Nearly two-thirds of behavior-based programs for saving energy involve in-person contact with residents, such as home energy audits, according to a new survey of 50 such programs nationwide. As energy efficiency programs increasingly target behavior, local governments are taking diverse approaches.
Our new report, Reducing Energy Waste through Municipally Led Behavior Change Programs, shows that the majority of locally led programs use more than one behavior change strategy. It finds that more than half include a competition, game, or educational component.
Read more (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)
The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping which means… winter is coming! If only putting on that ugly holiday sweater and thinking about chestnuts roasting on an open fire could keep us warm all season long. Unfortunately, colder temperatures also mean rising utility costs in much of the country. Home heating is the largest energy expense in the average U.S. home, accounting for 45 percent of energy bills. While updating your home heating system can make a big difference, taking smaller steps to improve efficiency first can keep you warmer this winter with a modest investment that will pay off in bill savings.
Read More (Alliance to Save Energy)
Air pollution takes the lives of more than 500 Americans every day – far more than homicides and car crashes put together. It’s an environmental hazard globally, contributing to climate change and damaging local environments.
A significant portion of air pollution in the United States comes from vehicles. That pollution makes the impact of transportation energy waste tangible: where transportation is inefficient, we are causing great harm that can be mitigated, or avoided entirely. Federal policies aimed at making transportation more energy-efficient have been a key tool in the battle against air pollution to protect both human health and the environment – and need to be protected and expanded.
Read more (Alliance to Save Energy)
Mike Zelkind stands at one end of what was once a shipping container and opens the door to the future.
Thousands of young collard greens are growing vigorously under a glow of pink-purple lamps in a scene that seems to have come from a sci-fi movie, or at least a NASA experiment. But Zelkind is at the helm of an earthbound enterprise. He is chief executive of 80 Acres Farms, with a plant factory in an uptown Cincinnati neighborhood where warehouses sit cheek by jowl with detached houses.
Since plants emerged on Earth, they have relied on the light of the sun to feed and grow through the process of photosynthesis.
Read more (The Washington Post)
This year, Americans experienced the fourth hottest summer on record, preceded by a winter of record-breaking lows. As the winter season approaches, extreme temperature patterns serve as a reminder that home energy use isn’t just a matter of comfort, but also one of health and wellness. Yet, a recent posting from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that a significant portion of American struggle to pay for energy.
According to EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 31 percent of U.S. households face challenges when paying energy bills or adequately heating or cooling their homes. One in five households forgo necessities like food and medicine in order to pay energy bills, forcing difficult tradeo-ffs that impact well-being. These energy insecure households are also more likely to earn less than $20,000 annually and be African-American or Latino. Whereas the median U.S. energy burden is 3.5 percent of a household’s income, low-income households experience a median energy burden of 7.2 percent.
Read more (Alliance to Save energy)
When you reach for that candy bar this Halloween, don’t just count calories—count kilowatt-hours. Big candy manufacturers use a lot of energy to feed our sugar addiction, especially this time of year. The average American consumes about 22 pounds of candy per year, which is the weight of roughly 2,200 Hershey’s kisses.
That’s a lot of candy. “[We’re] good at making chocolate…but we’re not an expert in producing power,” says Winston Chen, the renewable energy manager for Mars Incorporated.
Thanks to energy efficiency, Mars soon won’t need to use as much power. As concerns about energy consumption, water depletion, and climate change rise, your favorite candy companies are taking energy-saving steps to improve their business models and meet their sustainability goals.
(Read more) American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Transportation in the U.S. is in the midst of a revolution.
The steadily increasing number of electric vehicles available provide cleaner options with lower operating costs. Autonomous vehicles, when they arrive, will undoubtedly reshape our daily routines. And ride-hailing and transit payment apps will continue to influence how many people interact with the transportation system. All of these technologies need to evolve in concert.
This transformation, if done well, offers a unique chance to move people and goods more conveniently and economically while reducing the significant energy consumption and emissions from the transportation sector.
Read more (Real Clear Energy)
Zero energy building codes are making inroads in Oregon, California, British Columbia, and other places, but a new ACEEE white paper reveals that they still face barriers to nationwide success, including a “solar-only” mentality.
From coast to coast, there’s considerable momentum for zero energy buildings, or ZEBs, which produce at least as much energy as they use over the course of a year. To make a building zero energy, designers first minimize the building’s energy use with high-efficiency walls, windows, HVAC equipment, and energy management systems. The remaining load is met with on-site renewable energy, typically solar photovoltaic panels.
Read more (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)
Dominion Energy Share program benefits low-income residents
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Energy efficiency upgrades that cut costs for low-income Virginia residents were on display today at a tour of an affordable housing complex in northern Virginia. Held in recognition of National Energy Efficiency Month, the walk-through gave state Senator Richard “Dick” Saslaw and other Virginia officials a chance to see, first-hand, the direct benefits of efficiency programs expanded under the recently passed Grid Transformation and Security Act.
“It’s not often you can see such concrete, positive results of recent legislation with your own eyes,” said Chelsea Harnish, Executive Director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council (VAEEC). “But as Senator Saslaw saw today, residents of Rosedale Manor will soon have healthier, more comfortable homes – and lower energy bills.”
Rosedale Manor, a 96-unit affordable housing complex owned by the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA), is currently undergoing a complete weatherization retrofit, including new attic insulation and installation of efficient LED light bulbs, provided by LEAP (the Local Energy Alliance Program) using funds from the newly expanded Dominion Energy Share Weatherization program.
“We are thrilled to be able to reach more of Virginia’s low-income families,” said Lesley Crowther Fore, Executive Director of LEAP. “When a family starts saving money on their energy bills, it makes so many other things possible. For some Virginians, saving even a few dollars a month can mean the difference between a bag of healthy groceries or a bare cupboard.”
Rosedale is one of many Virginia affordable housing complexes benefiting from the Dominion Energy Share program, expanded under a bill passed in the last legislative session, the Grid Transformation and Security Act (SB966), which went into effect July 1. VAEEC joined LEAP to offer state and local decision-makers a hands-on opportunity to see how their efforts are helping low-income Virginians.
“We are honored to have VAEEC showcase the wonderful work LEAP is doing here at Rosedale Manor to make the community more energy efficient” said Mason District Board Supervisor Penny Gross. “This effort supports the county’s commitment to renewable energy and innovative energy technologies.” The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted its first ever Operational Energy Strategy earlier this summer. The strategy aims to reduce energy use in county buildings and facilities by 20 percent per square foot over the next 10 years.
Virginia is the most expensive state in the Southeast and the 11th most expensive in the country for energy costs for renters. While all utility customers share in the cost of energy efficiency programs through their monthly bills and all Virginians save money from reduced statewide energy consumption, utility programs traditionally only reach single-family, owner-occupied homes. Dominion’s Energy Share program is one of the few ways for residents of apartments and other multi-family homes to access all the benefits of energy efficiency.
About VAEEC:
Founded in 2012, the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council is the voice for the energy efficiency industry in the Commonwealth. We are a nonprofit headquartered in Richmond. Our members include Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, universities, nonprofits, local governments, state agencies, and utilities. The Council’s goal is to ensure energy efficiency is recognized as an integral part of Virginia’s economy.
About LEAP:
Since its inception, LEAP has established itself as a trusted leader in Virginia for home and business energy efficiency and renewables thanks to the relationships we have developed with our customers, contractors, local governments, and many other partners. As a trusted nonprofit, LEAP delivers direct education and services for improved energy performance to address climate change; create cost savings for families and businesses; healthier, safer, and more durable buildings; and local jobs and economic growth.
The Urban Land Institute’s Greenprint Center for Building Performance released a new report this week showing that the commercial real estate industry is making significant progress in reducing energy consumption.
This center, which is part of ULI’s Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance, is a global alliance of real estate owners, investors, and financial institutions committed to improving environmental performance across the global property industry.
Volume 9 of the Greenprint Performance Report tracked, benchmarked, and analyzed the performance of 7,950 properties owned or managed by Greenprint members by Greenprint’s members. Between 2016 and 2017, the members demonstrated a 3.3% reduction in energy consumption as well as a 3.4% reduction in carbon emissions and a 2.9% reduction in water use, according to the report.
Read more (Energy Manager Today)
