Energy + Environment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which administers the ENERGY STAR program, recently named Philips Lighting as Partner of the Year. Philips released 269 ENERGY STAR-qualified products in 2012, an increase of 84% over the prior year. Eighty-eight of these were new LED products, including an LED equivalent for the 75W incandescent bulb. Philips was [...]

According to BriteSwitch, LLC, a majority of utilities and energy efficiency organizations have released their rebate programs for 2013, with incentives for energy-efficient commercial lighting covering about 70% of the United States. A common thread is T12 rebates have been removed or the amounts reduced, while LED rebates are expanding. The number of LED rebate [...]

The California Public Utilities Commission recently published a fact sheet regarding the success of the state’s 2010-2011 energy efficiency program by sector (lighting, HVAC, commercial, and residential), as outlined in the CPUC’s recently released report, 2010-2011 Energy Efficiency Annual Progress and Evaluation Report. (If the print on the fact sheet is too small, click here [...]

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced the opening of the fifth public comment period for the proposed update to its LEED green building program. The comment period, which will close on December 10, enables the building community to view the most recent draft of the rating systems and provide comments where any substantive [...]

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) offers a guide to integrating energy modeling throughout the building design process. Get it here.

Eighty-five percent of building owners and operators globally depend on energy management to drive operational efficiency, according to the 2012 Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator, a global survey of 3,500 building owners and operators. This represents a 34-point increase in the last two years. Energy cost savings and financial incentives are leading this shift, but [...]

Energy efficiency programs have been helping electric utility customers reduce and manage their energy costs for 30 years or more in many states. Born out of the energy crises of the 1970s, these customer programs have grown and matured to become a low-cost, high-value energy resource for electric utilities and their customers. Three Decades and [...]

The United Kingdom comes in first in a new energy efficiency ranking of the world’s major economies, followed closely by Germany, Japan, and Italy, according to the first-ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published today by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The report finds that in the last decade the U.S. has [...]

Sq. ft. of space to earn LEED-certification in 2011 Per capita District of Columbia 18,954,022 31.50 Colorado 13,803,113 2.74 Illinois 34,567,585 2.69 Virginia 19,358,193 2.42 Washington 14,667,558 2.18 Maryland 11,970,869 2.07 Massachusetts 13,087,625 2.00 Texas 50,001,476 1.99 California 71,551,296 1.92 New York 36,538,981 1.89 Minnesota 9,591,445 1.81