Columbia Gas Offers Ways To Save On Energy Bills

Columbia Gas of Ohio has proposed several energy conservation measures to help customers cut back as natural gas prices reach record highs. The company has filed for permission with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to implement a Demand-Side Management plan for residential and small commercial customers running from 2009 through 2011.

The $24.9 million program would offer customers rebates for home energy audits and to install high-efficiency gas furnaces, programmable thermostats and low-flow shower heads. It also would offer financial incentives to homebuilders to make houses more energy efficient.

Columbia Gas would recoup the costs through an addition to customers' bills that it estimated would average less than 50 cents a month. The charges would begin in May 2010.

Massachusett's Governor Signs Landmark Energy Bill

Governor Deval Patrick signed a landmark energy bill today that is being hailed as one of the nation's most innovative ways to curtail reliance on fossil fuels and boost efficiency with the use of wind, solar, and other renewable power sources.

The legislation requires utilities to make significant investments in energy efficiency, allows consumers with solar panels to sell electricity back to the grid at competitive rates, and starts a program that will place solar panels on the roofs of hundreds if not thousands of homes and businesses.

Massachusetts To Launch Green Revolution

The Massachusetts House of Representatives yesterday passed an energy bill that proponents say will put the state's renewable energy and efficiency programs in the forefront of green initiatives across the country.

The bill received unanimous support from both sides of the Legislature, with a vote of 149-0 in the House yesterday afternoon after passing 36-0 in the Senate on Tuesday. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to sign the legislation into law within the next 10 days.

Known as the Green Communities Act, the bill contains measures that encourage energy efficiency programs, provide incentives for towns to move forward with wind and solar energy projects, and require that utilities enter into long-term contracts with renewable energy generators.

California To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The California Air Resources Board Thursday released a long-awaited draft plan to lower the state's greenhouse gas emissions that relies on an emissions cap-and-trade program for the bulk of the reductions.

Under the draft plan, 85 percent of California's total greenhouse gas emissions would be placed under a declining emissions cap. Other measures set out in the plan, which is designed to meet a state-mandated limit in 2020, include expanding and strengthening existing energy efficiency programs and building and appliance standards, expanding the state's renewable-energy mandates to 33 percent, and implementing other measures such as the state's low-carbon fuel standard and clean car standards.

State Offers Efficiency Grants

There will soon be a new pot of money for homeowners who want to make their houses more "green." Recently passed legislation creates grants for homeowners to renovate or build homes that are more energy efficient. And that funding could start going out to homeowners as early as January 2010.

Judith Enck is the deputy secretary for the environment in Governor David Paterson's administration. She says the agreement will give homeowners money to renovate their homes and apply energy saving devices.

Colorado's New Energy Efficiency Plan

Gov. Bill Ritter has announced the kickoff of a statewide energy efficiency and conservation campaign called “The New Energy Economy: Bringing It Home,” which will feature television and radio advertisements to educate homeowners, individuals and consumers about low-cost and simple steps to save energy.

Gov. Ritter said the 12-month campaign will provide basic advice and tips on how to save money at home and at work:

Clinton Urges Energy Efficiency

Former President Clinton said Sunday that he favored presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's position on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, though he noted that John McCain's stand on those cuts improved on Republicans in the past.

Obama has supported cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent by 2050, a position the Illinois senator shared with Clinton's wife when she was running for president.

McCain, the likely GOP presidential nominee, has announced a less ambitious plan to cut those emissions 60 percent by 2050.

Conserving Energy and Lowering Energy Bills

This week, the president called for Congress to make policy changes that could open up offshore U.S. coastal areas for oil exploration. The plan, which would end the federal ban on offshore oil drilling on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and some parts of the eastern Gulf of Mexico and also allow individual states more control over nearby drilling, is supported by Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

In several speeches this week, McCain discussed his potential energy policy, which calls for increased energy production, including more nuclear plants. But whatever happened to energy conservation?

Who Pays For Energy Efficiency?

New York electric bills will be slightly higher starting in November.

Utility regulators on Wednesday started a new program aimed at reducing energy consumption in the state and ordered power companies to collect the money to pay for it from their customers.

Some of the ideas the Public Service Commission is looking at include financial incentives to builders to adhere to higher energy efficiency standards and incentives to retailers for selling energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Electric bills on average will go up between 16 cents and 30 cents a month as the utilities raise $172 million to pay for the state-mandated efficiency programs.

Model Data Center Delivers It All

Nicholas & Company is building a model data center that delivers significantly more computing power per watt. The Salt Lake City-based, 500 employee, food distributor has increased its computing capabilities while holding energy costs level by virtualizing applications, and consolidating its servers and storage on IBM systems.

With help from IBM (NYSE: IBM) and IBM Premier Business Partner Vision Solutions, Nicholas & Company has also added new capabilities and improved the availability of its information technology infrastructure, and helped protect vital company assets by installing a world-class backup and recovery system.

Nicholas & Company, which delivers food and other products to customers ranging from the smallest restaurants to the largest national fast-food chains throughout the western United States, operates a 24X7, 215,000 square foot facility and moves up to 600,000 cases of food every week.

The company chose the IBM BladeCenter® H platform as an integral part of its business, consolidating 12 separate servers on to the platform. IBM BladeCenter H is an integrated solution designed for consolidation, virtualization and top performance. To realize further efficiencies, Nicholas & Company is running virtualization technology from VMware on IBM HS21 blade servers in the BladeCenter H.

Intel's New Energy Efficiency Plan

At its annual "Research Day" last week, Intel revealed several technologies focused on energy efficiency, including four breakthroughs slotted for release throughout 2009—platform power management, energy-efficient wireless, 32 nanometer (nm) chips and power clamping for data centers.

The company's 32nm chip is likely to be the first of its kind on the market and will result in an average 30 to 40 percent increase in efficiency according to the company. Smaller in size, but packed with 2 billion transistors, the chips will also drive costs down and performance up, despite requiring a more expensive immersion lithography technique for production, according to Dr. Sanjay Natarajan, director of 32nm process technology at Intel.

Verizon Establishes Energy Efficiency Standards

To reduce its power consumption and energy costs and shrink its carbon footprint, Verizon has established its own energy-consumption standards and an associated measurement process for new telecommunications-related equipment.

The standards will be applied to certain broadband, video, data-center, network and customer-premises equipment purchased after Jan. 1, 2009. The target provided to the manufacturers of such equipment is 20 percent greater efficiency than today's gear.

Sun Microsystems To Launch Energy Efficient Flash SSD

Sun Microsystems Inc. announced plans to introduce new Sun solid state disks or SSD to the market providing greater application performance, massive scale and value through the integration of the Solaris operating system, Solaris ZFS and other open source technologies.

Sun Microsystems indicated the Flash technology SSDs to consume around one fifth of the power of both memory DIMMs and disk drives, with no rotating media and consume very little power when not in use, more eco-friendly than alternatives.

Limiting Power Used By Electronics

The federal government will unveil new standards to limit the amount of power used by consumer electronics while in standby mode. The standards would limit the amount of power consumed by televisions, CD players, computers and other electronic devices.

A July 2007 news release said standby power accounts for up to 10 per cent of an average household's yearly electricity consumption. It said the estimated savings of limiting standby power consumption would be equivalent to taking a large coal-fired power generating unit off-line.

Energy Efficiency In Germany

Energy efficiency is becoming a major branch in the German economy. For example, energy-efficiency technology includes Light-Emitting Diodes (LED). These technologies can be used in homes and in streetlamps; they drastically reduce the amount of energy required to disseminate light, in comparison with traditional light bulbs.

Germany combines a tradition of scientific excellence, and a government establishing a favorable legal framework to encourage new investments in renewable energies and energy efficiency.

Government to provide help for poor as energy prices increases

The government set out on Friday extra measures to help the poor and boost energy efficiency in the face of rocketing fuel prices.

From energy suppliers sharing data to more help for home insulation and microgeneration and an information campaign the new measures are aimed at those in fuel poverty -- households where more than 10 percent of income goes on energy bills.

ComEd offers Energy Efficiency Incentives

Commonwealth Edison and Ameren will announce an $84-million, three-year effort to encourage the wise use of electricity among commercial and industrial consumers of electricity in the Chicago-area, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The program includes rebates for commercial and industrial customers who install electricity-saving equipment or lighting, and is expected to help retrofit some older, less-efficient buildings.

San Diego's Carbon Footprint Rating

The San Diego metropolitan area fared well in a national ranking of urban regions based on “carbon footprints” generated by their residential buildings and highway traffic. The region placed 10th behind well-known environmental leaders such as Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, Ore.

The analysis was published by the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C. The group assessed the nation's 100 largest urban areas based on their per capita carbon emissions in the two categories. It did not include emissions from commercial buildings or industry.

Oil Prices & Energy Efficiency

What should we do?

Countries must resist the temptation to limit the price of gas. And countries such as China, which already caps gasoline prices, should relax those controls and let prices rise. This will encourage conservation and spur the search for alternatives.

Energy efficiency is only part of the reason we're better off than in the 1970s. Our economies are more knowledge-based than industrial-based. The service sector has taken over from manufacturing as the primary economic driver.

As a result, the consumption of oil - and energy in general - is less of a burden on the economy. In the United States, for example, oil consumption sucks up 5.75 per cent of GDP, compared with 7.5 per cent in 1980.

Jacksonville Doing It Green

Jacksonville knows how to build green for energy efficiency:

Jacksonville's construction industry is laying a foundation of proof that anyone can build green. Developers, contractors, architects and engineers increasingly see that it makes economic sense to reduce their carbon footprints.

Builders are finding out about money-saving opportunities that can offset additional costs of green construction," said Doueck, whose office will sponsor such upcoming classes as "Florida Water Star 101" and "Green Development 101.

Atlas Copco Launches Energy Efficient Roadshow

Atlas Copco announced today that it will run a worldwide 'roadshow' for its most energy-efficient oil-injected compressors ever produced, the new GA 90-160 kW range. Its Specific Energy Requirement (SER) is best-in-class, using up to 11% less electricity than the previous GA models.

The Atlas Copco GA 160 VSD compressor has broken no less than eight performance records in the industry: in terms of overall energy requirements, energy consumption of individual elements and lifetime of replacement parts. The roadshow will start in Antwerp, Belgium on June 4th and will be followed by events in North America, South America and Asia.

City of Stamford becomes leader of Energy Efficiency

Mayor Dannel P. Malloy announced today that the City of Stamford has been recognized by Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) as The Municipal Leader for Energy Efficiency.

Stamford was nominated by the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) and The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) and was selected for recognition based upon its commitment to achieving energy savings through cost effective investments; addressing comprehensive changes in major energy systems; improving energy performance through operational practices and management level support; and demonstrating leadership to advance energy efficiency.

Additionally, Stamford has implemented energy conservation measures throughout its public school system - most significantly, the installation of a centralized energy management system and lighting improvements with occupancy sensor controls.

Other examples of the City's energy efficiency and environmental leadership include the approval in 2005 of a resolution to join the "20 by 2010" campaign. This commits the City to have 20 percent of its energy supply come from clean, renewable energy sources by 2010 and to create a Clean Energy Task Force to define a strategy to meet the goal.

As a result of Stamford's dedication to efficiency over the years, the City has achieved an overall 15 percent reduction in energy use, for an annual cost savings of over $1.2 million.

Tennessee Bill Seeks To Improve Energy Efficiency

Legislation that would use lottery reserve funds to help make Tennessee schools more energy efficient is headed to the governor for his consideration.

The measure would use $100 million of the state's nearly $460 million in lottery reserves to make the state's K-12 schools more energy efficient. It also would establish a council to award grants or loans for improvements such as better lighting or insulation.

TVA Board Approves Energy Efficiency Proposal

The TVA Board on Monday approved staff recommendations on "how TVA can help meet the Tennessee Valley’s growing demand for power and reduce the agency’s environmental footprint through cleaner, more energy-efficient opportunities."

An Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Plan, a Renewable and Clean Energy Assessment and an Environmental Policy were approved at the board meeting in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

These approved proposals reflect public comment TVA has received since the recommendations were first presented at the April Board meeting in Knoxville, officials said.

The State of Power Consumption

Where does this leave us?

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, by the end of this year, power consumption in the U.S. is expected to be half of what it was in 1970, as measured per dollar of economic output.

The Washington, D.C.-based non-profit group said that energy efficiency may be one of the fastest-growing energy success stories of the last 50 years, but it's influence is mostly invisible.

PG&E Seeks Approval

Pacific Gas and Electric Company today asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to approve a six-year initiative -- the Cornerstone Improvement Program -- to significantly improve the reliability of PG&E's electric distribution system. At the same time, the utility requested enhancements to its Low Income Energy Efficiency program.

The Cornerstone Improvement Program comprises a set of initiatives proposed by PG&E to decrease both the number and duration of electric outages by increasing the flexibility of the electrical grid. Major initiatives include increasing the capacity and interconnectivity of distribution lines and substations, implementing distribution automation on 1,200 circuits in urban and suburban areas, and installing 5,000 switching devices on rural circuits to reduce the number of customers affected by outages.

AT&T Joins Energy Star Program

AT&T Inc. has joined the government's Energy Star program, which means that the company's Internet Protocol television set-top boxes have now been rated energy efficient.

As a Energy Star program participant, AT&T U-verse TV will furnish customers with Motorola and Cisco Systems Inc. receivers that meet the new Energy Star energy efficiency criteria.

The new criteria for the voluntary program for digital set-top boxes isn't actually set to go into effect until Jan. 1, 2009. By delivering its boxes as part of the installation equipment, AT&T U-verse TV equipment is working meet this standard early.

Eastman Receives Energy Efficiency Award

For the 15th consecutive year, every year since the program began, Eastman Chemical Company has earned energy efficiency awards from the American Chemistry Council (ACC).

As part of the Responsible Care® program, the ACC honors specific projects that have achieved distinction in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Eastman received three awards, two of which received an ‘exceptional merit’ designation.

N. C. electric co-ops launch energy efficiency initiatives

North Carolina's electric cooperatives have created a nonprofit company to focus on energy-efficiency initiatives.

The operation, named GreenCo Solutions Inc., will focus on developing energy-efficiency programs and pilot projects involving renewable energy.

Going Green At Hotel-Motel Show

The 2008 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (May 17-20 at McCormick Place in Chicago) will provide restaurateurs with the resources and tools they need to explore and increase environmental efforts, including products and services from many of the 2,000+ exhibiting companies and a specialized track of education sessions presented by leading experts.

Among the thousands of products and services throughout the exhibit floor, there are many "green" options at this year's NRA Show. Several of the 25 Kitchen Innovations Award recipients have eco-conscious features, and the Organics & Natural Pavilion will feature sustainable food and beverage options.

Other environmentally conscious products include energy management system technologies; packaging, tableware and cups made of recycled and renewable materials; eco-friendly uniforms; bio-degradable drinking straws; energy-efficient ambient lighting; sustainable seafood products; eco-conscious signage; and much more.

IBM Helps Clients Measure Energy Progress

IBM has announced new energy-management software, an expansion of its energy certificates program, and an energy benchmark to help clients establish energy efficiency goals, optimize for energy efficiency and measure and verify their green IT progress across the enterprise.

The new offerings for energy measurement include: IBM Active Energy Manager software to measure power usage of key elements of the datacenter, from IT systems to chilling and air conditioning units; an expansion of IBM's Energy Certificates program to 34 countries; and an online energy assessment benchmark.

UTSA To Host Energy Summit

UTSA will bring together energy leaders, industry professionals and academicians representing three countries for the inaugural UTSA North American Energy Summit (NAES) May 1-2 at the UTSA Downtown Campus. The summit will feature experts in a range of fields from the United States, Canada and Mexico who will discuss future energy needs.

The Thursday, May 1 panel sessions will address short-term energy futures over the next 20 years, global environmental change, and energy production and efficiency. Friday, May 2 panel sessions will cover paths to sustainability, emerging technologies and social and educational challenges.

Microsoft Funds Energy Efficiency Computing Research

Microsoft Research has given out $500,000 to four universities doing research in more energy-efficient computing. The grants are aimed at techniques to lower power consumption.

* The University of Tennessee was awarded research money to develop frameworks to account for power and performance improvements in virtualized data centers.
* Stanford University will design a sensor network to gather data and analyze power consumption.
* Harvard University will develop a "dynamic runtime environment" that ensures power consumption corresponds to the computational load.
* The University of Oklahoma will created a simulation framework for studying "low-power microarchitectures for innovative muliticore systems."

New Energy Efficiency Standards For Construction

The California Energy Commission released updated building-efficiency standards that call for high-performance windows, better-insulating roofs and more-efficient lighting.

The 2008 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, also known as Title 24, regulate new residential and commercial construction.

The new standards include updated or new code regulations for lighting, windows, roofs, skylights, swimming pools and spa equipment, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, and California's Solar Homes Partnership.

Park Slated For Energy Efficiency Fixes

In Maryland, officials are eyeing Oriole Park at Camden Yards among hundreds of state-owned buildings with so-called green strategies that could yield $10 million annually in energy savings.

The energy efficiency fixes, such as automatic-flush toilets, motion-sensing lighting systems, efficient heating and cooling systems, window sealants and compact fluorescent light bulb replacements, would eliminate an estimated 545 million pounds of carbon emissions each year -- the equivalent of removing 45,000 cars from the region's roads.

In all, federal, state and local governments in the area plan to spend $175 million to make the upgrades in more than 600 buildings. In return, they predict the changes will yield $36.5 million in annual savings on their energy bills.

EPA connects with the Green Grid in support of Energy Efficiency

The EPA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Green Grid to promote energy efficiency in small computer rooms. The effort begins with evaluating an existing EPA computer room for ways to optimize energy efficiency, then finding ways to standardize processes and performance measures.

Ultimately, the goal of this partnership is to share best practices for replication with other governmental agencies and industry stakeholders. Future partnerships between EPA, federal partners, and associations will help design and build our way into a green federal IT infrastructure.

Who Is Reducing Their Carbon Footprint?

The Massachusetts Port Authority said Tuesday it has planned a series of environmental initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of its operations.

The initiatives would also enhance its environmental stewardship and give customers options that can reduce their impact on the environment.

The initiatives include buying renewable energy credits, taking energy-saving steps, favoring cab drivers using hybrid fuels and making capital investments that will save energy in the long run.

Ohio Lawmakers Push Energy Efficiency

Ohio will attempt to cut 0.3 percent of its total usage in 2009, and gradually to reach a total drop of more than 20 percent by 2025. If utilities fail to meet the annual requirements, they will pay a penalty that will go into a fund to invest in advanced energy. The House and Senate still need to work out differences in the details between their plans.

Electricity customers would see an increase in their bills measured in cents, and in some cases, a dollar or so. Some of the money collected will go toward utility infrastructure improvements such as decreasing the amount of electricity lost on power lines.

Money will also go toward creating collaborative programs to make homes more energy efficient. Programs to provide home energy audits, improve their ability to trap warm and cool air, and give rebates for the purchase of efficient home appliances will be created. The subsidy provided by the surcharge will enable residential consumers to pay just a portion of what it would otherwise cost if they made those improvements on their own.

GM Hybrid Goes To China

General Motors Corp will sell its first gas-electric hybrid cars in China in July, introducing a model created in part by GM's Shanghai design center. The Buick LaCrosse will be the second hybrid to enter the Chinese automobile market following Toyota Motor Corp's Prius in early 2006.

Hybrids improve fuel efficiency and cut emissions by generating extra power from the brakes as a vehicle tops. But they also cost more because they require both gasoline and electric motors.

GM says the LaCrosse will be the first hybrid made in China. The Prius is assembled from imported parts.

Noteworthy Recognition For Energy Efficiency

The Kentucky Office of Energy Policy has recognized five Louisville buildings that have attained the Energy Star label from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The federal program recognizes buildings that rate among the top 25 percent of facilities of similar use across the country for energy performance. The five Louisville buildings recognized are:

* E.On U.S. Center
* Cemex Kosmos Cement Co. Louisville plant
* Aegon Center
* Courtyard by Marriott Louisville Airport-Expo Hotel
* Isaac Shelby Elementary (Jefferson County Public Schools)

Rhode Island Town Switches To "Greener Computing"

North Kingstown, R.I. will start a wholesale conversion of its government computers to more energy efficient systems in an effort to save money and reduce its environmental impact. Over the next three years, the town will switch to products in Dell's Energy Smart line of energy-efficient machines, including models from the OptiPlex and PowerEdge series.

In addition to switching over to Dell's green computers, North Kingstown also announced it will be joining Dell's Plant a Forest For Me program, an initiative the company launched in September 2007 to offset carbon emissions among its clients by encouraging them to fund reforestation projects around the globe.

Con Edison's New Energy Efficiency Program

Con Edison has filed a plan with the New York State Public Service Commission asking that a package of new energy efficiency programs be approved for implementation this summer.

The 11 residential and commercial programs proposed in the filing are designed to achieve 378 MW of demand reduction and reduce energy use overall by 4.4 billion kilowatt hours (KWh). The resultant 2.3 million tons of CO2 reduction is the equivalent of taking 380,000 vehicles off the road, or growing 53,000 tree seedlings for 10 years.

Total estimated cost of the programs is $306 million through 2015, varying from approximately $10 million this year to $75 million in 2015. The funding would be drawn from funds already designated for energy efficiency programs in the most recent rate plan approved by commission effective April 1.

Stamford Takes Energy Efficiency Award

Stamford has been named Municipal Leader for Energy Efficiency by the nonprofit Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships.

The award cites Stamford's Local Action Plan, which documents actions taken since 1998, the plan's first year. In the plan, the city laid out a framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent.

Building improvements from 1999 to 2002, such as better lighting and efficient air-conditioning and hot-water pumps, produced annual energy savings of $306,920. Public school buildings also were improved, including a new environmental magnet school that has been designed to meet "green" standards.

Is There More Interest In Energy Efficiency?

According to the second annual Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator survey, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of organizations are paying more attention to energy efficiency than they were just a year ago. However, the percentage of companies expecting to make energy efficiency improvements, as well as their planned investment over the next year, has remained constant.

The research identified energy management decision-makers and asked how their organizations were responding to rising energy costs and environmental issues. Members of the International Facility Management Association and the American Society of Healthcare Engineering were included as survey respondents.

Sun plans for Energy Efficient Servers

With energy efficiency and environmental issues of growing concern, Sun is preparing to tune its servers to be more environmentally friendly by introducing power management capabilities.

Sun plans to introduce the notion of power-managed states, in which future servers will respond to a user's internal energy policies. For example, a 1 kilowatt server might be tuned to run at only 500 watts, and the server figures out how to run under that constraint, Bapat said.

Power management also will be offered for memory components, chips, disk drives, and fans via intelligent firmware that will calibrate power. There will be states like idle and sleep states.

Other suggestions include running datacenters at off-peak hours for activities such as batch jobs and even siphoning off the cheaper nighttime megawatts during the night to freeze water. During the day, air conditioning use is cut by running the hot air off the ice.

County Aims For Energy Efficiency

Schenectady County officials recently announced initiatives aimed at improving energy conservation and efficiency.

The county will give preference to Energy Star products when buying for county facilities. Energy Star, which is managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, is a voluntary labeling program from appliance manufacturers designed to help consumers identify products that are energy-efficient.

IBM Introduces New Energy Efficient Supercomputer

IBM has introduced a new supercomputer powered by one of the world's fastest microprocessors and cooled by an innovative water system.

The new Power 575 supercomputer, equipped with IBM's latest POWER6 microprocessor, uses water-chilled copper plates located above each microprocessor to remove heat from the electronics.

Requiring 80 percent fewer air conditioning units, the water-cooled Power 575 can reduce typical energy consumption used to cool the data center by 40 percent. IBM scientists estimate that water can be up to 4,000-times more effective in cooling computer systems than air.

Climate Change Affecting Human Health

WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan said yesterday, World Health Day, that climate change was already affecting human health and was giving "a glimpse of the challenges public health will have to confront on a large scale".

Many human diseases are climate sensitive, and warming up the Earth will increase the numbers of people exposed to diseases that today kill millions. These include malnutrition (kills over 3.5 million people a year), diarrhoeal diseases (kill over 1.8 million), and malaria (kills nearly 1 million).

Expert:: Climate change can increase risk of cataract blindness

According to an expert, climate change will increase the risk of people losing their sight through cataracts because of higher levels of ultraviolet rays.

Andreas Mueller of the Fred Hollows Foundation went on to say:

The three main risk factors that lead to cataract blindness are age, smoking and UV exposure, in that order.

Climate change will increase UV levels and therefore increase the risk of developing cataracts.

A spokesman for the foundation, which works mostly in developing countries to restore sight to people with cataracts, said the increased exposure to ultraviolet rays would be caused by depletion of the ozone layer.

San Leandro to tackle Energy Efficiency

In the next few months, the Energy Watch program of the Association of Bay Area Governments will be working with PG&E to make energy-hogging city buildings more fuel-efficient. Energy Watch is funded by the California Public Utilities Commission to provide incentives to local governments looking to reduce energy consumption.

San Leandro now joins the more than 35 Bay Area governments that participate in Energy Watch. Whenever a city or agency signs on, Energy Watch covers three-quarters of the related costs — provided the plans for the new member city align with Energy Watch's budget, officials said.

San Leandro staff have been working with a consultancy called Energy Solutions to survey the city's en-ergy use and analyze how the city can improve its buildings. The consultancy has now developed an energy action plan to help the city implement some of those measures.

Climate Savers Partner With U.S. EPA and in China

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) announced this week two significant partnerships: one finds the group joining with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to speed the adoption of Energy Star-rated products, and another marks the group's biggest step into China to date.

Over the next three years, the CSCI will work with the EPA to develop technical specifications and promote the use of energy-efficient PCs and servers and the use of power management to enterprises and consumers.

TVA Considers Energy Conservation Plan

Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority reviewed a staff recommendation to cut electricity growth in the region by about 30 percent over the next five years.

As a result, the TVA board will vote next month on a draft plan to promote energy conservation during peak demand periods through education, time-of-date rates and other new incentives.

The goal of the proposed energy efficiency plan is to cut TVA’s peak electricity demand by 1,400 megawatts by the end of fiscal 2012.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Energy Efficiency

The EPA has released a report titled "Profiles in Leadership" that highlights 74 award-winning organizations across many sectors of the U.S. economy, including schools, hospitals, real estate, manufacturing, chemicals, and home building.

The award winners were selected from more than 12,000 organizations that partner in the Energy Star program. Through their pioneering efforts, the winners have made substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by means of energy efficiency and awareness. They include large and small organizations and those with long track records of success as well as those that are quickly excelling in their partnership.

Energy-Efficiency Bill Wins House Panel Approval

A bill that would let cities and counties help homeowners and businesses take out loans to install solar, wind and energy-efficiency improvements won unanimous approval Tuesday in the House Transportation Committee.

House Bill 1350, sponsored by House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, and Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, would let people who invest in renewable-energy and efficiency improvements pay back loans through a property lien over 20 years.

HP Workstations Rated Environmentally Friendly

HP today announced that its entire personal workstation line has become the first in the category to achieve a “Gold” listing – the highest rating products can achieve – in the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT™).

With the addition of the workstations, HP now has the largest number of EPEAT Gold registered products in the industry.

Already recognized for their advanced performance and tuning, the HP workstations’ environmental attributes include low energy consumption, use of environmentally sensitive materials and a reuse- and recycle-friendly design.

India assisting EU to combat Climate Change

India is assisting European Union countries to meet their targets in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the Energy Trading System (ETS). The protocol was set up in 1997 to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that are warming the earth’s atmosphere and leading to climate change.

The European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is the largest multinational emissions trading scheme in the world and is a major pillar of EU climate policy.

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol allowing industrialized countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries as an alternative to more expensive emission reductions in their own countries.

Food Lion Earns Energy Star

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Food Lion LLC with a seventh Energy Star award, the most such awards ever received by a grocer. The award, for sustained excellence, will be presented to Food Lion on April 1, during a ceremony in Washington.

According to the EPA, the 2008 Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, employing innovative approaches and showing others what can be achieved through energy efficiency.

These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program including energy-efficient products, services, new homes and buildings in the commercial, industrial and public sectors. Award winners are selected from more than 9,000 organizations that participate in the program.

IBM New 'Energy Efficient' Data Center

IBM and Telecom Egypt has recently announced the construction of an innovative, state-of-the-art data center for Telecom Egypt that includes the world's most sophisticated energy-efficient "green" technologies.

Telecom Egypt is the leading telecommunications provider in Egypt, and the largest provider of fixed-line services in the Middle East with more than 10.4 million customers. Striving to improve customer satisfaction as a key long term success factor, TE chose IBM in 2007 to design and build the most sophisticated and energy-efficient data center in Egypt. Construction was recently completed.

ASUS's Energy Saving Motherboards

Catering to users who require motherboards that provide stable, robust performance while helping to save energy for a cleaner environment, ASUS, worldwide leader in motherboard production, has announced a brand new series of ASUS EPU motherboards.

Recognizing the importance of green computing, ASUS' EPU motherboards not only provide a hardware-driven energy saving solution that is more stable than other purely software-driven solutions, a whopping 80.23% CPU power savings and enhanced energy efficiency ratings of up to 96% is achieved – helping users in the cause to save energy for a greener environment.

Energy Efficiency Visionary To Address Conference

Dr. Amory Lovins, cofounder of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and coauthor of "Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs, and Security," a Pentagon-cofunded blueprint for making the United States oil-free, will address attendees at the 2008 Joint Services Environmental Management Conference and Exhibition (http://www.jsemconference.com), May 5th-8th, 2008 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

Dr. Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins founded the Rocky Mountain Institute in 1982. This private, non-profit organization focuses on resource efficiency including the use of renewable energy, a topic heavy on the minds of Department of Defense leaders as they determine how to provide reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy solutions for personnel in the field and at home.

Majoring In Renewable Energy

The Oregon Institute of Technology has developed the country’s first four-year undergraduate degree program in renewable-energy systems. This year the program is training 50 students and will graduate its first class.

The institute’s degree requires basic knowledge in engineering, electrical circuits, motors and generators, thermodynamics, heat transfer and the language of computers. Then come specialized courses in photovoltaics (solar energy research and technology), wind, biomass (the recycling of biological material), hydropower and geothermal energy development.

Robert Bass, 33, the assistant professor who directs the program, said his students would be applying their new bachelor of science degrees in a range of design, engineering, installation, auditing and programming careers in the region’s expanding green-power sector.

City Program Provides Energy Savings To Neighborhoods

Some of the 2,000-plus homes retrofitted with energy-saving measures in the City of Houston's Residential Energy Efficiency Program are reporting monthly energy savings of up to 20 percent.

The first of the homes was fitted with energy-saving measures such as weather-stripping, insulation and energy-efficient light bulbs in January 2007.

The city footed the bill for the project, which targeted certain neighborhoods.

Awarding Energy Efficiency Contracts

In 1994, state legislators created a law that allows Ohio's public colleges and universities to hire companies to improve energy efficiency based on the amount of money the company promised to save, instead of relying on the typical threshold of giving the job to the lowest and best bidder.

Because the law leaves a lot of room for interpretation, it's up to the colleges how extensive they want the work to be.

Companies have to promise that the work they do will pay for itself within five or 10 years.

Green Energy Roadshow

The Kentucky Green Energy Roadshow will be stopping in Northern Kentucky to present a day-long workshop on renewable energy, energy efficiency and green building on April 12.

The April 12 roadshow features several workshop sessions, including "Planning the Energy Conserving Home or Business," "Policies & Incentives that Support Renewables and Efficiency: A Panel Discussion On Federal & State Programs," and "Energy Efficiency Improvement Grant and Guaranteed Loan Programs for Small Business."

In addition to the presentations, there will be educational booths and exhibits demonstrating renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

Schenectady County considering energy efficiency legislation

Schenectady County is taking steps to improve its overall energy efficiency through better recycling practices, fleet audits and stricter purchasing policies.

Those and other incentives were announced Wednesday as part of legislation that will be considered by the Schenectady County Legislature to improve energy efficiency in its government facilities.

In addition, the proposal would require the county to purchase only Energy Star-rated products, adhere to high levels of environmental standards in its buildings and facilities and instruct employees to turn off lights and computer equipment at the end of their work days.

As part of a broader conservation effort, the county would partner with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to alert homeowners about the importance of home energy audits. County agencies also would target senior citizens, low-income households and other groups that could benefit from the audits.

Wal-mart's Green Store Saves Energy

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will open its latest generation of energy-efficient test stores this week with a Las Vegas Supercenter that uses new cooling technology to cut overall energy use by up to 45 percent.

The Las Vegas store opening Wednesday builds on advances in earlier pilot stores that reduced energy use in areas including lighting, refrigeration and water flow.

The previous pilot stores in the Midwest cut energy use up to 25 percent compared to a typical Supercenter built in 2005, the year Wal-Mart launched a broad environmental program to reduce energy use and packaging waste and to sell more sustainable products.

Wal-Mart said the new Las Vegas store adds to those savings with a new cooling system based on water evaporation for total energy savings of between 35 percent and 45 percent.

Clothes Washers Becoming More Energy Efficient

Next year, clothes washers that are much more efficient than current appliances will be coming on the market. The new washers will have to use less water than those now on sale, and they also must be more energy efficient. As of July 1, 2009, manufacturers will have to make their washers meet a higher standard if they want to qualify the appliances to carry the government's Energy Star® label.

In order to qualify, clothes washers must be a minimum of 43 percent more efficient than current federal energy efficiency standards with a maximum Water Factor of 7.5, as of July 1, 2009. The Water Factor measures water efficiency and is calculated as gallons of water used per cubic foot of capacity - the lower the Water Factor, the more efficient the clothes washer.

Then in the second phase, from January 1, 2011, clothes washers must be a minimum of 59 percent more efficient than current federal energy efficiency standards with a maximum Water Factor of 6.0.

After the 2011 criteria change for clothes washers, consumers across the country are expected to save a total of $120 million on utility bills annually.

Solar Energy To Become Cost Effective

In a move to make solar energy more cost competitive, the US Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that they will invest up to $13.7 million over the next 3 years. Eleven technology led projects will focus on developing advanced solar photovoltaic (PV) technology manufacturing processes and products.

A further 20% of costs will be shared with industry and universities making a combined investment of over $17 million.

Energy Efficiency Important To Homebuyers

When it comes to energy efficiency, homebuyers want builders to start talking it up more, even though they've already bought the message. That's the key finding of a recent J.D. Power & Associates Survey conducted for EnerQuality Corp.

According to the survey of more than 2,000 recent homebuyers in the GTA and Ottawa, virtually all buyers (98 per cent) fully expect builders to offer energy-efficient features, yet only four of 10 builders are talking about energy efficiency with their buyers.

What's particularly interesting is the linkage between energy efficiency and quality construction in the minds of homebuyers. While environmental protection, reduced monthly operating expenses and higher resale value remain the key motivating factors for buyers to invest in energy efficiency, almost a third of respondents cited higher quality construction as the most important benefit to them.

The survey also found there is significantly more satisfaction with the design of a new home when energy-efficient features have been offered – 828 out of 1,000 on the Builder Rating on Overall Physical Design Index compared to 626 when it's not offered.

Dow Chemical Receives 2008 Energy Star Award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named The Dow Chemical Co. as a 2008 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for excellence in energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Dow's accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 1.

Dow will be honored for demonstrating outstanding achievements in energy efficiency and management within the past year. Dow's commitment and leadership in energy efficiency over the past 12 years has resulted in significant energy, financial and greenhouse gas savings -- more than 900 trillion Btu, over $4 billion and approximately 51 million metric tons of CO2.

Boosting Energy Efficiency Of Electric Delivery Systems

Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) has announced that it will play a leading role in the research and development of "green circuits," an initiative aimed at improving energy efficiency in the electric distribution system. New Jersey's largest utility has informed the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) that it will support its Green Circuit Initiative, an 18-month research and development project.

"PSE&G is pleased to play a leading role in research and development of technologies that meet the challenges of how we produce and efficiently distribute electricity while enabling our customers to better manage energy," said Ralph LaRossa, president and COO of PSE&G. "This initiative is an important contribution to reducing the sector's carbon footprint, and, at the same time, ensuring that we continue to meet the growing demand for electricity."

ADB To Help Pakistan's Energy Efficiency Program

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it will grant 600,000 usd to help Pakistan create a comprehensive energy efficiency policy and investment program to meet its growing energy demands.

Pakistan will contribute 100,000 usd to complete the funding requirement.

China Reshapes Govt. With Energy Push

China announced Tuesday that it would reorganize the central government by creating five so-called superministries, including one responsible for improving environmental protection. But the plan stopped short of creating a single agency to oversee the contentious issue of energy policy.

The new plan divides authority over energy. A new “high level” energy commission would develop national energy strategies. But an energy bureau under the central planning agency would control administration and oversight of the energy sector.

Yang Fuqiang, director of the Beijing office of the nonprofit Energy Foundation, said the creation of the two energy agencies represented a political compromise. He predicted that they would eventually be merged into a full ministry, but not for a few more years.

Energy Efficient Strategy For Network Equipment Vendors

Green IT will eventually shift its focus to the LAN switch, one of the biggest energy guzzlers of devices, according to a new trends report.

In-Stat released market research Monday that found that switch vendors who adapt to energy efficiency soonest will develop a competitive edge. The researcher found that shipments of power across Ethernet ports have tripled since 2005; the ports can consume more than 10 times more energy than standard ports.

Wales Commit To Tacklig Climate Change

The Welsh Assembly Government has made a commitment to tackling climate change by launching a route map which sets out ambitious plans to make Wales self-sufficient in renewable energy within 20 years.

The document suggests Wales could create far more electricity than it consumes but that is only going to be the case if they really maximize the big resources like wind, wave and tidal. However, to really maximize these opportunities, a huge financial commitment is needed from the Government.

Solar, wind, wave and tidal resources have an enormous reserve of energy that could be exploited. In fact, according to research published in the Scientific American, the energy in sunlight striking the earth for 40 minutes is equivalent to global energy consumption for a year. This shows that the potential is out there.

Builders "Go Green" To Sell Homes

The push for environmentally friendly construction comes as the housing industry remains mired in a deep and protracted slump, with single-family housing starts off more than a third from 2005 and widely expected to keep sliding this year.

To stand out from the crowd, big home builders are going green for the first time or are expanding their existing programs — a departure from previous practice, when environmentally friendly building was mainly limited to a niche of smaller builders.

But results so far are mixed: some developments report increased traffic but no pickup in sales. Other builders say sales are on the upswing but it is too early to tell whether it is at a faster pace than their comparable, non-green developments. And the higher cost of green construction is proving a hurdle for some companies.

Bill Slated To Improve Building Efficiency

A construction standard that is already required in 10 states could become the norm for public buildings in Oklahoma based on the provisions of a bill moving through the Legislature.

House Bill 3394 passed out of the House General Government and Transportation Committee earlier this week and is expected to be heard on the House floor sometime next week.

The bill would require all new construction of state buildings as well as major renovations to use Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Building Rating System specifications. The LEED standard focuses on requiring projects to be sustainable, profitable, and healthy for those who live or work in the building.

Physics Prof. Promotes 'Manhattan Project' For Energy

A physics professor and renewable energy advocate says the federal government should launch a massive campaign to meet rising energy demands and deal with global warming.

Martin Hoffert, a researcher and a professor emeritus at New York University, said Thursday that the effort should be on the scale of the Manhattan Project, which developed the country's atomic bomb, or the NASA program that put astronauts on the moon.

Searching For "Greener" Electronics

The survey, "Searching for Greener Electronics," studied 37 products voluntarily submitted by 14 electronics manufacturers on four sets of criteria: energy efficiency, use of hazardous materials, product lifecycle and innovation / marketing, awarding points on a 1 to 10 scale. Although Sony swept the winners with models in the notebook computer, mobile phone and PDA categories, those products were notable only because they were the sole products to break the 5-point limit.

Despite the rather dismal rankings for the bulk of these products, Greenpeace said that its findings do suggest that the industry is taking significant steps toward green electronics. The report's authors find that the industry is moving out in front of existing regulations, like RoHS and WEEE, and that manufacturers and purchasers alike are quickly responding to the demand for toxic-free and energy efficient products, despite years of neglect on both of those fronts.

Even though the manufacturing side may be stepping up to the task, Greenpeace found that all the companies in its survey are still not taking a product's entire lifecycle into account -- working as hard on end-of-life concerns like recycling and reuse as they are on minimizing the impacts of production in the first place.

TVA Sets "Energy Conservation" Goals

TVA, the nation's largest public utility is preparing to get back into energy conservation and efficiency in a big way. The session Tuesday, chaired by Bottorff, drew recommendations for a long-term program that's to be unveiled to the TVA board of directors in April.

Several speakers urged TVA to adopt an energy efficiency goal of at least 1 percent of power sales annually. Some states have set similar goals for investor-owned utilities they regulate.

TVA, which provides electricity to about 8.7 million consumers in Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina, is largely self-regulated.

TVA's immediate target is achieving 1,200 megawatts in energy savings by 2013.

Microsoft Promotes Energy Efficiency At CeBIT

Microsoft kicked off the largest technology trade show by focusing on initiatives to cut energy use for itself and its customers.

CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote speech at CeBIT yesterday touched on Microsoft's attempts to reduce energy needs from data centers and its products, according to news reports.

The company has been studying how to reduce the power consumption of its products for a decade, resulting in Windows Vista using 3 watts per hour compared to XP's 100 watts per hour, according to IDG News Service. Windows Server 2008 also uses 40 percent less power than its 2003 incarnation.

ASUS Green Design

Two of the key world topics today are “green” and “energy-savings”. These concepts have aroused the interest of people for some time, and ASUS has made great efforts in green design and energy-saving in its products. ASUS’ Green Design servers feature energy saving server power supplys, and are able to improve power efficiency, reduce heat dissipation and save up to 45% power loss. The servers that include these advancements include the RS160-E5, and the RS100-E5/PI2.

Green Design helps optimizes power efficiency, which results in reduced power loadings and more energy savings. By integrating ASUS’ Green Design into serverboards, up to 90% enhanced power efficiency can be achieved. This hourly energy saving is equivalent to powering a 70W light bulb continuously in the same timeframe. This is no more readily seen than in the DSEB-DG serverboard.

Energy Efficiency Conference To Be Held

The Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) will hold its second annual conference at Sebring International Raceway prior to the 56th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida. The March 13 event entitled "Developing Energy Efficiency Through Motorsports" will continue to address motorsports' role in developing energy efficient solutions, focusing on the American Le Mans Series' position as the global leader in green racing.

The distinguished group of speakers and panelists includes American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton, John Glenn of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MIA Chief Executive Chris Aylett, Shell Global Solutions Technology Manager Richard Karlstetter, High Performance Engineering Lead Officer/UKT&I Bill Griffiths, EPIC's Reece Nanfito, Mazda's John Doonan, Dr. Tim Hayes of BP America, and American Le Mans Series drivers David Brabham and Lord Paul Drayson.

Honda Highlights Natural Gas Civic

Honda Motor Co., aiming to expand its range of low-pollution autos in the United States, is studying ways to boost sales of natural-gas-powered Civics to capitalize on consumer interest in a gasoline alternative.

The company sells only about 1,000 Ohio-built Civic GX sedans a year in California and other states with natural-gas fuel stations open to the public. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rates the GX as the cleanest internal-combustion engine auto ever tested, and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy this month named the model ''America's greenest car.''

Demand for the vehicles is still low because buyers don't see a big enough advantage over gasoline-fueled cars, said Don Hillebrand, director of Argonne National Laboratory's Center for Transportation Research in Argonne, Illinois.

'Going Green' Pays Off For Boise Carpenter

The green building wave is paying dividends for Brad Boggess. Less than six months after starting his company, Sustainabuilt, Boggess has already moved once, and he's quickly running out of room at his newest Garden City location.

Stacks of kitchen cabinets made of recycled wood and exotic woods like bamboo lobby for space amid giant table saws. Boggess has barely had time to catch his breath since founding Sustainabuilt, which builds environmentally friendly furnishings for homes and offices.

Boggess, 32, used his own money to start the company. He formerly certified homes to make sure they met federal Energy Star standards and green-construction standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. He saw a business opportunity.

Energy Efficient Microchip

Researchers at MIT and Texas Instruments have unveiled a new chip design for portable electronics that can be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than present technology. The design could lead to a variety of devices that will last far longer when running from a battery.

The key to the improvement in energy efficiency was to find ways of making the circuits on the chip work at a voltage level much lower than usual. While most current chips operate at approximately one volt, the new design works at just 0.3 volts. Reducing the operating voltage, however, is not as simple as it might sound because existing microchips have been optimized for many years to operate at higher standard voltages. Therefore, memory and logic circuits have to be redesigned to operate at very low power-supply voltages.

One key to the new design, was to build a high-efficiency, DC-to-DC converter that reduces the voltage to the lower level — right on the same chip, thereby reducing the number of separate components. The redesigned memory and logic, along with the DC-to-DC converter, are integrated to realize a complete system-on-a-chip solution.

Michigan Governor Urges action on renewable Energy bills

Governor Jennifer Granholm wants the Legislature to pass bills in March requiring that 10 percent of electricity be from renewable resources by 2016. She said at least two dozen other states have such a standard and are attracting the jobs Michigan needs.

The utilities say they need legislative changes before they build multibillion-dollar power plants -- either coal-fired or nuclear plants -- whose costs would be passed onto customers. They argue that, without laws limiting how many of their customers could look to other energy sources, they would not be able to get the loans they need to build the new plants.

Wal-Mart to Audit State Capitols' Energy Efficiency

As part of their focus this year on clean energy, the nation's governors Saturday announced a partnership between the National Governors Association and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. that is intended to reduce the overall energy consumption of state capitol complexes.

Under the Greening the Capitols partnership, a team of Wal-Mart energy experts will conduct a clean energy audit of up to 20 state capitol complexes during 2008 and 2009. They will identify energy efficiency improvements that could provide a return on investment within five years.

Westar to Invest In Renewable Energy

Westar Energy plans to put off building additional coal-fired power plants in favor of energy efficiency programs, investing in renewable energy and improving the environmental performance of existing coal plants.

As part of its long-term plan, Westar also said it would enhance its transmission network, extend the life of its existing nuclear plant and improve the reliability of its service.

The report comes in the light of growing opposition to coal-fired power plant projects across the country, including Texas, Kansas and North Carolina.

Upgrade Your Home To Conserve Energy

If you are interested in energy conservation, the following five products should be added to your home:

• Washers that save energy and water. The newest washers are front loading, with features that use less water to clean clothes. Whirlpool, for example, has a washer that uses steam technology to save 73% of the water and 77% of the energy used by top-load washers manufactured only four years ago. A spin speed cycle is able to extract more water from clothes, cutting down on dryer time. Dishwashers are benefiting from steam technology too. The KitchenAid Steam Option dishwasher saves about 2,400 gallons of water over the life of the appliance.

• Toilets that conserve water. In many homes, toilets are the biggest water users. To save water in the bathroom, manufactures are developing toilets that use less per flush.

• No-VOC paints. Typically paints have contained some amount of volatile organic compounds. Today's paints often have low amounts of the gasses that hurt a home's indoor air quality, but a new product introduced at the builders' show contains no VOCs at all.

• Smart thermostat applications. Programmable thermostats are often touted as a way to keep energy costs down. The only problem is, many times consumers use them incorrectly.

• Low-flow faucets and showerheads. The latest versions of low-flow faucets and showerheads perform a lot better than their older counterparts, and homeowners who wouldn't sacrifice their hand washing or shower experiences for water conservation are giving these products a second look. Delta says it has a Water-Efficient Showerhead with H20kinetic Technology, a product that creates larger water droplets and provides a more drenching spray.

Three Ways To Be More Energy Efficient

If you want to become more energy efficient, here are three ways to help accomplish your goal:

3) Reach for the stars – the ENERGY STARs, that is. ENERGY STAR qualified products can cut related electricity costs by up to 30 percent. More than 50 categories of products are now labeled with this government “seal of approval” for energy efficiency. In addition to electronics and lighting (see tip numbers 8 and 5), they also include appliances, HVAC systems, windows, and more (see www.energystar.gov for a complete rundown).

2) Don’t waste money and energy heating and cooling the great outdoors, either! Make sure you have the proper amount of insulation for your climate, and seal leaks around doors and windows to cut your heating and cooling bills by up to 20 percent. With home energy costs estimated at $2,200 for the average U.S. household in 2008, and just over half of that going for heating and cooling, those savings can amount to about $225. Added benefit: Eliminate drafts and hot and cold spots for greater indoor comfort.

1) Slow down and save! Each 5 miles per hour you drive over 60 mph costs you about 20 cents more per gallon of gasoline. And aggressive driving habits – speeding, rapid acceleration and braking – can lower gas mileage by a whopping 33 percent at highway speeds and 5 percent around town. But driving sensibly can save up to 200 gallons of gasoline per year at highway speeds, or about $600 per car and about $1,200 per household with gasoline prices at $3/gallon. Added benefit: Avoiding up to 4,000 pounds of CO2 per car/8,000 per household.

Governor orders state to take lead in energy efficiency

Gov. Chet Culver Thursday issued an executive order which requires and promotes energy-saving practices in state government buildings.

Culver will tap Office of Energy Independence Director Roya Stanley to oversee the Green Government Steering Committee, which will organize the eco-friendly initiatives. The new committee will offer modifications for existing state offices to make them more green, while ensuring all future state government structures meet efficiency standards.

Energy Co. completes first phase of Energy Efficient lighting

Lime Energy has announced the completion of the first phase of an energy efficiency retrofit of a major airline's maintenance hangar at San Francisco International Airport.

The project involved replacing nearly 500 lighting fixtures in offices and work areas as part of a comprehensive lighting upgrade that will save operating costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This project utilized strategically located sensors and daylight harvesting that will automatically turn lights off when the space is not in use or when there is enough sunlight to provide adequate natural lighting.

Sensors are particularly important in this application because of the variable nature of the maintenance work performed in the hangar.

Which 'BULB' Is Best?

In October, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB1109, a lighting-efficiency bill sponsored by Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. The law requires an increase in energy efficiency and a reduction of the pollution associated with lighting technology. The law also will likely speed up adoption of efficiency requirements in California and could even layer on new standards.

Starting in 2012, a 100-watt bulb will have to become a 72-watt bulb. Similar reductions in wattage will roll out for other bulbs through 2014, as manufacturers upgrade the efficiency of incandescents. In the meantime, GE has announced its intention to introduce a high-efficiency incandescent lamp, or bulb, ahead of schedule by 2010.

State Reviews Efficiency Incentives For Utilities

State regulators are drafting a new rate plan to guarantee that utilities won't lose money if their customers use less electricity. This framework, known as revenue decoupling, aims to revamp rate structures, which environmentalists and utilities say pose barriers to energy efficiency and lower consumption. Currently, utilities make more money by delivering more electricity, giving them little incentive to promote efficiency measures that reduce sales.

Decoupling aims to break the connection between sales and revenue, typically by fixing per-customer delivery charges, which are now adjusted regularly to compensate for changes in sales volumes. Freed from the need to increase sales, utilities can pursue efficiency measures to help customers use less energy and save money, decoupling supporters say.

Highmark Inc. top lists of Green IT users

Highmark Inc. of Harrisburg, Pa., has been named the number one green IT user by Computerworld, which surveyed more than 80 companies to find the top 12 green IT users and vendors.

With the help of experts from The Green Grid, Forrester Research and Base Partners, Computerworld crafted a survey looking for which companies are doing the most in reducing energy and implementing technology to cut energy and carbon emissions.

The top companies were chosen from the 86 responses to queries about energy and carbon goals, employee encouragement, purchasing practices, incentives, recycling, HVAC, data center layout, increase in energy efficiency, renewable energy and reduction of energy used.

Wal-Mart Pledges $500 For Energy Center

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has embraced conservation measures as a way to cut costs at its giant stores, has announced that it will provide $500,000 over five years to support programs at the Energy Efficiency Center at University of California Davis and one of its executives will serve on the center's board.

The center, established in 2006 with a $1 million grant from the California Clean Energy Fund, is intended to help speed energy-saving products and techniques into the broad marketplace. The company's local energy-efficiency efforts include a new type of cooling system at its West Sacramento store.

U.S. Utilities focus on Energy Efficiency

U.S. utilities are focusing on energy efficiency to lessen the need to build new power plants while they await what they see as inevitable carbon regulation, executives said at the four-day CERA conference in Houston that ended on Friday.

Uncertainty over the form and cost of regulation of carbon dioxide emissions has many utility executive hedging their bets on new power plants while consumer conservation programs are viewed as a safe way to give consumers more tools to control energy consumption in the face of rising costs.

Data centers take the LEED

Highmark Inc.'s new 28,000-square-foot data center in Harrisburg, Pa., isn't just energy-efficient, it was also one of the first to attain the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building certification, issued by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

For businesses that want the cachet of going green, LEED is the ultimate status symbol. While attaining the certification is a laudable goal, not all of the recommendations make sense for buildings that house data centers, and getting the certification can be a reach -- especially when retrofitting existing data centers.

While most data center managers associate going green with energy efficiency, LEED certifications are much more about overall impact on the environment and social responsibility. For example, having a recycling program is mandatory to attain LEED.

'Going Green' big at Builder's conference

The drive toward "green" residential construction takes center stage this week at the world's largest light construction conference and trade show. The National Association of Home Builders will announce national green building standards and a green builder designation at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla.

Both represent "what seems to be the future of home building," said Calli Schmidt of the NAHB. The national effort is growing out of individual states' green building initiatives in recent years. That includes Michigan, where Grand Rapids builders helped drive a statewide set of green building guidelines in recent years, said Schmidt.

Ameren Illinois Utilities propose Energy Efficiency plan

The Ameren Illinois Utilities have filed an energy efficiency plan with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) designed to help customers save money by reducing their natural gas usage.

Customers will be given a variety of options from which to cut their energy costs. For example, the plan proposes incentives for residential customers to install high-efficiency furnaces, automatic programmable thermostats, water heater and hot water pipe insulation, wall insulation and low-emissivity double-pane windows.

There also will be programs for low-income customers and incentives for apartment building owners and commercial customers that will help them improve energy efficiency.

Data Center University Includes Green Courses

Heading into its third year, Data Center University offers more than 45 online courses, including classes on energy efficiency and green IT practices. Data Center University was launched by American Power Conversion in 2006 and offers a course catalog running the gamut of power and cooling basics to blade server integration.

Optimizing data centers has become an important issue for companies that are looking to save money, lessen their impact on the environment, or both. Recent studies have show businesses are migrating to, or want to switch to, greener computing practices for various. Not only does cutting power and cooling costs at data centers save money, but it also cuts the amount of energy consumed.

Many of Data Center University's courses have environmental, and economical impacts. Introductory, intermediate and advanced classes look at different levels of power and cooling. Other classes teach how to establish energy-efficiency benchmarks and environmental monitoring. The University also offers an Associate Certification test that covers knowledge of all aspects of data centers

Europe outpaces US in energy efficiency

Across Europe, countries are experimenting with policies to encourage homeowners, renters and landlords to make buildings more energy-efficient. They've been prodded by the European Union, which as part of its effort to fight climate change has set an ambitious goal to cut energy consumption in buildings 11% by 2020.

In the U.S., some companies such as Citigroup Inc. and a handful of states such as California have launched efforts to improve energy efficiency in buildings. But in general, the U.S. has been slower to devise policies to address the problem. The EU, meanwhile, has mandated that member states renew their building codes every five years and create standards to calculate the energy efficiency of buildings.

Another measure calls for all buildings to submit a report card, or "energy certificate," which can be shown to prospective buyers or renters. The hope is that grading buildings on their energy efficiency will spur landlords and owners to undertake renovations.

'Renewable' Label wrong For Nuclear

Last year, the South Carolina Senate approved a bill that would classify a host of energies -- solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, hydrogen -- as "renewable." But the bill was amended to also include nuclear power, which does not make sense because uranium fuel comes from a finite source just like oil and coal does.

The House this week voted 114-0 to remove nuclear energy from the list of renewable resources and returned the bill to its original intent.

The classification of nuclear as "renewable" is more than just senseless. It diverts attention from the original intent of the Energy Efficiency Act, which was to promote South Carolina's emerging, homegrown energy economy. Furthermore, allowing power companies to boost their "renewable" power ratings with nuclear-generated power creates loopholes for future energy production standards and discourages serious investments in real energy conservation.

Interstate Power reduces plan to reduce emissions

Interstate Power and Light Co. said Friday it plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by retiring two coal burning electricity generating units in Lansing and switching a Dubuque power plant from coal to natural gas.

The plans will only be implemented if the company, a subsidiary of Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy Corp., is allowed to build a new $1.5 billion coal plant in Marshalltown.

The company expects to complete the regulatory application process and get an answer from the Iowa Utility Board this summer.

Siemon Gives Tips For Green IT Cabling

Network cabling company Siemon has launched an online resource with cabling tips that can make buildings greener.

Siemon's green cabling website gives an overview of the United States Green Building Council's LEED program, offers advise on how to use cabling to maximize energy efficiency, and lists products and their green credentials.

Most importantly, the website talks about using the design and routing of cabling to allow cool air to flow unobstructed through data centers and also to guide cool air where it is needed.

Siemon also looks at the benefits of installing high-bandwidth cabling systems to avoid frequent replacement, noting that using cabling with longevity prevents wasting materials and resources like copper.

New energy Law Increases Opportunities For Businesses

New energy efficiency requirements will spur sales of many next-generation products -- from light emitting diodes to cutting edge biofuels -- to help America go greener.

Suppliers of components for fuel-efficient cars will be big winners as automakers scramble to meet a 40% increase in average fuel efficiency by 2020. They'll snap up diesel engines from BorgWarner, IHI Corp. and Honeywell's Garrett. And batteries for hybrids from Johnson Controls and Panasonic. Hitachi, TRW and others will see more orders for electronic and mechanical components.

Lighting manufacturers can also expect their order books to fill up fast. New efficiency regulations for lighting will effectively KO incandescent bulbs by the middle of the next decade. Lighting firms such as Osram Sylvania and Philips can expect huge demand for light emitting diodes, compact fluorescents and pinpoint halogens. Among smaller firms likely to benefit: Element Labs, an LED expert. And Orion Energy Services, a leading player in efficient fluorescents.

Heating Efficiency Bill Up For Action

MONTPELIER, Vt.—A legislative committee Tuesday approved another bid to set up an energy efficiency utility aimed at cutting use of heating fuels, and lawmakers hope they've made enough changes from last year's version to avoid another veto by Gov. Jim Douglas.

The measure, approved by the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, would set up a new program to promote and manage efficiency efforts aimed at buildings. Supporters cited estimates that Vermonters could cut $300 million off the more than $800 million per year they spend now to heat homes, businesses and other buildings.

Green Companies Target China

AUSTRALIAN businesses offering green building products and services can take advantage of China's burgeoning construction sector, export agency Austrade says.

With China expected to have half the world's building construction between now and 2020, its energy consumption is set to spiral.

Austrade's country manager for China, Peter Osborne, said Chinese authorities had established environmentally friendly building plans and policies.

Survey Finds Investors Are Interested In Green Investing

Investing in the environment is rich soil to till, reports a survey released by Allianz Global Investors. Almost half of those surveyed said that in the next year they are likely to invest in a company or fund that is proactive on environmental issues.

The survey of over 1,000 adults on the environment and investing was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media for Allianz.

Seventy-one percent of investors surveyed said that environmental technology was a "buy" and the most desirable sector to invest in. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed listed investing in the environment as an "important focus" for their future investments.

Students Tackle Global Warming Through Game

Four groups of students finished the college’s National Symposium on Global Warming with the Climate Change Game, working as corporations, governments and individuals to affect climate change and reduce carbon emission from their respective organizations.

"It puts people in charge of the global climate,” said Medard Gabel, a consultant with Big Picture, Small World, which designed the climate game and helps educate students and corporate offices on the subject matter. “It’s about changes we need to make as a society to deal with the climate change. There are things we can do as governments, corporations, organizations and as individuals.”

Each group was given a set of strategies released by international scientists on what people could do to help alleviate the problem in their respective areas, such as raising fuel efficiency standards. From all 17 corporations, governments and organizations listed, the groups chose to represent, the Chinese government, U.S. government, Chinese individuals and Wal-Mart.

With students within the groups working against each other as “change-makers” and “keepers of the status quo,” the game wasn’t entirely easy, especially when the goal was a 200 billion ton reduction of carbon. Students also tried to outdo each other, funding certain programs and making deals or merely bribing two students representing the media outlets for preferential treatment.

PUC eases rules of energy efficiency program

California regulators Thursday lowered the bar for an energy-efficiency program to allow utilities to earn about $89 million in customer-funded incentives for achieving as little as 65% of the power savings goals laid out for them. The California Public Utilities Commission also ruled that utilities could keep such incentives awarded to them even if a subsequent audit showed that the companies did not achieve the savings they reported.

Under that plan, utilities that achieved 65% of energy- efficiency goals collectively would have been penalized $142 million. Incentives would accrue after the companies reached 85% of the goals.

The energy-efficiency program "allows utilities to earn real money on an annual basis for their progress in meeting the state's energy-efficiency goals without having to worry that they'll have to give those monies back," he said. "This will significantly strengthen the motivation the utilities have to aggressively pursue energy efficiency."

Motel 6 Becoming More Energy Efficient

Motel 6 has signed on to participate in the Honeywell Cool Control Plus program, which is designed to help drastically reduce Motel 6’s environmental footprint. Working on behalf of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Honeywell will install energy-saving retrofits in a total of 7,530 rooms in the 66 Motel 6 properties located within PG&E’s service area in northern and central California.

Motel 6 has independently installed the Telkonet SmartEnergy (formerly Smart Systems) occupancy sensors and thermostats in 49 properties in California, and teaming with PG&E and Honeywell will bring the total number of rooms with retrofits to 13,440.

Rise In CO2 Emissions Predicted

Definitive figures for the UK's 2006 carbon dioxide emissions published on Thursday are expected to show further rises in the climate change gas, CO2. Provisional statistics for 2006, published last March, showed UK emissions were around 1.2% higher than 2005.

And despite the Government's commitment to taking action on global warming - shown most recently in the Climate Change Bill - figures look set to show a 2.7% increase since Labour came to power in 1997. While the UK is set to meet and exceed its Kyoto target of 12.5% cuts on 1990 levels by the period 2008 to 2012, it has become clear the Government will not meet its 20% cuts by 2010 manifesto target.

Nokia To Introduce More Energy Efficient Chargers

Nokia promises to reduce by 50% the average amount of energy used by battery chargers in "no-load" mode—when they are plugged into the mains but not charging a mobile phone.

The company also aims to reduce the average no-load power consumption by another 50% by the end of 2010. It will also remind consumers to unplug the charger from the electricity outlet once the phone has been fully charged.

Nokia said it reduced the company's overall global energy consumption by 3.5% though energy-efficiency programs. It is targeting further savings between 2007 and 2012 of 6% compared to 2006 levels. It uses green electricity to power 25% of the energy used by its facilities worldwide and will increase this to 50% in 2010.

Bush Commits To Climate Fund

The United States will commit $US2 billion ($A2.26 billion) over the next three years to a new international fund to promote clean energy technologies and fight climate change, President George W Bush has told Congress.

He said the United States is committed to working with major economies and the United Nations to complete an international agreement that "has the potential to slow, stop and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases".

A European Climate Plan

THE EUROPEAN Union announced a new plan last week to combat global warming that would set firm caps on emissions by 27 countries. The initiative might be seen as widening the gap on climate change between Europe and the United States, given the Bush administration's refusal to consider such binding measures. But that's premature: In fact, the proposal in many ways mirrors initiatives under discussion in Congress and could be the beginning of a harmonization of climate change policy between Brussels and Washington.

Between 2013 and 2020, the E.U. plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels. Gone are the national action plans that saw countries adopt schemes that protected local industries. Instead, the European Union would set individual national caps to meet the overall goal. The reduction would be bumped up to 30 percent if the United States and China signed binding climate change agreements.

College to host 2-day global warming teach-in

North Shore Community College already has started making its campus environmentally friendly, but with the two-day National Global Warming Teach-in starting Thursday, the college hopes to shift the focus to the entire community. US Senator John Kerry will be among legislators who will participate in a 'Dialogue with Decision Makers' on Friday.

The school's Lynn campus on Thursday and Friday will join other colleges and universities across the nation in hosting the event as part of Focus the Nation, an effort to educate citizens about the effects of global warming and climate change. The event will host local lawmakers, environmental specialists, and members of local environmental councils, and will feature speeches, demonstrations, and displays.

Building The Economy On Energy Efficiency

When former President Bill Clinton stomped for Hillary's economic plan for the country, he emphasized the importance of energy efficiency in achieving this goal:

Part of the plan to reinvigorate the economy includes major investment in clean energy, Clinton said. The one thing in common among countries with rising incomes and decreasing inequalities, he said, is a commitment to clean energy. That goes hand in hand with job creation by developing biofuels at farms and rural factories and requiring retrofits of all buildings for energy efficiency, he said.

I do agree with this plan because energy efficiency is an important element to consumption reduction and as we consume less of the ills that increases energy efficiency we invigorate the economy.

Hawaii State Buildings To Become Energy Efficient

The state of Hawaii is doing what all states should be doing in order to help curb the effects of global warming:

Eleven state government buildings, on four islands, are going to be "retrocommissioned" to increase the state's energy independence, the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism announced.

The state Department of Accounting and General Services and the energy efficiency branch of DBEDT will look for opportunities to save energy in buildings and reduce operating costs, the department said. They also will improve occupant comfort, extend equipment service life and reduce the volume of emergency calls for maintenance staff.

The 11 buildings, including the State Capitol, contain more than 1.4 million square feet of space and use about 33 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, the department said.

The City of New Orleans would have been on the right track of making its' city buildings more energy efficient if it were not for the actions of Stan "Pampy" Barre, a confidant of former New Orleans' Mayor, Marc Morial. Now Mr. Barre is a convicted felon, who is awaiting sentencing for his role in looting from the massive energy savings contract.

Wal-Mart May Become The Leader In Energy Conservation

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which launched a broad environmental push in late 2005, wants to expand that focus to other issues including energy prices, international trade and U.S. health care costs.

Chief Executive Lee Scott outlined plans in a speech Wednesday to push for more energy-saving products for Wal-Mart shoppers, work with other retailers on social and environmental standards for the foreign companies they buy from, and trim prescription and health records costs at home.

The world's largest retailer may even someday install windmills or solar panels at its stores that would allow shoppers to charge electric vehicles, and it is talking with automakers about a possible role in the hybrid and electric car market.