Related Posts for Energy efficiency
September 22, 2009
U.S. DOE is giving $3 million dollars in energy efficiency and conservation grants to Alaska communities. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), provides funds to units of local and state government, Indian tribes, and territories to develop and implement projects to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions in their communities. Five Alaska communities will receive the grants, including nearly $2.7 million for Anchorage. The other communities are:
Aleutians East Borough: $50,000
Fairbanks: $164,100
Kenai: $50,000
Ketchikan Gateway Borough: $100,000
For more information on the program, go here
September 21, 2009
From a story by New York Times Green Inc. blog reporter Leora Broydo Vestel:
The same economic downturn that wreaked havoc on home manufacturers appears to be creating opportunities for Zeta Communities, a hopeful purveyor of ultra-efficient multifamily housing. To date, the company has built just one 1,540-square-foot demonstration home in Oakland to support its thesis that high-efficiency can also be affordable. Now flush with orders arising from the demonstration home, Zeta tells Green Inc. that it is poised to cut the ribbon on a 91,000-square-foot factory for building modular homes in Sacramento County. Read more
September 20, 2009
New York Times reporters JAD MOUAWAD and KATE GALBRAITH look at the growing electrical demand from consumer electronics.
Electricity use from power-hungry gadgets is rising fast all over the world. The fancy new flat-panel televisions everyone has been buying in recent years have turned out to be bigger power hogs than some refrigerators. The proliferation of personal computers, iPods, cellphones, game consoles and all the rest amounts to the fastest-growing source of power demand in the world. Americans now have about 25 consumer electronic products in every household, compared with just three in 1980.
Worldwide, consumer electronics now represent 15 percent of household power demand, and that is expected to triple over the next two decades, according to the International Energy Agency, making it more difficult to tackle the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming. To satisfy the demand from gadgets will require building the equivalent of 560 coal-fired power plants, or 230 nuclear plants, according to the agency.
Read more
September 14, 2009
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced a new $450 million program designed to catalyze a nationwide energy upgrade that experts estimate could save $100 million annually in utility bills for households and businesses. The Recovery Act’s “Retrofit Ramp-Up” program will pioneer innovative models for rolling out energy efficiency to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in a variety of communities.
Read more
September 14, 2009
Everyone knows energy efficiency is the cheapest source of energy. But the Oregonian today had a story that put into numbers just how much an aggressive energy conservation plan could do for the Pacific Northwest. Some of the figures were stunning. Here’s just a little of what the story had to say.
The payoff would be huge: Conservation in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, the council says, could avoid millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate 85 percent of the expected increase in electricity demand by 2029. That’s the equivalent of 20 new power plants. Better yet, conservation is relatively cheap, despite its upfront costs. By most measures, saving energy is anywhere from 50 to 75 percent cheaper than buying it on the open market or building power plants.
Read more
September 2, 2009
APRN reports on new federal stimulus funding for people upgrading to more energy efficiency appliances. Alaska has about $650,000 for the program, but the details of how it would be doled out and who would be eligible are still being worked out. AHFC also has a short update on the program.
September 2, 2009
The issue of a natural gas shortfall in Cook Inlet and the potential for rolling brownouts this winter in Anchorage and other Railbelt communities was the focus of a House Energy Special Committee meeting on Sept. 1. It was covered by KTUU, and KTVA. The Petroleum News also published a story about the issue. The meeting focused on plans for ensuring an adequate supply of gas, both for the short- and long-term, and preventing any loss of power or heat to the more than 300,000 people that live in the Railbelt communities. The contingency plan includes agreements between the utilities to reduce their use of natural gas on peak demand days, and getting people to cut back on energy use. REAP Executive Director Chris Rose spoke about REAP’s upcoming Alaska Efficiency Challenge, a fun and practical program for reducing energy consumption. The Challenge will provide residents tips for saving money on their energy bills, and allow schools, businesses, and even municipaltites to compete against each other to see who can save the most energy.
August 5, 2009
August 12, 2009
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Carol Heyman, Manager Commercial & Community Relations for Chugach Electric Association, Inc., will be speaking on Smart Power and engaging the public in a dialogue on Energy Efficiency, as well as hearing ideas on how Chugach and other utilities should communicate about the possible gas crisis this winter.
A bit about Carol: An Anchorage resident since 1971, Carol develops and maintains communications with Chugach’s largest commercial customers. Working with Chugach engineering and operations staff to assist commercial customers with construction, lighting and energy projects has been the core of her business activity with Chugach Electric. Carol has helped develop Chugach’s web based load management and billing program for large commercial customers. For the past 10 years Carol has coordinated lighting workshops and audits for Chugach. Over the past year her main focus has been helping to develop and establish Smart Power, Chugach’s collaborative energy efficiency program.
Carol stays active in many organizations and serves as a link between Chugach and the Community. She and her husband, Duane, as co-chairs, completed the $19 million capital campaign for the new addition to the Anchorage Museum.
Other activities include the following:
Alaska District Export Council, appointee of the US Secretary of Commerce
Alaska Regional Hospital, Board of Trustees
UAA Small Business Development Center Statewide Advisory Board
Active member, Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA), Anchorage Chamber of Commerce – Camp $tart-Up Committee (ATHENA Society), American Hospital Association, Anchorage Project Access Development Committee
July 2, 2009
President Obama announced tougher energy efficiency requirements for certain types of fluorescent and incandescent lighting on Monday, the latest step in the administration’s push to cut the country’s energy use.
The new rule, scheduled to take effect in 2012, will cut the amount of electricity used by affected lamps by 15 to 25 percent and save $1 billion to $4 billion a year for consumers, the White House said.
Read more
June 8, 2009
The federal government is spending $5 billion in stimulus money to weatherize homes across the country. That is almost as much as it has spent on weatherization since the program was created in the 1970s to cut heating bills and conserve oil for low-income people.
An unusually large share of the money will be spent not on keeping cold air out but on keeping cold air in. Many environmentalists say cutting electricity use for cooling is just as worthwhile as reducing the use of oil or gas for heating. But there are substantial questions about whether it is the most efficient way to save energy.
Read more.
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