in Germany than in the U.S.?

Source: Huffington Post Green.com

A recent Symphony of Science video titled “Our Biggest Challenge” uses musical creativity to shed light on the seriousness of climate change — all while featuring the expert minds of Bill Nye, Isaac Asimov, David Attenborough, and Richard Alley.

The Symphony of Science remix series was created by artist John D. Boswell, known as melodysheep on YouTube. He describes this latest video as “a musical investigation into the causes and effects of global climate change and our opportunities to use science to offset it.”

In the mash-up music video, Nye croons, “We can change the world.”

Check out this inspiring Symphony of Science video at Huffington Post Green.

Source: Blomberg.com

It finally seems to be dawning on many Americans that there’s something to this climate change thing. The historic drought has been hard to ignore. While belief in a long-term trend because it’s hot out right now is a bit ridiculous, it’s a start.

You can see a shift in how the media covers weather. The statement “because of climate change…” is often stated clearly without caveats such as, “what some scientists think may be a warming planet.” You see it in the UN calling for action to help the hungry cope with rising food prices “in an age of increasing population, demand and climate change.”

And you see it in the growing number of mega-corporations — including America’s Alcoa, Coca-Cola, Cisco, HP, J&J, Nike, and P&G — signing on to the “2 Degree Challenge Communiqué,” a call for the world’s governments to take strong action to slow greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change is basically accepted as fact the world over. But you wouldn’t know it watching our political conventions (or at least one of them). So while the world seems to be waking up to a fundamental, existential threat to our species (and not to “the planet,” which will be fine with or without us), the US policy debate remains mostly deaf, dumb, and blind.
Continue reading Politicians Who Deny Climate Change Cannot Be Pro-Business