Picture a so-called “green” building in a floodplain.  Now picture a storm-hardened home guzzling gas like there is no tomorrow.

For me, neither of these conjures up an image of true sustainability.

By virtue of being built unconsciously (or defiantly) in harm’s way, a building is not durable and thus not (in my book) sustainable.  Similarly, a disaster-resilient building belching out greenhouse gases that any scientist worth their salt will tell you is contributing to present…

Weatherization Tips- Home-re-posted 

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Am I average?

That’s the question that often hits me when someone quotes an ‘average’ statistic. The ‘average’ business or household seems almost mythological. Few of us fall right on that point on the line.

The same is true when it comes to often quoted energy efficiency savings statistics. For example, the US Environmental Protection Agency says that replacing one old-fashion incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light will save on average $69 over the product’s…

Thank you for your continued interest in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Home Energy Score pilots. The pilots wrapped up their scoring efforts last month, with more than 1,000 homes assessed and scored in total.  We are now in the process of analyzing the pilot data as well as the wealth of information our pilot partners provided to us last week at a pilot wrap-up meeting in Washington,…

We got tired of sharing a bathroom, we were afraid as we grow older that we would trip and break our hips on the stairs leading from the kitchen into the garage and to our backyard; and since the only route from inside the house to our back yard was through the garage, we decided to remodel our 1,200 square foot cottage in Walnut Creek. It seems so long ago.

We did it right. We interviewed several architects and design/build companies, had an architect work with us to draw up…

by Skip Laitner

Guest Blogger, Energy Efficiency Markets

Reposted from Real Climate Economics

John ‘Skip” Laitner is an economist, enjoying a desert year while on research sabbatical  from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Skip is discovering some surprising insights from his time in the desert that can…

First Energy has always been a leader in educating employees on field issues. An example of how First Energy's energy efficiency program managers support their contractors and administrative staff: They have hired Pure Energy Coach to teach Building Science to their program managers. The benefits include a better understanding of their contractor's decision-making. In addition, they benefit from a better understanding of their QA Contractor's comments about job quality.…

*This post was drafted by Isaac Elnecave and Michael Hairston members of the MEEA Policy Team

This week, the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) held a train-the-trainer session for the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1 – 2007 at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minnesota. This training was sponsored and funded by the US Department of Energy and hosted attendees from several Midwest states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota.…

Why do so many energy insiders insist that home energy automation will fail?  Many whom I respect say the typical householder will never take the time to fiddle with smart gadgets that reduce energy costs.

Their skepticism, however, just elicits a verbal shrug from Peter Porteous, CEO of…

Although ISO 50001 has only recently been released in the US, it has been available in other countries prior to now. A recent article highlights some of the more successful implementations of the Protocol. It should be noted that while ISO 50001 is an excellent strategy for the pursuit of energy management, it should be considered internally on a case by…

Talk about a light bulb moment.

A professor of engineering at Edinburgh University recently demonstrated for the first time to a wide audience his technology that uses common every day lights to transmit data.

Harald Haas streamed a video through a desk lamp at Ted Global 2011at Scotland’s Edinburgh International Conference Center in July.

If commercialized, the technology not only creates a vast new application for light, but also dramatically expands our now limited…

MEEA has scheduled a Level I Building Operator Certification (BOC) training in partnership with the City of Aurora, IL to begin in August. The City of Aurora will utilize funding from the federal Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) to cover tuition rebates for operations and maintenance staff who work for a business in Aurora or are current residents of the city. The funding will cover the full tuition cost of $1,250 for program participants who successfully complete all the…

Describing a building as ‘green’ makes a lot of people cringe. The word is overused. And what does it mean exactly?

Serious efforts are underway to move away from the hype and offer a more specific analysis of a building’s energy performance. Think nutritional labels for food, except in kilowatt-hours instead of calories.

In fact, more than 50 national, regional and local governments have created policies to rate and disclose the energy efficiency of commercial buildings,…

The winners of MEEA’s Inspiring Efficiency Awards are among the most innovative and dynamic players in the energy field.  Now that the application process is officially open for the 2012 Inspiring Efficiency Awards, we thought it might be fun to check back in with some of our award winners from last year to get an update on their projects.

Prairie Power, Inc. of Jacksonville, Ill., received…

So the price of gas is hovering near $4.00 a gallon again.  Have you noticed a change in your driving habits?  More people are choosing to stay home over driving long distances for vacation.  They’re also combining trips to multiple locations to get more things done all at once and if they forget to stop at one,…

I published this Q&A with Chris Cheatham on daily5REMODEL this morning. Click here for the original article, along with comments. -- Leah Thayer

Chris Cheatham…

Guest blog by Cara Miale

When it comes to the green energy race, it’s not over until it’s over. Just look at the city of Denver.

For years the Mile High City was notorious for its brown cloud, a dirty layer of pollution that not only marred the city’s pristine mountain image, but also caused serious health problems.

Now Denver is the fifth greenest city among 27 rated in…

The candle has been around the cave and the realm of weatherization and energy efficiency for some time now, but here’s an app which few have ever conceptualized.

In the early days of weatherization, before the thermagraph, even before the blower door, the trusty candle provided us several enlightening concepts. It would flicker when breezes brushed against its flame as a clear indicator of infiltration. Before the fancy schmancy digital manometers, a few old timers would…