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Monthly Archives

February 2013

Energy Management System – Not Another Litter Box

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
In recent weeks, I have been spending considerable time examining energy management system projects for energy efficiency program evaluation on the east coast.  My conclusion is this: blown opportunity abounds. The program documentation for one particular project drips with evidence that the project is a free rider, which means the project would have happened anyway in absence of the program.  How do I reach this conclusion?  First, the calculation methodology could work if the user knew what they were doing, but it is clear they either don’t know what they are doing or don’t care to get it right –…
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Program Evaluation – Nellie, You Are Toast

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 2 Comments
In the blah, blah, frufrah blogosphere there are plenty of rosy fables and opinions of energy efficiency and green energy.  In a blatant marketing pitch, the Energy Rant is the only blog from the inside, critical of things in our industry.  Our industry is not unlike any family, marriage, workplace, company, celebrity, elite athlete, pet, child, or even a normal person.  It has faults.  It has problems and failure.  There is trouble.  There is dishonesty (gasp!).  Lots of money is wasted.  There are problem children.  There are competent reliable firms, and there are “yes ma’am” firms.  This is what one…
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Holy Mother of Bovine Batman!

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
It’s been a long time since I’ve written about compact fluorescent light bulbs, so I think I’ll keep it that way. This rant is brought to you by our friends at E Source.  Actually, as I was scrounging around for some information on their site, I came across this article on electric vehicles, or EVs, which left me mentally agape.  I am going to guess the author, Jay Stein, lives and breathes EVs and has for years. It appears he has worked tirelessly to bring the EV from the Frivolous Novelty to gas-electric hybrid stature and beyond, but jeezo, allow me to…
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DoGooder Equity

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 2 Comments
Upon reading some manager/principal/owner interviews in business publications, the publisher asks, “What keeps you awake at night?”  My answer to that would be: Nothing.  The reason for this is utilities are regulated monopolies and the energy efficiency program portfolios they run are cost effective.  I.e., we, as an industry, are contributing to net wealth generation for consumers and not just redistributing it – it’s EE or power plants, poles and wires and either way, the consumer pays, and we are helping them pay less. A major reason I am a huge advocate of EE programs is that they are cost…
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