SubscribeI couldn’t help myself:
“Increased time spent indoors, widespread access to central heating and air conditioning, and increased expectations of thermal comfort all contribute to restricting the range of temperatures we experience in daily life and reduce the time our bodies spend under mild thermal stress — meaning we’re burning less energy. [...]
DemandSideSolutions
energy issues in the built environment
Month: January, 2011
The Case for Randomly Selected Transient Set Point Temperatures
Disclosure as Total Cost of Ownership
From Laura Stukel via GreenHomes America:
For years, mortgage lenders have trained us to focus on PITI. We figure out how much home you should buy based on Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance. But that is only part of the picture. For example, the Institute for Market Transformation notes that energy costs are a significantly larger [...]
Tough Calculations in Utility DSM Programs
From Matthew Kahn:
So, how do we know that the incentive program has caused CFL lightbulb adoption. We all agree that it is silly to give a performance bonus to the electric utility if its efforts have no affects on a household’s behavior. If Matt Kahn’s household never buys CFLs or always buys [...]
The Role of Codes
This one has been in my Reader for a about a week:
On May 25, 2010, the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) and nine HVAC manufacturers and installers, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Washington State Building Code Council. The lawsuit alleges that one portion of [...]
A Tiny Hole
I usually don’t republish the entire work of others, but this post from Allison Bailes is too good to pass up:
Snow on the Roof is the poor man’s infrared camera. During the snow days we just had in Atlanta, Jeffrey Sauls, EVER rater and owner of D2D Sustainability, sent me the photo below.
What you see [...]
Return of PACE?
Via David Wogan:
Yesterday, Texas State Representative Mike Villarreal (D-San Antonio) introduced legislation to bring back PACE financing. PACE, which stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy, would make it easier for homeowners to invest in renewable energy systems for their homes by tying the cost of a renewable energy system to a home’s [...]
Creative Marketing
Via Jim Gunshinan on Home Energy Magazine:
Incandescents are already banned in Europe, but according to Ira Eisenstein, writing in the Home Energy Pros blog space, some stores there are selling 100-watt incandescents under the name “100-watt heat source.”
I’d buy a 100 W heat source for my desk and reading lamps.
I’ve commented on the efficacy standard [...]
Edison’s Revenge
I’ve long been fascinated with the long-ago fight between Tesla and Edison regarding AC vs. DC power distribution. Smil summarizes the battle nicely in his book “Creating the 20th Century“. In hindsight it’s easy question Edison’s judgment, a no-brainer in favor of AC, right? But DC applications have been making a bit of a comeback, [...]
1:19 House Swap
I love Canada, it’s a great place. The Calgary Herald has a fun little photo gallery showing you what you could get in Newfoundland if you traded in your average Calgary home for a portfolio of homes in the maritime eastern province. Some offer a nice view, but they all look like they could use [...]