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...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 14, 2019 | Energy Rant
Last week, we explored ethanol carbon content, carbon caps and markets, and refiner profits on gasoline and diesel fuel. Wasn’t it fantastic stuff? This week, we describe precisely how the fluids you use to fuel and lubricate your vehicle are manufactured, what drives...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 7, 2019 | Energy Rant
I recently researched many attributes and market effects for liquid fuels for a project we are working on, and like my digging into the wind and climate studies, this research results in several findings. This post covers ethanol and gasoline blends. A future post...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 2, 2019 | Energy Rant
Many of us at Michaels are gluttons for data and accompanying analysis. Our homes are test beds. In this post, we look at impacts from smart thermostats, the dangers of wrong assumptions, and extrapolating findings for impact evaluation. Every smart thermostat...
