Even uncommon voices can find common ground on energy efficiency The Hill, April 14, 2016. Image credit: philriley427 Washington, D.C., has earned a reputation in recent years as a city plagued by hyper-partisan gridlock. Yet our two organizations – which often disagree – have found common ground on energy efficiency. It’s instructive to look at why … Read more
Lightbulbs excluded in EU regulations on energy efficiency claims The Guardian, April 12, 2016. Image credit: jacquess27 The EU has voted to close loopholes that allow home appliance manufacturers to make misleading claims about their products’ energy performance, but environmentalists are incandescent that lightbulbs have been excluded from the new rules. Companies will no longer be … Read more
California Energy Commission Considers Bill to Mandate Energy-Efficient Computers Government Technology, April 11, 2016. Image credit: Simon All computers sold in California could be required to adopt stricter state energy standards by 2018, cutting computer energy consumption by as much as half, according to new regulations being proposed by the California Energy Commission. The commission’s latest … Read more
U.S. Natural Gas Electricity Efficiency is Always Improving Forbes, April 10, 2016. Image credit: anita_starzycka For electricity, the lifeblood of our modern world, efficiency has been installed as the 1st choice to reduce energy usage and related GHG emissions. Although renewables are ranked 2nd in this critical “loading order,” 3rd ranked natural gas often gets deployed 1st because … Read more
The Evidence Is In: Decoupling Spurs Energy Efficiency Investment NRDC, April 5, 2016. Image credit: fdecomite The current research was prompted by questions raised about decoupling during our work in Minnesota last year when the state’s largest electric utility, Xcel Energy, with the support of NRDC and Fresh Energy, implemented Minnesota’s first electric decoupling mechanism. To … Read more
Governor Cuomo Announces 112,000 Energy Efficiency Projects Initiated Since 2012 Governor NY, March 23, 2016. Image credit: kjubee Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that in the past four years, 112,000 residential and commercial energy efficiency projects have been completed or are currently under development through New York State clean energy programs. These projects will attract … Read more
Dreamers of the Golden Dream: Does California Have a Blueprint to Fix Global Warming? Mother Jones, March/April. Image credit: werner22brigitte [bctt tweet=”California can claim first place in just about every #renewable #energy category.”] Today, California can claim first place in just about every renewable-energy category: It is home to the nation’s largest wind farm and the … Read more
How the Clean Power Plan Can Accelerate Renewable Energy and Efficiency UCSUSA, March 24, 2016. Image credit: russmac Eight key takeaways from the new analysis The CPP helps speed up the shift toward a cleaner, more diversified mix of low-carbon power sources. Under the CPP National Trading Case, renewable energy accounts for 21 percent of the … Read more
Canadian energy efficiency standards to follow U.S. lead ECEEE, March 4, 2016. Image credit: Photoshot Updated energy performance targets for a range of commercial and residential equipment and lighting products will be the first regulatory amendments since Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed an agreement aimed at harmonizing the two counties’ energy … Read more
Valerie Eacret, ERS, for Zondits March 9, 2016. Image credit: epicantus The BUILD UPON project supports European government, industry, and civil society in delivering plans to renovate each European Union nation’s existing buildings to improve their energy efficiency, as required by law by April 2017. It will bring more than 1,000 organizations through 80 events that … Read more