Led by the Environmental Defense Fund, the Investor Confidence Project (ICP) provides a platform of quality assurance checks and balances for energy efficiency project developers, quality assurance providers, investors (lending companies), and building owners. It could be the greatest mechanism for deep and wide energy savings since the T8 light bulb. I was first introduced to the Investor Confidence Project as I was reviewing abstracts for AESP’s 2016 Spring Conference in Philadelphia. The following snippets are from the abstract summary. There are many investors and tons of capital waiting to be poured into energy efficiency projects. The problem is that…
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New ideas are great, but there is no replacement for accumulated experience to assess the landscape ahead and see potential trouble on the horizon. This is one of my most important responsibilities for our company. I am no mountain climber, but I am reminded of mountaineering documentaries about summiting Everest and getting past the treacherous Hillary Step. Just last week, I met with a team of engineers cautioning them about crucial steps in the progression of a project that would make or break the project. It involved a combination of technical factors and human factors.Too bad there is no empowered…
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Yale and Environmental Defense Fund socialites have published an article for Nature (you can purchase the article with a federally backed low-interest loan or borrowing against the negative equity in your home) indicating that rebound effect is over-hyped. Rebound, snapback, backfire, fumble, boot, bogey, crash, and other terms are used to describe consumers’ change in behavior to use efficient energy consuming products more because they are cheaper to operate. Sometimes one needs to use perverse reasoning beyond social norms (no not that) to shoot down illogic. First, consider that behavior change is the golden pinnacle of any energy efficiency portfolio. …
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I’ve spent most of my career in energy efficiency marketing and selling energy efficiency to clients and anyone who might listen. Come to think of it, I marketed and sold to a lot of people who didn’t listen, to be sure. So no one is safe. A major component is removing barriers; also known as excuses, and sometimes bad ones. Selling EE is very challenging but rewarding and it’s the way it should be rather than jamming laws down the gizzards of the public by the dysfunctional, corrupt, and clueless bunch in Washington. Last week a guy actually presented a…
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