Energy Efficiency Archives - Page 3 of 8

Oct 27

Renewable Energy Pricing- A Tomato Tale

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 2 Comments

This year was a blowout for tomato production at the Ihnen household. Enough tomatoes were planted such that if a tomato plague blighted the Ihnen ranch, wiping out 90% of the crop, there would still be plenty for onsite production. What to do? We visited the People’s Food Coop in La Crosse where we buy nearly all our produce. Cherry tomatoes are selling for $1.80 per pint, and locally grown tomatoes are going for $3.00 per pound. This is great! Clearly, our crop as shown, represents a nice down payment toward an advanced degree for our K-9s. We loaded all…

Oct 06

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Energy Efficiency Benefit/Cost Tests- And a Handful of Excedrin, Pretty Please

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 10 Comments

Back in May I wrote that we need to explain the benefits of energy efficiency in simple terms – like our mothers would understand. In that I explained that utilities serve a public benefit, like roads. Since the dawn of energy efficiency, there have been cost effectiveness hurdles – that make little sense to this 20 year veteran, let alone my 80 year old mother. Since this is not (thankfully) my normal area of expertise, it took me a couple hours to figure things out and I’m still not sure I have this all right. That my friends speaks volumes,…

Sep 29

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Electricity from Natural Gas – The Game Changer; I’ll Say!

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments

Last week, I mentioned that having a diversified fleet of power generating plants is a smart strategy for any utility; specifically, diversity by fuel source. The recent natural gas bonanza cut loose with the perfection of hydraulic fracturing and mind-blowing drilling capability (vertical a few thousand feet, then horizontal a few thousand feet) has unleashed a fury of kneejerk policy and utility strategy changes. As is common with the Energy Rant, Jeff says, not so fast. It isn’t that easy. There are consequences and major challenges with racing down this road without thinking.First we have the federal government (the EPA)…

Sep 15

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Black Box Technology – Rarely Real; More Often Hocus Pocus

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments

Readers of this blog may think I’m a cynical, frumpy coot because I’m frequently noting the negative aspects of approaches, programs, technologies, and evaluation. I feel obligated to do it because I’m a licensed professional engineer in half a dozen, or so, states. Professional engineers, like doctors, are sworn to go about their profession in the best interest for the general well-being, health, and welfare of the public and those they serve (e.g. clients). Well-being and welfare include not getting screwed over or caught by surprise – by revealing the whole story; the whole truth. Recently, E Source published a…

Aug 25

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Energy Code (non) Compliance; Could it be… SATAN?

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments

I spent last week at ACEEE’s Summer Study for Buildings, and one topic area I maximumly followed was energy codes and code compliance. In past years, I would rank codes and standards second to the bottom, just above lighting for my priorities. The reason for my sudden interest is the vaporizing gravy train of widgets, especially lighting and the need for other savings mechanisms. Why not code compliance?States are updating energy codes willy nilly to the next rounds of ASHRAE 90.1 / International Energy Conservation Code. As the Church Lady used to say, “Isn’t that special?” The problem is the…

Aug 11

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Energy Efficiency Baselines – Do or Don’t, Not This or That

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 2 Comments

This week’s post is brought to you by AESP’s 2014 Summer Conference, which went off last week in San Francisco. I was speaking with a lifelong esteemed consultant from the Bay Area during the opening reception, and his disclosure was that regulators in a certain state are wrenching down too tightly on baseline assumptions. At the same time, they are unyielding in their energy-saving targets. This is a problem because it leaves customers that haven’t been picked over with artificial barriers.During the closing plenary, I noted a similar comment by Janice Berman from Pacific Gas and Electric. Her comment, stated…

Aug 04

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Electric Vehicles; I’ll Take the Bus, Thanks

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 2 Comments

When consumers are considering the purchase of an electric vehicle, what are they thinking? Good question. I would be thinking, how can I fully utilize it and what are the limitations? The limitation nearly anyone would consider include the limited driving range. What can I do with the 70 mile or so cap between charges? Obvious (I think) answers include driving to work and running errands around the city. But there are a boatload of other owner and societal issues no one mentions – not this article from Green Tech Media, which is based on this report from the Edison…

Jul 28

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Why Is Electricity Use Flat? – A Different Look

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant, Government, Utility Stuff 3 Comments

As readers of this blog are sure to know, electricity consumption growth has leveled out and essentially disappeared in recent years. This is celebrated, but I say, beware of what you wish for – kind of like winning the lottery. It may seem wonderful until reality and the unintended consequences set in. But I want to do a deeper dive into why energy consumption in buildings, in particular electricity, is on the fall. As ACEEE reported back in February of this year, Why is Electricity Use No Longer Growing, efficiency is a significant contributing factor. I agree. But I also…

Jul 21

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DC Circuit’s Smackdown of FERC re Demand Response

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant One Comment

I’ve written dozens of proposals, and I’ve read dozens and dozens of requests for proposals from all sorts of entities including states, local governments, private corporations, and of course, utilities. With this comes scope of work requested, required proposal content, rules, terms and conditions, and due dates. I always consider content of the RFP to mean what it says, and if it isn’t clear what it means, either ask a question via the process detailed in the RFP, or ignore it and work it out later, or it is a minor thing – irrelevant in the big picture. Enter the…

Jul 07

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Misunderstood Uranium – Boogeyman and Small Boxes

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 4 Comments

If we are to get serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we must put down the mud balls, enjoy some sacred-cow burgers, burn the little boxes in which we confine ourselves, and maybe have a little counseling about that boogeyman under the bed. This post first addresses the little boxes and may assuage fear of the boogeyman. A major step in the right direction is a rebirth of nuclear power as discussed in a recent post, The Nuclear Option. One thing is for sure, if you find yourself in any sort of reader comment and chat session, there is apparently…

Renewable Energy Pricing- A Tomato Tale

Energy Efficiency Benefit/Cost Tests- And a Handful of Excedrin, Pretty Please

Electricity from Natural Gas – The Game Changer; I’ll Say!

Black Box Technology – Rarely Real; More Often Hocus Pocus

Energy Code (non) Compliance; Could it be… SATAN?

Energy Efficiency Baselines – Do or Don’t, Not This or That

Electric Vehicles; I’ll Take the Bus, Thanks

Why Is Electricity Use Flat? – A Different Look

DC Circuit’s Smackdown of FERC re Demand Response

Misunderstood Uranium – Boogeyman and Small Boxes

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