Food and sleep for energy auditors?

Elisa WoodBy Elisa Wood
June 10, 2013

 

The US faces a bit of a math problem when it comes to making its buildings more energy efficient. If every energy auditor worked around the clock, it would take 22 years to analyze all buildings.

 

And of course the audit is only step one.

 

“At that point we wouldn’t have saved a single kilowatt-hour of energy,” said Mike Kaplan, vice president of marketing for Retroficiency, a building analytics company and the source of the 22-year statistic.

 

Is there a way to speed the process – and allow auditors to eat and sleep too?  Retroficiency is a part of a breed of startups that see big data and analytics as the solution.

 

The first trick is figuring out which buildings to tackle. Utilities and energy service companies need guidance identifying the best prospects among the nation’s five million buildings. Thirty percent of US buildings account for 70 percent of the potential energy savings, Kaplan said.

 

To identify the 30 percent, Retroficiency offers a ‘virtual energy assessment,’ a platform that quickly scans buildings to “create energy models on the fly,” he said. The software program evaluates thousands of commercial buildings per day, spending minutes on each building. It requires only a building’s interval consumption data and address. The process is entirely remote; no one needs to set foot on the property.

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June 9, 2013 | | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

Green enough for New York City?

Elisa WoodBy Elisa Wood
June 3, 2013

 

When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg leaves office in January, green building advocates lose a strong ally. But they are determined to make sure his shoes are filled to their liking.

 

To that end, a coalition of environmental and real estate interests are asking candidates to endorse their plan, “Green Building Roadmap for NYC’s Next Mayor,” which offers steps to further the city’s energy efficiency efforts.

 

Those unfamiliar with Bloomberg’s agenda may be surprised to hear the term ‘green’ ascribed to New York City.  After all, “soot” is the moniker Elizabeth Gilbert came up with in the movie, “Eat, Pray, Love,” when asked by a group of Italians for a word that embodies New York.

 

Truth be told, when the numbers are crunched, New York turns out to be one of the nation’s most energy efficient cities, largely because of its heavy use of mass transit and its density (about 1 million buildings in 300 square miles).

 

“People are surprised to see New York City as a leader on environmental issues,” said Russell Unger, executive director of the Urban Green Council, which led the roadmap effort. “We can hold our own against any city traditionally seen as a leader.”

 

What are the city’s bragging points?

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June 3, 2013 | | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Texas Legislature Passes Commercial and Industrial PACE Bill

KatherineBy Kat Friedrich, Clean Energy Finance Center
Guest Blogger, Energy Efficiency Markets
May 20, 2013

 

The Texas House and Senate passed Senate Bill 385 in May. If Governor Rick Perry approves the bill, the state will break new ground by developing plans for commercial and industrial property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs. This bill will redesign Texas’s approach to PACE, focusing on the commercial and industrial sectors rather than on residential programs. The legislation covers both energy efficiency and water efficiency.

To facilitate local decision making, cities and local areas will partner with businesses and nonprofits to set up their own PACE programs. These programs will allow businesses to borrow money from private lenders and repay it yearly via an assessment on their property taxes.

 

The bill has a solid foundation of support from a wide range of stakeholders including industry leaders and senior legislators. Charlene Heydinger, executive director of the nonprofit Keeping PACE in Texas, has built an effective coalition which includes large businesses and banks.

 

“PACE is the only solution out there that is totally market-driven, totally voluntary and local, and there are no mandates,” Heydinger said. “Our business community loves PACE because it is a real option for a solution without the drawbacks that have given people pause.”

 

Momentum of PACE Programs

PACE has been gaining traction nationwide since the first pilot PACE program in 2008, said David Gabrielson, executive director of PACENow. “It’s an idea that caught on very quickly and resonated all over the country.” However, some of the first generation of PACE bills were not designed for easy implementation. States are currently developing updated approaches to PACE.

 

In 2009, Texas passed a PACE bill which focused on residential energy-related programs. But because the bill was difficult to implement and the Federal Housing Finance Agency opposes residential PACE, PACE stalled in Texas. This year, Republican Senator John Carona introduced a new bill to improve Texas’s prospects for creating successful PACE programs. “I think Texas, in taking up this effort to get their legislation amended, is really on the cutting edge of states around the country,” Gabrielson said.

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May 20, 2013 | | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Energy efficiency finds its cell phone: Part III

Elisa WoodBy Elisa Wood
April 15, 2013

 

The cell phone is quickly becoming a handy tool for tracking home energy use and even switching appliances on and off from afar. It also turns out to be a good way for consumers to view the inner workings of the electric grid – as ISO New England is showing.

 

ISO-NE in September became the first grid operator to create a free app that gives anyone with a smart phone an easy-to-understand look inside a wholesale electric market.

 

Nerdy. Yes? But also practical for those truly interested in saving energy.

 

ISO to Go provides a user friendly tutorial to the arcane world of whole electricity. Users get a quick, real-time glimpse into the frequently changing power conditions and prices in 150 towns and cities in the six-state New England region. A geo feature identifies the city closest to the cell phone user.

 

Timing is everything when it comes to energy efficiency. A kilowatt saved when the grid is under strain is more valuable than one saved when it is not. But the consumer has no way of knowing the state of the grid.

 

That’s where this app comes in. Using easy-to-comprehend visuals and text, the app shows the demand and wholesale prices of power in real time. Homeowners can use the information to see the best time to wash clothes or engage in other energy-intensive activity.

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April 14, 2013 | | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

Energy and Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’

Elisa WoodBy Elisa Wood
March 7, 2013

 

House of Cards

Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’ is the latest ‘Downton Abbey.’ Or for us older folks, it is the latest who-shot-JR Ewing – a television series that lots of people are talking about.

 

A story of Congressional intrigue, the 13-part series has caught the attention of not only the viewing public, but also Washington insiders, who are having a good time debating what’s real and what’s downright silly in House of Cards. For those who haven’t seen it, the series is about a power grab by fictional House Majority Whip Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey). He wants to be vice president, and he lies, maneuvers and kills his way to the position.

 

So what’s real? The show gets the little details right: the hand sanitizers in the Capitol and use of insider acronyms. On the other hand, Zoe Barnes, the jean-jacketed sleep-your-way to the top journalist, is a cartoonish figure.

 

The energy industry also plays a big part in the series.  And again, the show gets the details right. For example, it acknowledges the rise of natural gas as an economic force, and the push for nuclear power as a low-carbon source of electricity.

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March 8, 2013 | | Tags: , | No Comments »
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