by Jeff Ihnen | Aug 17, 2015 | Energy Rant
This post is brought to you by the International Energy Program Evaluation Conference (IEPEC), circa 19, er 2015. I moderated one session featuring four great papers and presentations concerning residential space heating and cooling. I also observed one concurrent...
by Jeff Ihnen | Aug 10, 2015 | Energy Rant
Perhaps; no doubt; probably; certainly; damn sure, the least liked aspect of my job is reviewing contracts with which the buyers sentence their contractors to unlivable conditions. Anyone watch The Donald lately describing people as “idiots” and “stupid”? The Donald...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jun 29, 2015 | Energy Rant
This week, I dive into something I have wanted to know more about for some time: efficiency program funding mechanisms. This post is based on a recent paper released by ACEEE, Valuing Efficiency: A Review of Lost Revenue Adjustment Mechanisms. Utilities must be...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jun 22, 2015 | Energy Rant
Our industry really needs to call timeout; take a look around and ask, “what the hell are we doing?” Build it [energy program] and they will come? No. Build it, and they will be alienated and give it the middle digit. As noted most recently in a post on condensing...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jun 15, 2015 | Energy Rant
It is mid-June, and strangely here in the northern Midwest we have experienced virtually no warm, humid weather yet this year. The weather can flip like a switch from a pattern of rain and clouds of the past several weeks to one that is hot and humid with little...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jun 8, 2015 | Energy Rant
Howitzer Explosion Guy. That was the nickname Wayne Campbell of Wayne’s World gave to Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s correspondent for the Gulf War in 1991. “Sheeyeeaaah. I’m so sure.” “He just made it up for the war.” Too bad Wayne isn’t still doing his show from his...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jun 1, 2015 | Energy Rant
Everyone has probably heard at least one hundred or maybe a thousand light bulb jokes – the ones that disparage a class, gender, group, country, state, generation, etc. The point is to make fun of the group in question because changing a light bulb is so simple, but...
by Jeff Ihnen | May 26, 2015 | Energy Rant
Last week’s AESP Spring Conference was the best that I can recall, in terms of the content delivered, in my opinion. Perhaps I got lucky and went to the right presentations. Perhaps it’s because I went to more presentations than usual. Most likely it is for another...
by Jeff Ihnen | May 18, 2015 | Energy Rant
Recently, I’ve snagged a number of articles, blogs, and news feeds about the great idea for using electric water heaters as energy storage devices. E Source even goes so far as to insinuate water heaters are like batteries: “How the Water Heater Just Became a Lean,...
by Jeff Ihnen | May 11, 2015 | Energy Rant
The big energy saving opportunities in a building are usually hidden from the unsuspecting field auditor. The obvious exception is lighting because it isn’t hidden! The hidden things are what go on behind closed doors in the dark. Yes, the salacious activity...
