by Jeff Ihnen | Feb 2, 2015 | Energy Rant
A few weeks ago I talked about smart meter, smart meter, smart meter, smart meter… in, who would have guessed(!), The Deaf and Mute Smart Meter. Today I talk about something with similar sex appeal with, to my knowledge, scarce measured/verified results[1]. The...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 19, 2015 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Last week, I received a late Christmas package in the form of an opportunity to throw a pitch for code compliance that would actually move the needle. This will be at the AESP National Conference in Orlando. I owe a substantial thank you to ACEEE for choosing papers...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 5, 2015 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Smart meter. Smart meter. Smart meter. Smart meter. Smart grid. Smart grid. Smart grid. Smart grid. So what? What are customers, utilities, rate payers, and tax payers getting for their money? At an AESP conference several years ago, I sat in place of a...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 15, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
This week’s post features a strong shot of irony. South Dakota ranks 49th of 51 jurisdictions (50 states plus the District of Columbia) in ACEEE’s 2014 Energy Efficiency Scorecard report, yet its citizens overwhelmingly support wind power. And when I say they...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 1, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
As you must know, the EPA’s release of its Clean Power Plan on June 2nd of this year includes four “building blocks” to achieve a 30% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, using a reference year of 2005. Those building blocks are as follows: Improve the heat...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 17, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Last week, I was reviewing a scope of work for retro-commissioning, also cleverly known as RCx – and it moved me to pulling hair out by the fistful. “That’s it”, I thought. “I’m going to relieve my rage on next week’s Energy Rant.” First, there is the infamous...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 10, 2014 | Energy Rant
Last week I attended the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) conference in Atlanta. With that, I have a confession to make: I rarely sit and listen to speakers or take notes either because there is nothing new[1], and there is rarely any sort of technical or...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 5, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Paid any attention to news lately? Need any ideas for a Halloween costume? Whoops – too late for that. A good costume would be the Ebola virus – the current obsessive, 24/7 news feeding fixation. Other than Ebola, it is fair to say the region between Morocco and...
by Jeff Ihnen | Oct 27, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
This year was a blowout for tomato production at the Ihnen household. Enough tomatoes were planted such that if a tomato plague blighted the Ihnen ranch, wiping out 90% of the crop, there would still be plenty for onsite production. What to do[1]? We visited the...
by Jeff Ihnen | Oct 6, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Back in May I wrote that we need to explain the benefits of energy efficiency in simple terms – like our mothers would understand. In that I explained that utilities serve a public benefit, like roads. Since the dawn of energy efficiency, there have been cost...
