Energy + Environment

Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Steven Chu have announced plans to invest $3.2 billion in energy efficiency and conservation projects in U.S. cities, counties, states, territories and Native American tribes. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, funded by President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will provide formula grants for projects [...]

Reportlinker.com is offering a new market research report that analyzes the global energy-efficient lighting market and forecasts to 2015. The report attempts to define the energy-efficient lighting industry and associated regulatory framework across the globe, provides info related to current and emerging technologies with comparative cost analysis, assesses market size and forecasts growth, and provides [...]

The Association of Energy Engineers, a nonprofit professional society of over 9,500 members, has published the results of a survey on Green Jobs and Energy Independence. Based on 962 responses from experienced Energy Professionals, the survey found: * 72% indicate a shortage of qualified professionals in the energy efficiency and renewable energy fields in the [...]

The EPA ENERGY STAR commercial building labeling program has released a list of the top 25 cities with the highest number ENERGY STAR buildings in 2008, available here as a PDF document. LA, San Francisco and Houston top the list. You can access all of ENERGY STAR buildings here.

An article I wrote for TED Magazine recently describes the emergence of the NEMA Premium Ballast. Basically, this is a program, with a mark, that identifies the industry’s most efficient fluorescent electronic ballasts available for 4-ft. T8 lamps. It’s a great idea, even if simply to avoid confusion. Everybody calls their electronic ballasts “high efficiency” [...]

Several of New York City’s most recognizable buildings and landmarks have committed to turn off their lights for World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour. Beginning at 8:30 PM on March 28, individuals and organizations around New York City will turn off non-essential lighting on some of the most iconic structures that make up the Manhattan skyline. [...]

I recently wrote an article for TED Magazine about load-shedding ballasts, available online here. A building’s demand for electric power is the sum of the power required to run its electrical equipment in operation at any given time. Demand rises and falls as equipment is turned on and off. Peak demand is the highest level [...]

More than 2,800 people attended ASHRAE‘s 2009 Winter Conference, held Jan. 24-28, Chicago. Also taking place in conjunction with the meeting was the Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition, which attracted 54,000 registered visitors and exhibitor personnel. A major announcement was ASHRAE’s proposed building energy labeling program, which the Society expects to launch at the 2009 Annual [...]

The Lighting Controls Association authorized ZING Communications, Inc. to conduct a survey of a group of nearly 900 lighting designers, more than 730 electrical engineers and more than 530 lighting/energy consultants subscribing to the LightNOW lighting industry and lightingCONTROL lighting control e-newsletters. The survey, conducted online based on three email invitations distributed in December 2008 [...]