Energy + Environment

Recently, LightNOW reported that the Department of Energy botched the 2007 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, and then postponed work on the 2011 CBECS due to budget cuts. Our take is that you cannot set policy if you cannot measure, and you cannot maximize your building’s savings without benchmarks. The data this survey yields is [...]

Not lighting related, but very cool! Meet the Chevy Volt. The engine design relies on electric power from its battery until it reaches its maximum range, at which point it seamlessly transitions to gasoline combustion. Why is this important for a green car? The experience of driving it meshes with the way we think about [...]

The average retail price of electricity for March 2011 was 9.66 cents per kWh, 0.4 percent lower than February 2011 when the average retail price of electricity was 9.70 cents per kWh, and 0.9 percent higher than March 2010, when the price was 9.57 cents per kWh, according to the Department of Energy. The average [...]

In 2009, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) introduced the 2030 Commitment Program, a voluntary initiative for AIA member firms and other entities in the built environment that asks these organizations to make a pledge, develop multi-year action plans, and implement steps that can advance AIA’s goal of carbon neutral buildings by the year 2030. [...]

In this SALON article by Michael Lind, “Everything You’ve Heard About Fossil Fuels May Be Wrong,” he argues that humans still enjoy access to abundant fossil fuel-based energy resources, particularly with discovery of new natural gas reserves, and advancing energy recovery technology. Andrew Leonard quickly penned a response published in SALON the next day, titled [...]

The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, produced by the Energy Information Administration at the Department of Energy (DOE), provides incredibly valuable information about how commercial buildings use energy and energy-using systems such as lighting and HVAC. If you wanted to know things like, “How many office buildings are in the Northeast?” or “What is the [...]

Reprinted from NEMA’s eiXtra newsletter (February 7, 2011 issue), original source: Chris Rhodes, Forbes/Energy Source blog: The January issue of Chemistry World includes a warning on impending shortages of certain elements. Among them are the rare earth elements, in particular neodymium, production of which, it is reckoned, will have to increase five times to build [...]

More than 10,000 homes across the U.S. have earned LEED certification through the LEED for Homes program, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED-certified home projects span the residential market, from multi- and single-family, to market rate and affordable housing. LEED for Homes is a national voluntary certification system that promotes the design [...]

Total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 6,576 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) in 2009, a decrease of 5.8% from the 2008 level, according to Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2009, a report recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Since 1990, U.S. GHG emissions have grown at [...]