by Jeff Ihnen | Aug 19, 2024 | Energy Rant
Longtime Rant readers know I keep both feet on planet Earth, capturing all sides (typically two) and explaining, yes, but (fill in the blank). For the next case study, I was recently presented with a slide deck from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), The Cleantech...
by Michaels Energy | Aug 13, 2024 | Awards
Michaels Energy was awarded a spot on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the United States in 2024. In 2024, Michaels achieved nearly 425% growth in revenue and 339% growth in staff compared to 2020! They must be U.S.-based, privately held,...
by Jeff Ihnen | Aug 12, 2024 | Energy Rant
This week, I’m reporting on themes presented at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) summer camp, also known as the Summer Study for Buildings, from Pacific Grove, California. Here are the themes: Heat pumps (~ 80 papers) Decarbonization...
by Jeff Ihnen | Aug 6, 2024 | Energy Rant
This is the third and final post in a series of Energy Rants on rising electricity prices and unreliability. The first post, Rising Price of Less Reliable Electricity, defined and quantified the problem and discussed some reasons and challenges in the future. Last...
by Michaels Energy | Aug 1, 2024 | The Big Why
Heat pumps present one of the best tools for decarbonization. They are very efficient compared to other heating technologies, are similar in price to air conditioning systems, and rely on an electric grid that is getting cleaner over time. Because of this,...
by Elisabeth Bischoff | Jul 31, 2024 | Awards
Energy Rant, a blog written weekly by our CEO Jeff Ihnen, was awarded the dotCOMM Gold award in 2024. DotCOMM is an international competition honoring excellence in web creativity and digital communication. The competition is unique in that it reflects the role of...
by Elisabeth Bischoff | Jul 31, 2024 | Awards
In 2024, the Michaels Energy team earned the Hermes Gold Creative Award for the 2024 karaoke mashup calendar. The Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing, and design of traditional and emerging...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jul 29, 2024 | Energy Rant
For 50 years ending in 2000, electrical loads in the United States expanded at an average of 5.1% per year. For the next 20 years, the growth was essentially zero. Projections for the coming five years are roughly 1% per year (compounded annual growth rate, CAGR)....
by Jeff Ihnen | Jul 19, 2024 | Energy Rant
“Americans used to spend little energy worrying about whether the lights would come on at the flick of a switch, or how much that electricity cost. For a growing number of people, those days are over.” Those are the first two sentences of an article published in The...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jul 16, 2024 | Energy Rant
This is the third and final edition of the history of energy efficiency and Michaels Energy over the last 40 years. The first edition, covering the Early Years Through Deregulation, spanned 1984 into the Great Depression of Energy Efficiency. The second edition...
