Spotlight Article:
The Evolution of Smart Home Performance and Its Benefits to the Grid
As the number of residential demand-response programs and the use of smart home technologies has grown over the last several years, an important opportunity has emerged in home performance to increase residential energy savings. Namely, ...
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Prepurchase Meter Rivals Weatherization for Low-Income Assistance
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Beginning in 1993, the Salt River Project (SRP), a public utility in Arizona, tested two new strategies to help low-income customers decrease their energy usage. [continue reading]
Collaborative Makes Efficiency Programs Efficient
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For the past three years, state and utility low-income programs promoting energy efficiency in Iowa have collaborated, extending their reach and saving themselves and their customers money. [continue reading]
Duct Improvement in the Northwest Part I: New Construction and Retrofit
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In the Northwest, energy losses in forced-air systems average 25%-30% in electrically heated homes, with some homes being significantly worse. [continue reading]
Duct Improvement in the Northwest Part II: Mobile Homes
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Although the thermal shell of the typical mobile home has changed radically over the last 30 years, the air distribution system has not. The walls have gone from 2 x 2 framing with an R-4 fiberglass batt to 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 walls with a high-density R-21 batt (codes vary from state to state). [continue reading]
Advancing the Art of PRISM Analysis
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Since the original version of PRISMÃ(PRInceton Scorekeeping Method, developed and copyrighted by Princeton University) was released in 1986, it has been used by utilities, private companies, government agencies, and universities to estimate energy savings from conservation programs. [continue reading]
Coming Soon: "Interactive" Home Energy Management
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Hundreds of households across the country are participating in pilot tests of interactive energy management systems, while utilities are getting a better picture of how the systems actually work in residential buildings. [continue reading]
Defrosting Refrigerator Data
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We now have a better idea of the energy use of older refrigerators, thanks to utility programs nationwide that pick up second refrigerators. [continue reading]
SMUD Customers Pay a Premium to be PV Pioneers
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Sacramento residents are signing up in droves to pay a 15% premium (about $3-$7 per month) on their electric bill, in exchange for the pleasure of hosting tiny utility power plants on their roofs. [continue reading]
Sandra Wood
Top US Cities Considered the Most Energy Efficient
Many people recognize the need for increased efforts to reduce energy consumption and make communities cleaner. As cities strive to ...
Dave Yeager
Speaking the Same Language: The Importance of Open Standards in Energy Efficiency
Open standards provide the backbone for many markets and industries. The Internet itself could not exist without the collaborative, agreed-upon ...
