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Colorado Small Hydro Association joins World Renewable Energy Forum in Denver

May 2nd, 2012

The Colorado Small Hydro Association (COSHA) will hold its 2012 conference May 17 at the Denver Convention Center in conjunction with the World Renewable Energy Forum (WREF) and the annual meeting of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES).

COSHA Executive Director Monica Carey promised highlights of the past year’s progress in developing the state’s small hydro resources, as well as a look into the future. “Colorado continues to lead the nation in crafting innovative policies to accelerate the development of small hydro,” Carey said. “The Governor’s Energy Office program to streamline FERC requirements and the new, low-interest hydro loan offered by the Colorado Water Conservation Board are just two examples.”

Confirmed speakers include representatives from the National Hydropower AssociationColorado Governor’s Energy Office, Colorado Rural Electric Association, Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority.

Sessions will feature presentations on diverse hydro projects, from small municipal systems, like the town of Basalt’s 40-kilowatt generator, to the 7-megawatt Carter Lake facility Tri-County Water Conservancy District is building at Ridgeway Reservoir.

A cocktail reception with the Colorado Renewable Energy Society will conclude the conference.

Register online at the COSHA website. The registration fee of $75 covers the conference, breakfast, refreshments and entrance to the World Renewable Energy Forum Exhibit Hall.

“The COSHA conference is the one must-attend event each year for anyone interested in hydro development in Colorado,” said Carey.  “It provides a great opportunity to see everyone in the Colorado hydro industry, including hydro developers, equipment vendors, utilities, environmental consultants, and officials from Federal, state and local governments.”

Western congratulates University of Utah’s green power leadership

April 27th, 2012

The latest list of the Top 50 Green Power Partnership organizations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) includes Western customer, University of Utah (UU) at number 50. Recently featured in the Energy Services Bulletin, UU also ranks third in the Top Twenty Green Power Colleges and Universities.  

The quarterly list recognizes partner organizations voluntarily using clean, renewable electricity from resources such as solar, wind, and low-impact hydropower. UU joins such companies as Intel Corporation, Kohl’s Department Stores and Microsoft Corporation in using more than 15 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually. Combined, the Top 50 partners avoid carbon pollution equal to that created by the electricity use of more than 1.3 million American homes each year.

EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,300 partner organizations, over half of which are small businesses and nonprofit organizations, to voluntarily use green power. Green power resources produce electricity with an environmental profile superior to conventional power technologies, and produce significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Western applauds the University of Utah for its efforts to reduce carbon pollution and move toward a new era of clean energy.

Nominations open for ACEEE’s Champion of Energy Efficiency in Buildings awards

April 27th, 2012

If you have a customer who has gone above and beyond to create an energy-saving facility, you can recognize their leadership and accomplishment by nominating them for the Champion of Energy Efficiency in Buildings award. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) will present these awards at the 2012 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings.

Winners will be selected based on demonstrated excellence in the following categories:

  • Research and Development (R&D): Excellence in research and development including baseline or background research, as well as R&D of products and practices.
  • Energy Policy: Excellence in energy policy including writing, educating, promoting, or supporting energy efficiency in energy policy, at the federal, state, or local level.
  • Implementation and Deployment: Effective design and implementation, including achievement of significant impacts on energy use. 
  • Leadership: Exceptional personal leadership demonstrated in the development, implementation or growth of important energy efficiency initiatives.

Nominations will be made by peers and the final awards will be chosen by the ACEEE Board of Directors’ Awards Committee.
 
Submit your nominee for Champion of Energy Efficiency in Buildings by completing the electronic form or downloading the PDF version and either mailing, emailing or faxing it to Mallory Werthamer at ACEEE. Include additional pages if necessary. 
 
The deadline for nominations is June 1, 2012. We value your input and appreciate you taking the time to nominate the best leaders in our community.
 
The 2012 Champion awards will be presented at the 2012 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings in Pacific Grove, California scheduled for August 12-17, 2012 at the Asilomar Conference Center. The “Buildings” Summer Study is the preeminent energy efficiency conference, and draws leading academics, energy efficiency professionals, government representatives, researchers, advocates for energy efficiency, and policymakers.
 
Read more about the awards and about previous winners in the buildings sector. Please contact the American Council for an Energy-efficient Economy if you have any other questions. (From ACEEE via American Public Power Association)

Upcoming deadlines

April 27th, 2012

Light Bulb Finder app updated in time for Earth Day

April 10th, 2012

The EPA award-winning mobile app, Light Bulb FinderExternal link information,  is now updated and better than ever! The free app is a valuable educational tool that empowers consumers to switch easily to energy-efficient lighting based on their own budget and priorities. It is available for download on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android smartphones and tablets.

Light Bulb Finder now offers more brands, more LED options, and enhanced social networking capabilities. Bulb recommendations on the app are displayed in the same format as the new standard packaging labels, making it even easier for consumers to find the right energy-saving bulbs at local stores.

In preparation for the Earth Day, employers, schools, and community organizations can download a free Earth Day Toolkit that includes a Light Bulb Finder web banner, guidelines for CFL disposal, videosExternal link information, app images and other resources. Contact EcohatcheryExternal link information to learn about opportunities to leverage the Light Bulb Finder app to drive local and regional energy-efficiency programs.

University of Utah leads pack in green power use

April 1st, 2012
Solar array on rooftop

Solar panels on the V. Randall Turpin Building are just one of many sustainability measures that earned the University of Utah a spot on the Princeton Review's list of green colleges and universities. (Photo by Office of Sustainability, University of Utah)

To all the factors students and parents use to evaluate colleges—academics, sports, financial aid, even fire safety—you can now add sustainability, and place the University of Utah (UU) in Salt Lake City among the leaders.

On its January 2012 list of Top 20 Colleges and Universities for green power purchases, the EPA Green Power Partnership ranked UU third nationally, just behind University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University. In the 2011-2012 Green Power Challenge, the university leads the second-place PAC-12 Conference, purchasing more than 98 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind power.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that UU green power purchases are equivalent to more than 36 percent of its energy use. “Green power purchases allow us to reduce our footprint even further in a cost effective way,” said UU sustainability coordinator Jen Colby. “It’s an honor to be in the top five nationally.”

Logistics of the purchase
UU is lowering its carbon footprint by buying renewable energy certificates (RECs) from wind farms through REC marketer 3Degrees. “We looked at all the options and wind power was the most affordable,” explained Ashley Patterson, outreach coordinator for UU’s Office of Sustainability.

The university also subscribes to Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Renewable Energy program at the “visionary” level.

The purchase of Green-e certified RECs is funded by fees and donations the university collects through various renewable energy campaigns. UU retains formal ownership of the offsets, making the donations from non-students tax deductible. 

Students started it
As often happens on college campuses across the country, students set UU on the path toward renewable energy leadership. In 2005, the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) launched a campaign to create a small student fee to pay for clean energy purchases. All of UU’s 32,000 students now pay $1.00 “green” fee to support the purchase of renewable energy.

About a year after the ASUU renewable energy campaign started, Dr. Chris Hill of the biochemistry department started a similar campaign for the staff and faculty. Currently, that renewable energy campaign has about 200 donors. Other UU departments, programs and annual events followed with their own campaigns to support renewable energy and achieve climate neutrality. There are now more than 40 renewable energy campaigns on campus that accept voluntary contributions from faculty, staff, alumni and the public.

The large scale of the program helps keep the price of the RECs down to $3 per megawatt-hour (MWh). The typical U.S. household with the average annual use of 10 MWh, can offset its entire electricity consumption for $30 premium per year—less than a 5-percent increase in a typical Utah residential electricity bill.

Other sustainability measures
Of course, no form of energy is so affordable that a large institution can afford to waste it, which is why UU has an Energy Management Office. The office targets three areas to reduce energy consumption: building performance, energy conservation and behavioral initiatives.

Tracking utility data, re-commissioning building systems, implementing retrofit projects and leveraging utility incentives to fund improvements are all part of UU’s energy management strategy. Efficiency upgrade projects include retrofitting T12 lighting, adding automated lighting controls, implementing IT software and upgrading HVAC ducting to improve distribution. The energy savings from these improvements accumulated between July 2007 and January 2012 total 183,931,251 kilowatt-hours, 593,795 decatherms of natural gas, 35,392,000 pounds of steam and 1,363,531 million British thermal units.

Campus-wide energy-efficiency projects are an important source of energy savings, too. The Energy Office has and assisted with grant applications for photovoltaic installations. Providing design assistance to build efficiency into new facilities, and working with power providers to obtain rebates and incentives are also part of UU’s energy conservation strategy.

Efficient buildings and systems work best if occupants understand and use the features, so the Energy Office also has an outreach program to build energy awareness. Facilities managers receive training in the proper operation of system controls. A behavioral specialist is available to consult with “green teams” around campus to educate students, faculty and staff about simple energy-saving habits and measures.

As important as energy use is, UU recognizes that there is still more to creating a “green” university. The UU Office of Sustainability also supports recycling efforts, water conservation, local and organic dining options, low-impact transportation and more. Students can also enroll in sustainability-related courses and programs, and explore new ideas and technologies at the Sustainability Research Center. The Student Campus Initiative Fund, another student-led initiative, collects a $2.50-per-semester student fee to fund grants for students to put their energy-efficiency and conservation ideas into action on campus and in the community.    

Preparing for the future
These efforts, along with the renewable energy purchase, have landed UU on the Princeton Review’s list of 311 Green Colleges for three years in a row. The national guide is published to aid prospective students in choosing a college.

The reason the Princeton Review includes sustainability in its evaluation goes beyond mere idealism. Students understand that renewable energy offers a career path, as demonstrated by the two undergraduates who started the wind power campaign. One is now working for Utah Clean Energy, and the other is associate director of the California Geothermal Energy Collaborative at the UC Davis Energy Institute.

A great basketball team may still attract more students than a strong “green” program, but students want to prepare for the future, too. With its forward-looking sustainability program and renewable energy purchases, University of Utah is schooling the competition in that game.

Gamifying Energy Use: Observed Trends From SXSW Interactive

March 29th, 2012

When it comes to energy and the environment, most people want to do the right thing. But how many people actually contribute to improving energy use and environmental impact is another story. Ben Holland of Rocky Mountain Institute knows this better than most. As project manager for RMI’s Project Get Ready, Holland works with cities and industry leaders to promote electric vehicle integration and adoption.

He recently gave a presentation on his work at South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, the annual arts and technology conference in Austin, Texas. Initially, Holland was unsure about discussing the seemingly unrelated topic of observed barriers to electric vehicle adoption. But it turns out that the SXSW crowd is ahead of the curve on the subjects of environment and energy use.

“Gamification” and “Big Data” were two buzzwords frequently heard at SXSW earlier this month. The two closely related concepts, when combined, could have significant implications for energy use. Applying principals of gaming to non-game applications may encourage people to change their behavior. Mobile app developers have had great success doing this by incorporating location-based awareness data into their products. What if you could do something similar for energy? Read more. Source: RMI Outlet 3/26/12

DOE Offers $5.2 Million for Building Efficiency Technologies

March 14th, 2012

DOE announced on March 9 the availability of up to $5.2 million in fiscal year 2012 to develop improved building efficiency technologies. This funding opportunity includes advanced heating and cooling systems and high efficiency insulation, windows and roofs. The funding will advance the research and development, demonstration and manufacture of innovative building technologies to speed the commercialization of affordable, high-performance products.

Homes and commercial buildings consume approximately 40 percent of the energy used in the United States, costing American consumers more than $400 billion annually. Nearly a third of that energy is used for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Advancing HVAC building technologies and improving the design and materials that make up a building’s “envelope” or air seal will significantly reduce the cost of heating and cooling residential and commercial buildings.

DOE seeks applicants for funding to support breakthroughs in energy-saving HVAC systems and building envelope solutions. Mechanical HVAC system projects should aim to increase the efficiency of cost-effective systems and components suitable for both existing buildings and new construction, while building envelope projects will focus on advancing high-performance cost-effective ways to minimize energy loss in homes and commercial buildings, particularly existing buildings.

Applications will be accepted through April 17, 2012. See the DOE Progress Alert the Funding Opportunity Exchange website. Source: EERE Network News, 3/14/12

reEnergize Program launches new financing through contractors

March 12th, 2012

The cities of Omaha and Lincoln are getting ready to launch a campaign to make their reEnergize program even more attractive to energy contractors and the homeowners who hire them.

This collaborative effort to build energy smart communities was launched with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The cities are implementing a five-stage plan to complete energy evaluations on 180 commercial and nonprofit buildings, and make energy upgrades on 2,100 residences.

The reEnergize Program works with community partners to recruit, train, qualify and increase the number of skilled professional energy evaluators and energy upgrade contractors in the Omaha and Lincoln metropolitan areas. The new campaign aims to engage homeowners and provide reEnergize Qualified Upgrade contractors with access to the GEOSmart Long Term Financing Program. Once enrolled in the GEOSmart program, contractors will be able to offer customers a special 5.99 percent financing promotion for measures that qualify for the reEnergize program. Qualifying measures include:

  • Adding or improving insulation
  • Maintaining or replacing furnace
  • Stopping leaks and drafts
  • Installing efficient lighting
  • Maintaining or replacing large appliances

To provide Omaha and Lincoln area contractors with more information about new opportunities and options, the reEnergize program is holding meetings March 14, 1:00 p.m., at the following central locations:

Omaha City Hall,
7th Floor Conference Room

1819 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68183

Lincoln City County Building,
Mayor’s Office Conference Room, Suite 301

555 S. 10th Street
Lincoln, NE 68508

The presentations will cover:

  • reEnergize contracting opportunities & promotional materials
  • Options for screened contractors to list third-party qualifications
  • Opportunities to become a Qualified reEnergize Upgrade Contractor, get pre-screened as an EGIA GEOSmart Authorized Contractor and save the usual $250 annual membership fee (a $500 savings through 2013)
  • Cross-promotion activities leveraging the reEnergize Program with current clients

REGISTER to attend the meeting in person, join the meeting online or request a recording following the meeting.

To learn more about how this program is creating an energy-savvy workforce in Omaha and Lincoln are working together to improve the efficiency of their buildings, contact reEnergize toll free at 877-402-5111. If your utility is interested in contractor training webinars, contact your Energy Services Representative.

Have your say on residential water heater conservation standards

March 5th, 2012

The Department of Energy (DOE) recently met with American Public Power Association (APPA) regarding rulemaking on energy conservation standards for residential water heaters.  Based on the meetings, APPA created a survey asking utilities about their water heater load control programs.

The results from this survey will give APPA the information needed to continue working with DOE to amend the conservation standards for residential water heaters.  APPA would like to have responses to this survey no later than close of business, Friday, March 9, 2012

This is a great opportunity for Western customers to contribute to rules that will affect their programs into the future. Also, if you have a story to share about water heater load control at your utility, you can contact Energy Services Bulletin. You just may be the next headline story!