In this week’s Energy Rant, Jeff Ihnen (CEO at Michaels Energy) interviews Doug Houseman (Principal Consultant at Burns & McDonnell) about energy storage. Doug is a leader and visionary in grid and utility modernization. You’ll quickly get a sense of his wealth of knowledge as we take you through our interview-style conversation.
Energy Storage with Doug Houseman
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Energy Rant
Electricity Shortages and What to Do About It
Some folks pin excessive weight on the federal government’s influence over our efficiency and load management industries. Even though billions/trillions of dollars are allocated through the “Inflation Reduction Act” and “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” those funds are fleeting. What’s more enduring? Rising electricity prices and load-balancing authorities are pushing for more baseload generation and transmission-line construction – things that are always met with stiff resistance by state and local governments and stakeholder groups. Utility Dive recently reported that electricity prices outpaced the broader U.S. consumer price index. Well, gee, why would this happen? Have fuel prices increased? No. You’d think electricity prices…
Jeff IhnenMarch 26, 2024
Guest Blog: The ‘Lift’ in Account Management – How to Inspire Action
This week's Energy Rant is written by Kenny Porter and Tyler Kashdan of Michaels Energy. As I shoveled my way out of the recent record-breaking snowstorm, I couldn't help but reflect on the monumental effort it took to move all that snow. It reminded me of our work in outreach. Not the physical lifting of snow, but the weighty task of convincing customers that their time isn't wasted and that real benefits await them by enrolling in utility energy efficiency programs. We're dedicating this blog to talk about our role as Account Managers. So Much Waste Did you know that commercial…
Jeff IhnenMarch 19, 2024
Four Steps to Energy Code Flatline
Energy efficiency program administrators can be quite conservative regarding change and innovation. I love hearing, “Bring us new ideas that have been successful in three or four other programs.” There you are! The pinch is on. Energy efficiency codes and standards have raised the bar consistently such that incremental savings from one code change to the next are exceedingly scarce. The gravy-train days of incremental widget-efficiency improvements, including lighting efficacy and heating and cooling equipment efficiencies, are quickly closing. Vehicles A nice parallel to diminishing returns on efficiency is vehicle mileage. The following chart shows fuel energy consumed per thousand…
Jeff IhnenMarch 4, 2024