EMIS Technologies Improve Overall Building Performance

Smart Energy Analytics Campaign to Help Buildings Achieve Greater Energy Efficiency ACHR News, October 19, 2016 A new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-led Smart Energy Analytics Campaign has been announced to encourage the use of energy-saving building analytics platforms — also known as energy management information system (EMIS) technologies — in commercial buildings nationwide, and refine best … Read more

Biannual Report Released: Energy Savings from LED Lighting

DOE Publishes New Forecast of Energy Savings from LED Lighting DOE, September 7, 2016 The U.S. Department of Energy has just published the latest edition of its biannual report, Energy Savings Forecast of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications, which models the adoption of LEDs in the U.S. general-lighting market, along with associated energy savings, based … Read more

Improved Savings for Rooftop Air Conditioners

rooftop air conditioning

More Good Efficiency News for Rooftop Air Conditioners NRDC, April 29, 2016. Image credit: derwiki The Department of Energy (DOE) recognized six large companies this week for their investments in increasing the efficiency of these rooftop air conditioners by replacing or retrofitting aging, inefficient units with more efficient machinery. Rooftop air conditioners—commonly used in low-rise buildings … Read more

Berkeley Lab’s Paintable Window Coating

window efficiency Berkeley Lab

Valerie Eacret, ERS, for Zondits March 9, 2016 Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) are developing a paint-on coating that can easily be applied to windows to improve their performance. It will reflect the infrared solar energy back to the sky while allowing visible light to pass through, making it especially appropriate for … 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

ComEd Plans a Microgrid Project for a Chicago Neighborhood

ComEd Chicago

DOE Awards ComEd $4 Million for Renewable Technology T&D World Magazine, January 22, 2016. Image credit: Max Talbot-Minkin ComEd has received a $4 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative to design and deploy solar and battery storage technology within its planned microgrid demonstration project in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. This award will … Read more

The DOE Measures the Efficacy of Energy Codes

home energy bill energy codes ways to save energy

DO ENERGY CODES WORK? Builder Online, January 4, 2016. Image credit: Chris Potter Last year the U.S. Department of Energy ( DOE) announced that eight states would be part of a three-year Residential Energy Code Field Study. Once completed, the study will provide an unprecedented opportunity to develop new strategies for education, training, and outreach for … Read more

Appliance Standards Promote Innovation & Yield Energy Savings

PG&E Marketplace appliance standards kitchen

Your kitchen is a battleground in Obama energy efficiency push Chicago Tribune, January 9, 2016. Image credit: Mikhail Golub No, literally. Since 2009, his administration has created 43 rules that will deliver the biggest energy savings of any president in history, eliminating demand in 2030 equal to the electricity produced by 96 power plants, based on … 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