by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 28, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
There is weekly, if not daily, chatter about the end of the monopolistic electric utility systems we have today. They call it the utility death spiral, and it goes like this: Distributed generation, also known as DG, which includes rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV)...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 7, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Last week I attended the ACEEE National Symposium on Market Transformation in Baltimore. Learning and information gathering from conference sessions are typically down the list of reasons I attend conferences. This conference however turned out to be very beneficial...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 3, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Perhaps I am naïve, but to be more effective it seems interveners would do well to understand motives of profit-driven enterprises and their customers. Consider, for example, this recent article in Midwest Energy News lamenting CenterPoint Energy’s withdrawal from...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 27, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Six or seven years ago, without knowing more about the Nest thermostat, I would have commented something to the effect that, “It’s a stupid thermostat. How brilliant could it possibly be?” Once I got my hands on an iPhone, I could see what the deserved hype was...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 9, 2013 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
When I first started working at Michaels, still in my 20s, my workdays usually ended around 5:15, and since I was allergic to rolling out of bed before 6:00 AM, I would run after work in La Crosse. I started running the trails of Hixon Forest, a very nice park on the...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 18, 2013 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Recently I have been preparing a presentation on a broad array of energy efficiency issues for executives and facility managers of large commercial and industrial facilities. I was wisely advised by the utility product manager to keep it engaging and interactive. I...
