Energy + Environment

Green construction codes and standards are beginning to emerge on the national code stage. The standards go beyond energy standards such as 90.1 and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to cover additional areas such as site sustainability, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and materials and resources. This is the subject of a new whitepaper [...]

The Advanced Energy Design Guide (AEDG) for Small Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities is designed to provide recommendations for achieving 30 percent energy savings over the minimum code requirements of ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-1999. The Guide focuses on small healthcare facilities up to 90,000 sq.ft., including acute care facilities, outpatient surgery centers, critical access hospitals and inpatient [...]

Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto uses a camera to capture the expression of electric charge. The technique, which involves passing hundreds of thousands of volts through a film to a metal table, resulted in “Lightning Fields,” a series of striking images that capture the dynamic nature of electricity. Check it out here.

In late January, LightNOW published a short article about the International Dark-Sky Association’s position on blue light at night: In short, IDA said blue light produces higher light pollution with significant environmental impact, and discouraged the use of bluish-white light sources with >3000K color temperature. The post generated some very thoughtful discussion, and interesting points [...]

Air Cycle Corporation’s short video discussing lamp recycling and promoting its “Bulb Eater” product: http://www.youtube.com/v/Z_457-lXAhw&hl=en_US&fs=1&

According to the Department of Energy, monitoring electricity can help consumers reduce energy consumption by up to 15%. Now Oregon Scientific has announced two new products designed to help consumers monitor energy usage and save energy in the home: The Advanced Wireless Appliance Manager monitors power consumption, carbon emissions and real-time costs for up to [...]

Below is my column for the Jan/Feb issue of Illuminate, for your consideration. Note that Jan/Feb is my last issue as editor at large. From here on out, I will not be leading the magazine as its editor but instead contributing it to as a staff writer. This was on my request … Death and [...]

According to the latest Department of Energy figures, the U.S. average commercial cost per kWh of electric energy to commercial end-users was 10.51 cents as of September 2009, down 2.4% from the same period in 2008. Overall, net generation in the United States dropped by 3% percent from September 2008 to September 2009. Get the [...]

The Department of Energy’s Annual Energy Outlook 2010 presents updated projections for U.S. energy consumption and production through 2035. Existing policies that stress energy efficiency and alternative fuels, together with higher energy prices, will curb energy consumption growth and shift the energy mix toward renewable fuels. Fossil fuels, however, would still provide about 78% of [...]