by Jeff Ihnen | May 5, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
If energy efficiency programs are considered and measured to be a good thing in some states, why are they not good for all, or nearly all, states? Even the utilities we work with in Minnesota and Iowa with programs since the mid 1980s believe in energy efficiency for...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 28, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
There is weekly, if not daily, chatter about the end of the monopolistic electric utility systems we have today. They call it the utility death spiral, and it goes like this: Distributed generation, also known as DG, which includes rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV)...
by Jeff Ihnen | Apr 7, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Last week I attended the ACEEE National Symposium on Market Transformation in Baltimore. Learning and information gathering from conference sessions are typically down the list of reasons I attend conferences. This conference however turned out to be very beneficial...
by Michaels Energy | Mar 10, 2014 | The Big Why
“Baseline” is an incredibly important term in energy efficiency evaluation. It is thrown around often in many different contexts. So what does it mean? Michaels Energy is currently conducting several baseline studies, but when describing these studies to others, I...
by Jeff Ihnen | Mar 3, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Perhaps I am naïve, but to be more effective it seems interveners would do well to understand motives of profit-driven enterprises and their customers. You may recall a post I made eons ago where I described the perverse impact of decoupling on prices for consumers. ...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 27, 2014 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Six or seven years ago, without knowing more about the Nest thermostat, I would have commented something to the effect that, “It’s a stupid thermostat. How brilliant could it possibly be?” Once I got my hands on an iPhone, I could see what the deserved hype was...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 9, 2013 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
When I first started working at Michaels, still in my 20s, my workdays usually ended around 5:15, and since I was allergic to rolling out of bed before 6:00 AM, I would run after work in La Crosse. I started running the trails of Hixon Forest, a very nice park on the...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 18, 2013 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Recently I have been preparing a presentation on a broad array of energy efficiency issues for executives and facility managers of large commercial and industrial facilities. I was wisely advised by the utility product manager to keep it engaging and interactive. I...
by Jeff Ihnen | Oct 14, 2013 | Energy Rant
This week’s post is brought to you by the National Resources Defense Council. Yes indeed; states are leading the way in energy efficiency and considering the bumbling federal government that can’t get anything done or come close to living within its means, ...
by Jeff Ihnen | Sep 9, 2013 | Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant
Okay boys and girls; this week features a slice of energy geek heaven spawned by this human/America whapping article from Clean Technica. The basis for the article, and this post, is Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s (LLNL) annual national energy use and efficiency...
