heat pumps Archives - Michaels Energy

Feb 13

Decarbonizing District Steam and Chilled Water Plants

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

Let's begin with Oxford Dictionary's definition of decarbonization. Noun: reduction or elimination of carbon dioxide emissions from a process such as manufacturing or the production of energy. Last week, I introduced central or district plants that serve multiple buildings with steam, chilled water, and, in many cases, electricity. District plants serve colleges, healthcare, manufacturing campuses, and, in some cases, entire sections of cities. This week, I describe issues and strategies to save energy and decarbonize these plants. As I learned early in my energy efficiency career, it is essential to understand the design logic behind the system before recommending modifications. Steam moves…

Aug 02

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Better than Best Program Practices

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

When Val Jenson talks, I listen. When he writes, I read. His recent article in Energy Central triggered an avalanche of ideas for a program, portfolio, and industry overhaul needed to get us there, which is the next level of savings equal to the last 25 years of lighting replacements and retrofits. Those days are gone, and unfortunately, the line of thinking that got us here (light bulbs) won’t get us there. Downstream Days are Numbered Let’s start with my favorite need for an overhaul, which is my greatest peeve – rebates and cash incentives to customers, known as a…

Jul 12

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Electrification – Damn the Torpedo

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant 2 Comments

I attended Electric Power Research Institute’s Electrification 2022 Conference in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago. As a critical thinker and engineer, I often listened and thought, what about this or that, what does that look like at scale, or what you really need to do is ___. Silos of Excellence Everyone seems to think about an endpoint where the entire country will run on solar panels, windmills, heat pumps, and electric vehicles. No one talks about what must happen between here and there. The silos of excellence include: Our industry and associated tiny departments representing utilities expect a 100%…

Jul 27

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Emerging Technology v Disruption

By Jeff Ihnen Featured Energy Rant No Comments

Hi folks! We’re picking up from last week’s post in which we examined three vital elements for advancing technologies from successful pilots to mainstream acceptance and market penetration. They are: Makin’ money – it must be profitable from the manufacturer through the point of sale to the end-user. Cool – getting market penetration is much easier when customers show off their new thing to their sphere of colleagues, friends, and neighbors. Simple – end-users of the product should understand the product and have no surprises like, why is my water heater blowing cold air? Pilot Results I estimate the vast…

Jul 20

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From Pilot to Mainstream – Barriers and Solutions

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

“We need some ideas for saving energy. Whaddya got?” Have you ever heard those lines? They are about as common as “Are we there yet? How much further?” Last week I was on a working group call on the subject of emerging technology. They didn’t call it that, but that’s what it was. Specifically, the discussion centered around taking successful pilot work and broadcasting it nationwide to expand it to the mainstream. That is emerging technology or maybe market transformation. From my brain, emerging technologies include proven technologies or approaches that are not yet widely common in the market or…

Oct 07

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Phase Change Materials for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs)!

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

Last week in Thermal Storage for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs), I introduced the importance of phase changes from solid to liquid to vapor, and the reverse, to our modern world. Benefits include heating, cooling, and refrigeration for all types of uses, including space conditioning, food storage and transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, and of course, thermal storage. The simplest everyday thermal storage material is ice. Grocery and convenience companies have enormous ice-making facilities for guess what: thermal storage and your lowly Igloo or swanky Yeti coolers. I have a Coleman Lil Oscar cooler that I’ve used since Ha School. Now that is…

Sep 30

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Thermal Storage for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

Aside from efficiency being a core component of my thermos-fluids courses in engineering school, phase changes were also captivating to me. Phase changes from solid (ice) to liquid (water) to vapor (steam) have been used for hundreds of years, and more recently, the last 150 years, give or take, to generate electricity, refrigerate, freeze and keep us cool in the summer heat. Like water, practically anything will freeze, melt or vaporize. Take copper, please. It is widely used to conduct electricity in homes and buildings. It too melts and vaporizes. When it vaporizes, you don’t want to be near it…

Oct 30

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Electric Vehicle Charging – Deep Thoughts from an Abnormal Mind

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

Last week I attended a workshop, “Powering A More Electric Economy”, sponsored by the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute (WPUI). They provide great content, and this workshop was no exception. It got me thinking, which can be dangerous for our staff and Rant readers, but that’s the price you pay to be a daredevil. The primary technologies discussed included electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps. In this post, I write about the “what ifs” of potential widespread EV adoption. The Wheel, Reinvented Here is something to dazzle your friends, family, and pets with: EVs were popular 100 years ago. I love…

Apr 21

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Heat Pumps – Not a Weapon of Mass Destruction

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 2 Comments

In the 1970s, before STAR WARS, my childhood fantasy sci-fi favorite was Planet of the Apes. Like STAR WARS, there were about five movies in the series, but I only remember the story lines of the first two. Three guys travel through time in a space ship, supposedly light years away. They land on a planet that is actually California, ironically (can tell from the landscape, and hey, movies were once made in California). It is several centuries into the future as it turns out, and on the Planet of the Apes, the apes talked (in English of course) and…

Decarbonizing District Steam and Chilled Water Plants

Better than Best Program Practices

Electrification – Damn the Torpedo

Emerging Technology v Disruption

From Pilot to Mainstream – Barriers and Solutions

Phase Change Materials for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs)!

Thermal Storage for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Electric Vehicle Charging – Deep Thoughts from an Abnormal Mind

Heat Pumps – Not a Weapon of Mass Destruction

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