Electrification is gaining a lot of attention as efforts mount to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and address climate change. ACEEE sees an important role for energy efficiency in these efforts. In fact, we see beneficial electrification – that which reduces total energy, costs, and emissions – as a form of energy efficiency. It can complement traditional efficiency approaches, and together, they can help meet energy, GHG, and economic goals.

With this in mind, I’ve looked at three recent studies on electrification’s potential impacts on the electric grid and the demand for natural gas. Taken together, these studies indicate that beneficial electrification will likely increase electricity sales (perhaps substantially), affect peak demand (winter peaks in some regions), decrease use of fossil fuels by end-users, and possibly increase use of natural gas for electric generation. However, none of these studies seems to include substantial efforts to use energy efficiency to reduce energy demand. Such efforts could reduce the costs and grid impacts of electrification.

Read More

(American Council For an Energy Efficient Economy)

The Energy Department is asking whether the energy usage of internet-connected home appliances, such as Samsung Family Hub refrigerators that can report the weather and play music, should be regulated.

The department is requesting public feedback on how it should approach regulating the energy efficiency of home appliances such as refrigerators, televisions, dishwashers, and clothing washers and dryers that are wifi-connected.

Energy efficiency advocates welcomed the agency assessing how it handles the growing field of appliances that are internet connected. But appliance manufacturer groups advised that DOE not to issue new regulations that could stifle innovation in the home appliance space.

Read More

(Bloomberg Environment)

From more frequent and intense natural disasters to growing electricity demand and costs, climate-related challenges are on the rise for everyone. Meeting these extraordinary challenges head-on requires an all-hands-on-deck effort to transform our energy future and lower dependence on fossil fuels. At the heart of this challenge lies an opportunity to improve the places where most people spend 90 percent of our time—our buildings.

In the United States, buildings consume more energy than most countries do as a whole. Powering, heating, and cooling our businesses and homes accounts for 40 percent of all energy use and a similar percent of greenhouse gas emissions. In some cities, buildings account for over 70 percent of carbon emissions. These facts make it easy to see why the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals includes an ambitious target of doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.

Read More

(Alliance to Save Energy)

Every workday, 2.25 million American energy efficiency professionals are on the job. Many install insulation and advanced building controls and improve HVAC systems. Their work isn’t always recognized, but I strongly believe that it should be! For starters, energy efficiency (EE) cuts waste and costs while improving health and comfort.

Our new report, Energy Efficiency Jobs in America, offers insights about EE companies and workers. I was surprised to learn that although only six percent of the U.S. workforce are veterans, eleven percent of energy efficiency workers are veterans

(Read more) E4TheFuture

The start of football season is a great time to acknowledge the sports complexes that are excelling in energy efficiency. Check out these five sport venues that are taking “save energy and save money” to the next level by optimizing energy use before, during, and after each game.

1. Philadelphia Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field (a.k.a. The Linc). In 2003, the Eagles launched their Go Green program and since then has been awarded LEED Silver Certification from the US Green Building Council. By retrofitting the complex with energy-saving lighting, the Eagles have thus far saved up to five years in electric costs. The building’s installed automated lighting saves over $50,000 a year through shutdowns when a room is not in use.

2. Miami Heat’s American Airlines Arena. The Heat has taken huge strides toward energy efficiency by lowering its energy consumption by 53 percent while at the same time saving $1.6 million each year.

(Read more) Energy Efficiency Day

The non-profit E4TheFuture has just released a report that says energy efficiency employs 2.25 million Americans, and puts Virginia in the top ten.

There has been a dramatic increase in energy efficiency jobs in Virginia since last census in 2013. “Energy efficiency grew from a $300 million industry in 2013 to a $1.5 billion industry in 2016,” said Chelsea Harnish, Executive Director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council that promotes and lobbies for the industry.

“Just this year, the General Assembly passed a bill that commits the electric utilities in Virginia to spend over a billion dollars on efficiency programs for consumers over the next decade,” said Harnish.

E4 says Virginia has over 76,000 people in construction, installing energy-saving windows and doors, air conditioning, insulation, lighting and manufacturing appliances.

Listen to the interview here (NPR: Community Idea Stations)

News flash! The U.S. energy efficiency industry is becoming known as a jobs powerhouse. Why? Because it now supports a workforce of 2.25 million and continues to increase. I feel honored to spread this good news that buoys us beyond politics to unite a focus on the positive.

Our new report, Energy Efficiency Jobs in America, articulates the scale and scope of jobs across the country, with details for all 50 states. Energy efficiency (EE) is the largest sector in the U.S. clean energy economy.

You may ask, “What is an EE job?” According to Energy Efficiency Jobs in America, EE jobs are the delivery of goods and services that lower energy use by improving technologies, appliances, buildings, and energy systems.

(Read more) E4TheFuture

If your community recently experienced a historic heatwave, you’ve probably come to appreciate air conditioning (AC) units in a way you didn’t before. We often overlook the importance of everyday home appliances and how critical they are in making our lives more comfortable. Yet AC units–and other common office and household appliances such as refrigerators, clothes washers, and heat pumps–do more than just help us live comfortable lives.

Thanks to national standards that require appliances and equipment to be more energy efficient, your AC and other appliances also spur economic growth and create jobs. According to a new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), national appliance standards created or sustained nearly 300,000 jobs in 2016 and are projected to support 553,000 jobs by 2030.

(Read more) Energy Efficiency Day

Southern Company and its Alabama Power subsidiary are proactively simulating what one possible future may hold for energy providers and their customers with the first-of-its-kind Smart Neighborhood^TM. In a rapidly changing energy landscape, this initiative will help Southern Company adapt and continue providing clean, safe, reliable, affordable energy to the customers and communities we serve.

Nestled in suburban Birmingham, Alabama, the Smart Neighborhood consists of 62 high-performance homes equipped with smart technologies and powered by a community-scale microgrid, made up of solar panels, battery storage and a natural gas generator. These pieces have been integrated into one initiative which will enable Southern Company to better understand the impact of high-performance construction standards and advanced customer technologies to our core mission.

When it comes to developing high-performance homes, there are two main building blocks that need to be considered: 1) the building envelope (or shell) and 2) the equipment inside of it. For the Alabama Power Smart Neighborhood each home features both components.

Read more (Alliance to Save Energy)