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If you’ve ever had to dive into the details of the green building and energy efficiency programs for homes,you’ve experienced the operational definition of the word ‘complexity,’along with a bit of ‘confusion,’too,I’m sure. I know I have. Unfortunately,the programs all just keep going further and further down that path. Continue reading Confusion &Complexity –Can Green Building Programs Be Simplified? I wrote about energy conservation versus energy efficiency last year and showed how things had stayed pretty level over the past three decades as we’ve spent our efficiency dividend on bigger houses and more electronics. Still,I had trouble believing we were actually using less energy per person than we did in 1970. Continue reading News Flash:Americans Use Less Energy When It Costs More We’ve been hearing for years that the energy efficiency industry needs to find its equivalent to the cell phone. These days industry folks refer to it as the ‘killer app,” the revolutionary product or service that consumers can’t resist. But lately,partly because I’m dieting,I’ve been thinking what energy efficiency really needs is something akin to a Weight Watchers dessert. Let me explain myself. Continue reading Energy efficiency and Weight Watchers Science is science. Anyone who works on buildings is free to ignore the principles of building science to the extent that they can get away with it,but someone’s going to pay the price. Maybe it’ll be the occupants,who suffer with comfort problems,poor indoor air quality,frequent maintenance,or high energy bills. Maybe it’ll be the remodeler or builder who has to face constant callbacks. That’s the point I was trying to make with my article on can lights. To the extent that program guidelines or building codes allow can lights,a remodeler or builder can use them. If they’re part of the building envelope,however,and create a problem with the air barrier or insulation,the contractor is giving their client an inferior product. That’s just building science. Continue reading Are Freedom and Building Science Incompatible? April 18th,2011 | Tags:Building Science,Green Education | Category:Building Green,Customer Service,Government,Stimulus,Tax Incentives,Thinking Green | Leave a comment | We keep hearing that China is going to become a really big deal in world energy markets. But it wasn’t until I read this statement by Jane Henley,CEO of the World Green Building Council,that I grasped the scope of its coming influence: Continue reading Time to Export Energy Efficiency? December 9th,2010 | Tags:China,Department of Energy,Export | Category:Government,Stimulus,Tax Incentives,Thinking Green | Leave a comment | For a long time the energy efficiency industry operated largely under the two-guys-and-a-truck-model:local businesses made up of small contractors. Then the ‘super’ energy efficiency service companies (ESCOs) emerged,big operations taking on big contracts often for government,schools or hospitals,like the $35 million deal that Pepco Energy Services signed with the Prince George’s County Maryland Public Schools this week. Continue reading Export opportunity for US energy efficiency? The term “green”is being increasingly applied as an easy way to identify products,including building materials and new homes,as having a better or smaller impact on the environment. That’s fine for marketing slogans and advertising headlines,but it’s also dangerous if the product (or house) isn’t truly sensitive to its environmental impact and is simply trying to Continue reading Greenwashing:Beware! July 8th,2010 | Category:Air Quality,Building Green,energy star,Green Living,Green Risk,Stimulus,Tax Incentives,Thinking Green | Leave a comment | Home Star is a legislative proposal designed to create jobs by providing incentives for residential energy efficiency improvements. The program will drive new private investment into the hard hit construction and manufacturing sectors,while saving consumers money on their energy bills. By building on state programs and existing industry capacity for the retrofits themselves as well as quality assurance,the program will be fast‐acting,in addition to increasing consumer awareness of residential energy efficiency. Continue reading How Has Senate Changed HOME STAR? A SHORT SUMMARY June 2nd,2010 | Tags:Efficient energy use,energy,energy star,Home Star,Silver Star | Category:Government,Green Living,mississippi,Stimulus,Tax Incentives,Thinking Green | Leave a comment | The energy world operates under the premise that more is better. If we build more power plants,we’ll have ample supply,and electricity prices will drop. Even better,if those plants are clean and green,we’ll displace older,dirtier plants and reduce emissions. That will help our economy by producing Continue reading Are we thinking about energy all wrong? May 30th,2010 | Tags:Economy of the United States,energy,Technology | Category:energy,Government,Stimulus | Leave a comment | We’ve been hearing a lot about a drop in energy consumption as a result of the economic downturn. In fact,US energy use per person declined last year to its lowest level since 1968. Economic activity and energy use are directly linked. But lately,several reports have noted that the economic slowdown is not the only reason energy consumption is falling. Aggressive energy efficiency efforts also have Continue reading Energy use drops:It’s not just the economy… |  Trades Topics Place Type
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