by Jeff Ihnen | Feb 18, 2025 | Energy Rant
Over the many years I have taught electrification basics for the Wisconsin Public Utilities Institute’s (WPUI) Energy Utilities Basics course, I dive deeply into heat pumps and their impact on the grid. I explain the messy chart in Figure 1 like a palm reader, except...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 9, 2024 | Energy Rant
Remember the theory that deregulation in the late 1990s would waive the need for energy efficiency programs? If not, you can read up on the Great Depression in Energy Efficiency, the origins of which began with the 1992 Energy Policy Act. I believe the theory at the...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 2, 2024 | Energy Rant
This week, we capitalize on last week’s basics of tire rolling resistance, how it translates to passenger vehicle fuel economy, and non-Newtonian and non-linear nuances. Tires by the Numbers Figure 1 shows the nameplate for one of my tires. Left to right: M+S...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 25, 2024 | Energy Rant
Back in the day, when I interviewed engineers for potential employment, I would ask what they’ve done in their lives to study and reduce energy consumption. As an example, this week, I nerded out on tires. As an efficiency nut and passionate driver of our curvy...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 19, 2024 | Energy Rant
The race is on to decarbonize the grid, and those states that are forcing it too quickly are seeing soaring electricity prices. This is fabulous for our industry because energy efficiency and load management have become much more cost-effective. But are higher prices...
