by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 15, 2019 | Energy Rant
This blog features dozens of posts regarding the nuances, obscurities, and upside down world of the public utility industry. To wit, every other industry provides things people need or want at the lowest possible price in competition with dozens or even hundreds of...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 8, 2019 | Energy Rant
“Casual observers are often wrong.” Why didn’t I think of this for a tagline? It is a line inked by utility veteran Charles Bayless in the March issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly. His article, “Does Storage Increase Carbon?” is the basis of this post. By the...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 1, 2019 | Energy Rant
Show me anything, and I’ll investigate it. This investigation was spurred by an article blurb I reviewed for a potential spot in AESP’s monthly member e-magazine, Strategies. The headline: Connection Between Home Energy Efficiency and Respiratory Health in Low-Income...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 25, 2019 | Energy Rant
Four years after I explained why distributed rooftop solar[1] on every home bucks every successful ongoing business trend in existence, Keith Dennis[2] proves it in Public Utilities Fortnightly. His article: NOT Zero Energy. The vehicle for Mr. Dennis’ flatulent beef...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 18, 2019 | Energy Rant
Texans may need Tabasco, not just for their favorite dish or condiment, but as a deterrent to chewing their fingernails as they ride the cliff of blackouts this summer. Numerous articles, including this most recent one I saw from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, caution...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 11, 2019 | Energy Rant
This week, we finish the series on attribution studies. First, let me explain, while I beat up attribution assessments, they are necessary. This post will conclude with how I think they should be used. Experimental v Quasi-Experimental Second, I want to make a couple...
by Jeff Ihnen | Feb 25, 2019 | Energy Rant
In the last two Rant posts, we learned that our 40-year-old program evaluation frameworks need to change to capture greater, real impacts. Rather than improving programs and accurately determining impacts, archaic evaluation methodologies are impeding progress toward...
by Jeff Ihnen | Feb 18, 2019 | Energy Rant
If efficiency programs were telephones, the evaluation community would still be using wall-mounted analog dial-ups rather than the iPhone. Yes, I’m going to tell you why programs are designed to be evaluated and not to be effective, part 2, herein. The following is...
by Jeff Ihnen | Feb 11, 2019 | Energy Rant
Two weeks ago, I wrote that efficiency programs are designed to be evaluated. They are not designed to be effective. That quote, or paraphrase, came from the great Val Jensen, Exelon’s Senior VP of Strategy and Policy, as spoken at AESP’s 2019 Annual Conference. Val...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 28, 2019 | Energy Rant
This week, we are continuing the discussion from last week’s Pay 4 Performance Sequel post. There is a sequel to the sequel? Last week’s sequel referenced the first attempts at P4P programs, which were delivered around the turn of the century in response to the...
