Category: Energy efficiency

ASHRAE Participates in Second Annual Energy Efficiency Day

Energy Efficiency Day is a collaborative effort of regional and national organizations that promote energy efficiency and is set for October 6, 2017.  More than 175 government agencies, companies, utilities, cities, and other organizations were official supporters in 2016. This year efforts are being amplified with a website, a Facebook account, more official declarations, and a challenge to save energy in homes and businesses.

Here are four ways ASHRAE Chapters and members can spread the word about the benefits of energy efficiency.

  • Visit the website and sign up. Individuals or organizations may participate. More information will be provided as EE Day gets closer.
  • Take the Lightbulb Challenge or the Office Lighting Challenge. By taking the challenge, you agree to replace at least one light bulb with an LED.  If each US household purchases just one LED bulb, consumers could save $500 million annually. Share your experience with friends and colleagues.
  • Encourage mayors/governors to officially proclaim. In 2016, Hawaii Governor David Ige did so and, this year, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has already followed suit. Check the link above for a sample proclamation that you can share with your mayor and governor.
  • Share news about Energy Efficiency Day and the benefits of saving energy–and money–through blog posts, emails, newsletters, and social media. Telling an energy efficiency success story with videos, photos, graphics, or other content is very powerful. Or share this blog post. When signing up on the EE Day website, the material you can use will be provided.

Energy Efficiency Soars At Chemical Sites

Read the full story at Chemical Processing.

The drive by some chemical companies to improve energy efficiency extends well beyond their production processes. For instance, Eastman Chemicals, BASF, AkzoNobel and Dow are working hard to find energy savings in all aspects of corporate life.

In the Market for a New Home? Buy a Zero Energy Ready Home

Read the full story from DOE.

Zero energy homes are some of the most energy efficient homes on the planet – and those certified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program also improve its overall comfort, health, and durability. As more consumers learn about ZERH, they’ll begin to realize the major opportunity for substantially reduced energy bills and a potentially transformative living experience.

Getting Energy Efficiency to the People Who Need It Most

Read the full story in Governing.

As cities boost their investments in their own energy-efficiency programs, urgent questions arise for local leaders: Are our programs reaching the people who need them most? And if not, how can they be redesigned and retargeted to meet that goal?

Local Energy Efficiency Self-Scoring Tool, Version 3.0

Download the document.

This updated version of the Local Energy Efficiency Self-Scoring Tool lets you score any community’s energy efficiency efforts using the metrics from ACEEE’s 2017 City Energy Efficiency Scorecard. The brief user guide shows you how to use the application to evaluate community-wide initiatives, government operations, and buildings, utility, and transportation policies. You can also compare your community’s scores against average city scores from the Scorecard and learn about successful energy practices from Arlington County, VA and Oakland, CA. By cataloging strengths and identifying areas for improvement, the Self-Scoring Tool can help you create an efficiency roadmap to reduce energy waste in your community.

Download the Self-Scoring Tool (zipped XLSX file)

Many states have adopted policies to encourage energy efficiency

Read the full story from the Energy Information Administration.

As of July 2017, thirty states and the District of Columbia have adopted energy efficiency policies—either mandated requirements, voluntary goals, or pilot programs—designed to lower the growth of electricity consumption by using electricity more efficiently. Seven of these states have either created new or updated existing energy efficiency standards within the past year.

Unlocking Ultra-Low Energy Performance in Existing Buildings

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This paper catalogs deep retrofit activities in existing buildings. Our review of completed ultra-low energy building (ULEB) retrofit projects in the residential and commercial sectors shows that deep energy savings are technically feasible. While some buildings need extensive interventions requiring significant investments of time and money, others can meet aggressive targets at relatively low cost. Projects can use either leading-edge technologies and techniques or tried-and-true weatherization methods. Some building owners and occupants are willing to adopt new behaviors and practices to meet energy efficiency goals. We identify opportunities to increase the number of existing ULEBs through market development, advanced technologies, and new retrofit techniques. Moving forward, further work is needed to develop the best models for delivering savings and standardized approaches that will work at scale.