Firing Up the Clean Energy Race with the Energy Materials Network

U.S. Department of Energy Launches $40 Million Effort to Improve Materials for Clean Energy Solutions US DOE, February 24, 2016. Image credit: Comfreak The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the launch of its Energy Materials Network (EMN), a new National Laboratory-led initiative that will give American entrepreneurs and manufacturers a leg up in the global … Read more

DOE Issues a Power Supply Standard to Conquer Vampire Electronics

power supply

DOE’s New Power Supply Standards Are a Big Win for Consumers and the Environment Appliance Standards Awareness Project, February 3, 2016. Image credit: Mike Lee Thanks to a new national standard announced today by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), power adapters–the sometimes bulky and annoying boxes on the power cords of your electronic gadgets–will waste … Read more

A DOE Standard Could Phase out CFLs

CFLs Lighting Standard

DOE proposes light bulb standard EE News, February 12, 2016. Image credit: suvajit DOE issued a proposed rule this afternoon for light bulbs that would likely lead to the phaseout of compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), analysts say. The rule has been under discussion for more than a decade. It was affected by a “light bulb rider” … Read more

Commercial Building Energy Codes – Finding the Path to Improved Compliance

building energy codes

Ari Michelson, ERS Presentation at AESP’s 26th National Conference in Phoenix, AZ, on Wednesday, February 3 at 10:30 a.m. Session 4A: Implementation (Rapid Fire) Objective This paper presents programmatic methodologies that are achieving significant success in improving the compliance rates with building energy codes for the commercial sector. A key objective is to assist the efficiency … Read more

Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies for Buildings

Buildings Energy Efficiency

Valerie Eacret for Zondits, January 15, 2016. Image credit: Haldane Martin The Building Technologies Office significantly increased the federal funding available for emerging technology through the “Building Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovations Technologies (Benefit) – 2016,” from $8 million to $20 million. The number of anticipated awards has also increased. See the amendment of the Funding … Read more

Zero Energy Buildings Definitions Slowly March Forward

zero energy buildings passive design

Ryan Pollin for Zondits, January 10, 2015. Image credit: hansbrinker The Department of Energy (DOE), which is generally the last word on such things, has released a common definition for zero energy buildings (ZEBs). Let’s have a look and break it down: An energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy … Read more