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energy efficiency programs

Apr 07
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Attribution and Net to Gross – Pop Tarts or Oatmeal?

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 4 Comments
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 on both of those counts.  In particular, the net-to-gross (NTG) football, as described in last August’s Energy Program Evaluation Asylum post, was uncased for another game.  This time I learned something. One session featured heavy doses of program attribution, and of course, the NTG football.  Speakers included Bob Wirtshafter from Wirtshafter Associates and Mike Messenger from Itron.  Both gentlemen demonstrated the…
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Mar 31
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Industrial Efficiency – Beyond the Librarian

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant One Comment
Sometimes I go into writing a rant with a blank slate.  I’m not fired up about anything.  It’s true.  Then I reach for a report in my pile and start to read the executive summary.  The ideas start falling off the shelf into my cart.  This week’s post is actually sponsored by the Department of Energy:  Industrial Energy Efficiency: Designing Effective State Programs for the Industrial Sector (I think they could use some help with pithier titles). A few weeks back, I wrote about nonsensical reasons industrial customers want to opt out of energy efficiency programs.  That was specifically in…
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Mar 24
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Customer Engagement – Beyond Beaver Pelts

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
Last week I discussed behavior programs but in the larger sense, the fact that energy efficiency programs have traditionally treated people like animals.  They are treated like animals because they are essentially tricked into buying energy efficient appliances and doohickeys in exchange for cash rewards.  With some program exceptions, like custom efficiency and retrocommissioning, customers are not provided with information to make informed decisions. Technology and innovation move much faster outside the utility program space.  For example, nearly all credit cards provide some sort of cash back or other perks that can be equated to dollars.  I leverage my “free”…
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Feb 24
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Large Industrials Opting Out of Programs – A Retread Story

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant, Utility Stuff One Comment
A few years ago, I was reading an article on road-transportation taxes, of which the taxes on fuel are a huge portion.  One trucking company rep whined about the disproportionate taxes they had to pay.  First of all, he’s not paying any taxes anyway.  His customers are.  It’s built into the fuel price across the board for him and all his competitors.  But secondly, a loaded truck exerts about 20,000 pounds of force on the road per axle, while my cars exert about 1500 pounds of force per axle.  So Mr. Trucker, we are paying all your taxes for the…
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Dec 30
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State-Run Programs: The Potemkins

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 2 Comments
This week, I was handed a layup via this opinion piece from a Montanan.  He describes “verification and measurement” as a “cottage industry of consultants  running around figuring out what light bulbs end up in what rooms and what their average hours of use will be. They compile this info, run it through a bunch of formulas and computer programs.”  The evaluation of Northwestern Energy’s programs resulted in them being ordered by the PSC to refund ratepayers $3 million of cost recovery.  My first point is he should be grateful that someone pointed this out.  However, his solution, state-run programs,…
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Jul 22
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Energy Efficiency in the USA

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant One Comment
Over the weekend I was reading this white paper by ACEEE, and as almost always, a number of responses came to mind.With the passing of years I observe that as people age, they fall into perhaps three categories: (1) the curmudgeons  - the glass is ¾ empty and don’t tell me it isn’t (2) cynical cranks with ideas and (3) Chrissy Snows.  Engineers, for example, fall into the first two groups – or they go to law school, get into politics, and turn into a Chrissy Snow.  Chrissy Snows, as with everyone, are mostly good people, but they live in…
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Jul 15
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The Future of Energy Efficiency and Big Blue

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 7 Comments
We were recently conversing with folks from AESP about topics of interest for newsletters, and one intrigued me: what will be the big thing in the industry in 2014?   Answering that would be like predicting the S&P’s close on December 31st.  Over the long term (decades) the market tracks the economy.  Over the short term (years) it tracks sheep, which are entirely at the mercy of the Ben Bernanke. First, a quiz.  I love quizzes.  What saves more energy? A) Swapping out a 10 SEER air conditioner for a 13 SEER unit? or B) Swapping a 16 SEER for a…
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May 20
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Impact Evaluation – Or Your Money Back

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
Without fail, it seems that every custom efficiency or self-directed impact evaluation we do has a controversial, giant project accounting for 25% (or more) of the program’s savings.  It turns out it shouldn’t even have been allowed into the program because it doesn’t qualify – and in many cases, aside from that, the savings calculation is demonstrably and by the laws of thermodynamics and utility meter readings, wrong. An analogy to the message today might be a home energy assessment.  Our house was built to our liking thirteen years ago.  I laid out the floor plan in about fifteen minutes…
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Apr 29
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Cost Recovery for Energy Efficiency Programs – An Ignorant Idea

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant One Comment
If you haven’t seen Michaels’ recent self-indulgent video, you might want to do that now.  It is many hours of video shooting reduced to a fine sauce, just under four minutes.  My interview, for example, lasted maybe 45 minutes and maybe 30 seconds of it are included in the video.  One line I’m pleased to have been captured and included was the statement that there is a limitless supply (and immense variety) of learning available in our industry.  One thing I know little about is the guts of the utility business and cost recovery for energy efficiency programs.  So why…
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Apr 01
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Impact Evaluation – Catch Lucky

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
For many years of my adult life I thought, “courts and judges: who cares?”  I’ve learned that I do, big time.  Why?  Because courts can bend and twist laws and essentially rewrite them to the point that we might as well send legislators home, which in and of itself sounds like a good idea.  The danger is the courts are the backstop to protect us from unconstitutional law, and if they are creating law by fiat, there is no backstop.  There is no accountability.  They have the final say.  Energy efficiency impact evaluation is much the same, as evaluators declare…
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We talk a lot about energy – from the serious to the satirical.

All things energy. That’s our jam.

We talk a lot about energy – from the serious to the satirical.

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