May 2012 - Michaels Energy

May 29

Misguided Benchmarking

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments

Unfortunately, some products and services in life still require cash – coins or paper. Some of the last places I use these anachronisms include taxis, and… and tips, or an occasional soda machine. Oh and the beloved antique parking meters and toll roads in some places. Here is something to consider: if the meter only takes coins, skip it. You’ll spend $50 of your time finding a few bucks of quarters somewhere and running to the meter every hour or two – all to save a $10 parking ticket. A few times a year when traveling with others, we need…

May 22

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Smart Grid – What does it really mean for consumers?

By Michaels Energy Briefs

The bottom line is, Smart Grid provides information to consumers that allows them to take charge of their energy consumption and reduce cost in ways that have never been available to other than large electric users.

May 22

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Undersize AC for Efficient Dehumidification

By Michaels Energy Briefs

Over-sizing your system is going to cost you more for a bigger unit and deliver poorer performance. Ask your mechanical contractor to perform a loads analysis before installing equipment.

May 21

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Boredom or Drone?

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments

Last week’s AESP Spring Conference in Baltimore wrapped up with Dr. Julie Albright’s presentation, The Social Utility – great stuff. I had already attended a similar presentation by Dr. Albright, apparently during last fall’s conference (crap for memory here). As the title suggests, the subject is social media: LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and dozens of offshoots that aggregate and/or process information from these sites into a preferred presentation. It’s mind blowing. Dr. Albright’s presentation includes generational views of these things – the people aspect. There are three generations of folks in the workforce today, from old to young: boomers…

May 14

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Ballad of Willie Widget Man

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments

As I created Widget Man last week I couldn’t get Elton John’s Rocket Man out of my head, so naturally I started to think parody. A warm up may be good to get your rhythm. Willie Widget Man goes sumpin ike iss: They set my goals so high, I cried Two percent, holy crap! Why they gotta be high as a kite like that? I miss the fruit so low, I miss old code It’s not easy for me now It’s such a mindless rite And I think it’s gonna be a damn hard time No light bulbs anywhere for…

May 08

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Part Load Efficiencies

By Michaels Energy Briefs

Commercial and industrial equipment efficiency is almost always expressed at full load or at one operating point, typically whatever operating condition produces the best results. Consider efficient boilers.

May 07

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Widgetman

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant, Government 4 Comments

Widgetitis: Obsessive compulsion to build canals with teaspoons – or meet program goals with showerheads. A short story about economist Milton Friedman from The Wall Street Journal sort of sets the stage for effectively meeting program/portfolio goals in big chunks: “Milton recalled traveling to an Asian country in the 1960s and visiting a worksite where a new canal was being built. He was shocked to see that, instead of modern tractors and earth movers, the workers had shovels. He asked why there were so few machines. The government bureaucrat explained: “You don’t understand. This is a jobs program.” To which…

Misguided Benchmarking

Smart Grid – What does it really mean for consumers?

Undersize AC for Efficient Dehumidification

Ballad of Willie Widget Man

Part Load Efficiencies

Widgetman

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