Closed-loop ground source heat pump systems in schools
ASHRAE recently featured a cursory review of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems in schools. According the U.S. Department of Energy, Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems reduce energy use by 25% to 50% in schools, compared to traditional systems, and result in typical payback periods of eight years. The full article was originally published in the September 2007 edition of ASHRAE Journal. Click here to download the full article for free. After Nov. 12, this article will remain available for free download by ASHRAE Members here and for purchase by nonmembers in the ashrae.org bookstore.
Wireless building automation system and energy management system technology
ASHRAE recently featured an article describing the application of wireless communication technologies to manage HVAC, security, and other systems within buildings. The three main competing technologies are distributed antenna systems (DAS), pico-cellular networks, and cellular repeater systems. The full article was originally published in the June 2007 edition of ASHRAE Journal. Click here to download the full article until Nov. 5, 2008. After Nov. 5, the article will remain available for free download by ASHRAE Members here and for purchase by nonmembers in the ashrae.org bookstore.
Wal-Mart moves toward more environmentally and socially responsible global supply chain
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. hosted a gathering of more than 1,000 leading suppliers, Chinese officials and NGOs in Beijing, China for their Sustainability Summit this week. The company outlined a series of aggressive goals and expectations to build a more environmentally and socially responsible global supply chain. Wal-Mart put forth a series of requirements to attain responsible sourcing. Read more
Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008
On October 3, 2008, following weeks of contentious negotiations between the House and Senate, Congress approved, and the President signed into law the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 as part of (i.e. Division B) H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 — a.k.a. the bailout bill.
Sec. 303 of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 extends the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction from 2008 through 2013.
SEC. 303. ENERGY EFFICIENT COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS DEDUCTION – Subsection (h) of section 179D is amended by striking `December 31, 2008′ and inserting `December 31, 2013′.
What is the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction?
- The Energy Policy Act of 2005 created the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction, which allows building owners to deduct the entire cost of a lighting or building upgrade in the year the equipment is placed in service, subject to a cap.
How does the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction apply to lighting upgrades?
- From January 1, 2006 until the Treasury Department issues final regulations defining savings targets for individual building systems, the Commercial Buildings Deduction’s Interim Rules for Lighting Systems are in effect. The Interim Rules offer an accelerated tax deduction that is the lesser of: The complete cost of installing energy-efficient interior lighting; or $0.30 to $0.60/sq.ft. proportional to lighting power density (watts per square foot) savings of 25% to 40% below ASHRAE the 90.1-2001 standard lighting power density, which varies by building type.
Click here for the full text of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 as well as H.R. 1424. Table of contents provided below.
Cost-benefit studies of green roofs underway in NY
Weighing the Benefits of Green Roofs (WSJ)
Throughout New York City, studies are underway to see if green roof adoption should take root. Supporters say putting vegetation on the roofs of city buildings may reduce global warming — and save money in the long run. WSJ’s Shelly Banjo reports. (Oct. 6)
Airports implement “green projects” and renewable energy
An article last month in USA Today highlighted a variety of energy conservation measures and water conservation measures at airports, including an array of 20 miniature, 6-foot-tall wind turbines at Boston Logan International Airport. Once finished the complete array of wind turbines is expected to produce about 100,000 kilowatt-hours annually, equal to the electricity usage of about 17 average-sized homes. The airport may buy additional turbines depending on how well the first 20 turbines perform.
State renewable energy programs helped pay for the turbines at Boston Logan, where airport officials expect to see annual savings of $12,000 to $15,000, producing a 10 year payback. Boston Logan also replaced its fleet of diesel shuttle buses with natural gas vehicles, and designed the 2-year-old $500 million Terminal A to meet the highest national standards for energy efficiency.
Other green projects are popping up at airports around the country in response to rising fuel prices this year. The eco-friendly ideas and projects are expected to improve energy-efficiency and water-efficiency as well as public perception of the airports.
Residential natural gas prices are expected to be higher this winter.
Average household expenditures for all space-heating fuels are projected to be $1,137 this winter (October 1 to March 31), a 15-percent increase over the estimated $986 spent last winter, according to EIA’s Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook released on October 7. The largest increases, 18 percent, will be in households using natural gas. About 52 percent of all households nationwide depend on natural gas as their primary heating fuel. The projected expenditure increases primarily reflect higher prices, although colder weather than last winter also is expected to contribute to higher fuel use in many areas.
Cincinnati offers incentives to residents and businesses for green roofs
CINCINNATI (AP) — Officials want to see more green roofs on building tops in Cincinnati.
The City Council on Wednesday became the first in Ohio with a plan to channel grants and loans to residents and businesses to replace tar and shingles with vegetation.
Supporters of the idea want to see Cincinnati become a leader in green roofs, a European-born movement that has spread to only a few U.S. cities, including Chicago, Milwaukee and Seattle.
They say the greenery not only is pleasing aesthetically but reduces stormwater runoff, filters pollutants and cuts heating and cooling costs. Read more
Stay Warm, Save Money
The U.S. Department of Energy launched the “Stay Warm, Save Money” website with some basic tips to improve energy efficiency in homes and businesses this winter. Energysavers.gov includes information on programmable thermostats, weatherization, and energy-efficient appliances under the page called “Long-Term Investments for Energy Savings,” in addition to basic O&M tips like turning down the temperature of your hot water heater to the warm setting (120°F) under the page called “No-Cost and Low-Cost Tips to Save Energy This Winter.”
Stanford Energy Lecture Series: Saving energy is less expensive than buying it.
Several podcast lectures by Amory Lovins (RMI) are now available online through the Rocky Mountain Institute. You can find several different lectures, or download the slides (linked below), on the following five topics:
- Buildings: Highlights innovative buildings in a variety of climates and looks at highgly efficient “superwindows”, dimmable electronic lighting ballasts, “no-duct” displacement ventilation, and climate adaptive building designs.
- Industry: How resource productivity is becoming more important than labor productivity, Thermal integration…
◊ Innovative and distributed power systems
◊ Designing friction out of fluid-handling systems
◊ Water/energy integration
◊ Superefficient and heat-driven refrigeration
◊ Superefficient drivesystems
◊ Advanced controls
◊ Rightsizing everything (if we designed 747s this way…) - Transportation: Modes of transport, automobile and military vehicle efficiency, fuel efficiency, and innovative designs
- Implementation: Oil; Barrier-busting; Marketing efficiency; Electricity: public policy, business strategy, and negawatt markets
- Implications: Oil, Climate, Nuclear power, Distributed generation, Energy security, Nuclear proliferation, Global development
These lectures are also available as podcasts from Stanford University: itunes.stanford.edu.
The following image is taken from the “Industry” lecture.
RMI depiction of downstream energy...Saving a little energy downstream saves a lot of energy upstream!
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EIA: Retail Prices
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