The Building Technologies Office announced it is investing up to $19.5 million in 19 projects that will drive innovation in early-stage research and development for advanced building technologies and systems that will serve as a foundation for future technological developments and reductions in building energy consumption. These technologies will improve the efficiency of our nation’s buildings and will help American consumers and businesses save energy and money on their utility bills.
“Technological innovations enable energy-efficiency advances in the buildings sector, providing a tremendous opportunity to reduce energy waste and costs – boosting the competitiveness of U.S. companies and easing energy bills for American families,” said David Nemtzow, director of the Building Technologies Office. “As buildings account for 40% of the energy consumption in the United States, these efficiency innovations allow us to further improve upon past progress.”
Read More (Energy.gov)
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR News) – For 2019, Appalachian Power has several new programs to provide residential and business customers a chance to save money, energy, and make their homes and businesses more energy efficient.
“We’re excited to bring new options that will bring more energy savings to our customers,” said Don Nichols, manager of Appalachian Power’s TakeCharge energy efficiency programs in Virginia.
Read More (Virginia First)
ACEEE hopes your holidays were warm and bright—but let’s be real, for those in colder climates, the first months of the new year can be notoriously chilly. Plus, the great weakening of the Polar Vortex(link is external)means cold air will likely stick around.
So let’s talk about heating. Heating your home is an incredibly energy consuming task, and typically makes up around 35%-50% of your utility bill. Fortunately, there’s a lot that you can to do save energy and money while maximizing coziness. From five-minute fixes to easy DIY projects, here’s a list of ways to stay a little warmer and save some money as you begin the new year.
Read more (ACEEE)
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jack Reed (D-RI) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to encourage state-driven energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives that reduce energy costs for low-income households, spur private sector energy innovation and improve emergency planning and response. The Investing in State Energy Act would prevent undue delay in distributing grants through the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and the State Energy Program (SEP) to state agencies and local partners that implement energy initiatives.
Just last month, Shaheen led a bipartisan letter with Senators Collins, Coons, Reed, Murkowski and Cantwell to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry regarding delayed guidance and documentation for the WAP. Their letter was in response to the Department of Energy (DOE) missing an important deadline to deliver information concerning state allocations to WAP grantees. Because of the Senators’ efforts, this guidance was later released to allow states to plan for the upcoming year.
Read More (Shaheen Senate)
An EPFL researcher has developed a system based on fuel cells to reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption of cruise ships, which are increasingly popular among vacation goers around the world.
Spending a few weeks sailing the seas on a luxury liner is an idea that appeals to a growing number of people, particularly in Asian countries. But cruise ships do not just sail from port to port: as veritable floating hotels accommodating several hundred passengers, they use a great deal of energy for heating, electricity, air conditioning and various other aspects of life on board. To make them more environmentally friendly, Francesco Baldi, a researcher in EPFL’s Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering Group (IPESE), has come up with a novel solution.
Read More (Phys)
World-famous organizing expert Marie Kondo and her new Netflix show “Tidying Up” have inspired many to declutter their homes and lives. But tidying up doesn’t just apply to your clothes and belongings. While Kondo provides advice on straightening out your room, here are some tips on how to tidy up your energy use:
- Change out your lightbulbs. LED lights use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last 25 times longer! If you’ve still got incandescent bulbs in your home, it’s time to do as Marie would: thank them for their service and let them go.
Read More (ASE)
Launched in 2004, Great Energy Efficiency Day (GEED) has become a “must attend” public discussion on the need for, and benefits of, energy efficiency. Each year the event draws stakeholders from business, industry, government and academia to offer their unique industry perspectives.
Directly following GEED, they’ll host the Unsung Hero Awards Reception where they’ll honor the public servants working hard behind the scenes to advance energy efficiency. Stay tuned for more information and a full agenda. Contact MaryAnne Tatum for any questions.
Read More (ASE)
ACEEE has reviewed exemplary customer-funded electric and natural gas utility programs every five years since 2003. For this edition of the report, they solicited nominations nationally and analyzed them in collaboration with an independent expert advisory panel. They ultimately selected 53 models worthy of emulation in 14 categories. A two-page profile of each exemplary program includes a program-at-a-glance table, features and accomplishments, lessons learned, and a table of performance data.
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The long search for a new judge on the State Corporation Commission ended with the surprise election on Wednesday of a Republican former judge whose candidacy started a partisan battle over public transparency and gender in a critical election year.
Republican majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly elected former Judge Patricia West — a conservative Regent University official and former key aide to Gov. George Allen and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli — to fill the SCC post vacated by the retirement of Judge Jimmy Dimitri at the end of February.
West, 57, will become the third judge on an independent commission established in the Virginia Constitution to oversee public utilities, banks and insurance companies. The SCC is now under increasing pressure from the General Assembly to carry out its priorities for regulating electric utilities and expanding use of renewable energy.
Read More (Richmond Times Dispatch)
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Senator Schumer, and Leader McCarthy:
We the undersigned, on behalf of a coalition of energy businesses, trade associations, researchers, energy officials, and advocacy organizations, respectfully urge you to ensure that any infrastructure proposals considered by the 116th Congress include energy efficiency provisions that will maximize the investments made by taxpayers, reduce long-term operations and maintenance costs, and improve overall U.S. energy productivity.
Read More (ASE)
