Energy + Environment

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has announced consensus legislation–created with input from manufacturers, designers, energy advocates and utilities–that would set federal efficiency standards for pole-mounted outdoor lighting for the first time ever. This legislation creates three tiers for efficiency levels: · Tier 1, which becomes effective three years after enactment of the bill, sets [...]

According to the latest Department of Energy figures, the U.S. average commercial cost per kWh of electric energy to commercial end-users was 10.7 cents as of July 2009, down 3.5% from the same period in 2008. Get the latest energy data by state, region and end-user market here.

The current economic downturn is not sidetracking state-level efforts to make the most of energy efficiency as the cheapest, cleanest and quickest of all energy resources, according to a 50-state scorecard on energy efficiency policies, programs, and practices from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The 2009 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which ranks [...]

Big changes are in the works that will impact future lighting designs by eliminating some of the least-efficient and lowest-cost products from the market, while establishing ambitious new goals for energy codes that may severely limit design choices. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 expanded ballast regulations put into effect by the Department of Energy [...]

The EMerge Alliance has announced the release of the EMerge Alliance Standard, the first roadmap for the utilization of low-voltage direct-current (DC) power in commercial interiors. The new industry standard offers these benefits: • Reduced energy losses by eliminating device-by-device electrical conversions from alternating-current (AC) power to DC power • Use of safe Class 2 [...]

The Solar Decathlon, an educational project produced by the U.S. Department of Energy, joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Team California won for Architecture and Communications. Check out their house here. The University of Minnesota won for Lighting Design: Check [...]

Recommendations on achieving 30% energy savings over minimum code requirements are contained in the newly published Advanced Energy Design Guide for Highway Lodging. The book, published by ASHRAE, gives guidance to architects, engineers, contractors and other building team members on how to easily achieve advanced levels of energy savings without having to resort to detailed [...]

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of working with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association on a revision of their website detailing features, benefits and rules of implementation for the Commercial Buildings Deduction. Congress recently extended the expiration date for this important energy efficiency incentive to January 1, 2014. Check out the new and improved [...]

Energy efficiency remains America’s cheapest, cleanest, and fastest energy source for five years running. That’s the conclusion of a new study that shows that the utility cost per kWh of energy efficiency has held steady or even slightly declined at about $0.025 over the last half decade, even as the costs for new coal, nuclear, [...]