February 2011 Blog Posts (23)

A 448-kilowatt commercial solar system was powered up last Tuesday at the San Bernardino Corporate Center near Mill Street and Toppecanoe Avenue. The project came out of a partnership of the Novato-based SPG Solar Inc., the nonprofit for Sustainable Communities Reinvestment Partnership, known as SCRIP Inc, and the Inland Valley Development Agency (IVDA), the regional joint powers authority overseeing redevelopment in and around the former Norton Air Force Base.



The commercial…

Before energy became a hot topic, no one cared about the electric meter.  It was the box on the house we all ignored except the guy from the utility who dodged the barking dogs to take a reading from it once in awhile.

It is a sign of our times that this box now inspires enough emotion for people to take to the streets. Protesters gathered outside the California Public Utilities Commission last week claiming that new metering technology not only makes people sick, but also violates…

Anyone attending the RESNET conference in Orlando next week and who are currently providing IR inspections as either a BPI or HERS Rater inspector, might want to sit in on the presentation of the new IR Standard Interium Guidlines currently being approved. Rogge Miller from GWSSI, John Snell from Snell Group and myself will be going over the IR portion of the Chapter 8 Performance Testing and are hoping for some solid discussions and feedback from those interested in how this is going to…

A buddy of mine, Dennis, that’s an exterminator called me the other day while I was standing in Home Depot.  “Jon, I’ve got a problem and I need some of your building science expertise.” The problem he was having was being caused by some granules he had put down to repel some flying squirrels.  The granules…

A weatherization program in South Carolina that has made area homes more energy efficient could impact the local economy for decades to come. The Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg Community Action Agency program is funded by federal stimulus dollars and has improved 179 houses for low- to moderate-income homeowners over the past year.

The work has cut utility bills and made older homes energy efficient. OCAB Community Action Agency Executive Director Calvin Wright says 12…

     Here's a real harbinger of spring in Syracuse:

 …

Guest blog By Michael Miller

You might think by this headline that I’m about to rant about the news regarding energy efficiency policy that was circulating last week. President Obama outlined a plan called the Better Buildings Initiative to…

It's been cold out this winter, so I've been talking a lot about heat. Invariably when I talk to people about how heat pumps can keep your home warm in winter, they get a look of bewilderment on their faces and ask how that's possible. No one ever tells me that they're confused about how a…

     R-49 attic insulation is recommended for this climate, and I spec R-60 for most attic floors because…

When Obama unveiled his “Better Building Initiative” last week, it wasn’t just the usual architects, builders, and energy efficiency service companies that perked up with interest. A whole new segment of energy efficiency companies saw opportunity: the innovators.

Emissaries from the high tech world, the innovators are a growing force in energy efficiency. They bring web and wireless to what was once a field more about windows and weatherization.

Obama’s plan would create new…

A few weeks ago I was interviewed on the“Green, Better, Best” radio show. I was asked in advance to provide a "top ten” list of energy saving tips for the home. I've been asked this many times before, and I always feel like I’m being asked to discover the “easy” button. When it comes to energy generation and efficiency, there are no silver bullets that will take down the beast, but with good planning…

No one would disagree that this is a good time to be in the energy efficiency business. Another report, this one out last week, signals just how good.

Conducted by Comverge, the survey of more than 100 US utilities found that 92% plan to increase their efficiency budgets by at least 10% in 2011. Comverge also found that 22% plan to boost their EE budgets by more than 20%.…