EV Charging Access is Expanding in the Most Unexpected Region: the Midwest

Craig Farrand, Zondits guest, 8/15/2022 It’s well publicized that California leads the nation in electric vehicle ownership, with EVs representing 23.2% of all vehicles on the road. So, who would have suspected that the Midwest would be a region with one of the most aggressive plans to put more EVs on the road — by … Read more

Michigan Schools Strive for ENERGY STAR Certification

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Michigan public educational facilities encouraged to pursue ENERGY STAR certification to help cut energy bills uppermichiganssource.com, September 6, 2018 Michigan has more ENERGY STAR certified K-12 schools than any other state in the Midwest, and it plans to continue its leadership in the coming years by helping Michigan public educational facilities pursue this designation and … Read more

DTE Electric Begins Offering “Green Bonds”

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DTE Energy to sell “green bonds” to fund green energy investments Written by Dave Kovaleski, dailyenergyinsider.com, May 3, 2018 DTE Electric is offering $525 million in “green bonds,” which are bonds to finance environmentally-friendly energy investments, like low-carbon, renewable, and energy efficient projects. Detroit-based DTE is the fifth energy company in the nation to sell … Read more

Michigan Companies Reducing Energy Costs

Industrial-strength savings: Michigan companies take steps to reduce energy used in industrial, office facilities Crain’s Detroit Business, September 3, 2017 Greg Pflum was hoping to lure a new plant to the BASF facility he oversees in Wyandotte four years ago when he got an unwelcome reminder about the importance of energy costs. High Michigan energy … Read more

Solar Thermal System Has Been Reducing Farms Energy Consumption

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Solar thermal system part of Michigan agriculture energy efficiency tour Michigan State University Extension, July 24, 2017 Heating water for sanitary use in the milking parlor can be a significant energy expense on a dairy farm. One energy reduction option dairies can choose is to use solar thermal water heating panels to preheat water before … Read more

PACE Financing Begins to Take Off in Michigan

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Making energy efficiency projects pay off, right away Michigan Radio, January 5, 2017 The U.S. EPA estimates that companies in Michigan waste up to a third of the energy they buy because of inefficient buildings and equipment. But most of the companies just keep paying those high energy bills, month after month, because they can’t … Read more

Shining a Light on the Real Issues with the E2e Weatherization Study

The E2e weatherization study: generating more heat than light ACEEE, July 2, 2015. Image credit: geralt Methodology First, parts of this study use an experimental research design called a randomized controlled trial, where researchers define a pool of eligible customers and randomly assign some of the eligible customers to a treatment group and some to a … Read more

Calling Out the Efficacy of Energy Efficiency

A new study claims the fiscal cost of upgrades outshine the savings by 50%. Amber Plante for Zondits, June 29, 2015. Image credit: Bullhorn Energy efficiency gives us a way to use less power, reduce costs, and still live comfortably. This principle has been at the forefront of the movement to upgrade lighting, household appliances, … Read more

Are Energy Efficiency Policies as Cost-Effective as We Think?

A big new study looks at federal energy-efficiency efforts — and the results are grim Vox, June 23, 2015. Image credit: PeteLinforth That’s a question raised in a new working paper by Meredith Fowlie, Michael Greenstone, and Catherine Wolfram. The economists conducted a large randomized controlled trial of 30,000 homes in Michigan involving the federal Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps low-income … Read more

The Energy Debate in Michigan

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Rowe: Government stacks deck against renewable energy The Detroit News, March 24, 2015 Gov. Rick Snyder recently gave an address on energy and, as expected, his approach included market-based solutions, the notion that the market should take care of renewable energy development. As a professor of renewable energy and energy management for more than 30 … Read more