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Monthly Archives

September 2013

Outcomes Rather than Energy Codes – One Piece at a Time

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant One Comment
A couple weeks ago in Building Energy Codes - A Blutonian D-, I explained how many/all states are sailing forth with increasingly stringent energy codes, and based on anecdotal and personal experience, I have no doubt that with a million dollars we could demonstrate the results are abysmal.  Utilities and program administrators do not want to be energy code enforcers, but why not make code “enforcement” part of a meaningful portfolio? I like to use allegories and metaphors to explain these abstract concepts.  Think of code compliance as a recipe (as in cooking) compliance.  Know any bad cooks?  Cooking delicious meals…
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Threat to Electric Utilities – Pass the Lemonade

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
Nothing lasts forever, or in some cases, even a couple years.  The race to displace current products and services of any stripe is rather obvious, except there will never be a replacement for the McDonald’s hamburger, and running shoes haven’t improved in 20 years.  In recent weeks, I have seen perhaps a half dozen articles regarding growing threat to electric utilities.  In the most recent article I’ve seen on the subject from The Wall Street Journal, Nick Akins, Chief Executive with AEP, sums it up cleverly and succinctly: “Am I going to just sit here and take it and ultimately…
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Building Energy Codes – A Blutonian D-

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 4 Comments
Building energy codes and the legal age for buying and consuming alcoholic beverages have something in common.  If you read this blog regularly, you probably know what it is.  In case you are new, I will explain. I’ve been off the college campus scene for about a quarter century, so I can’t speak for students today. However, back in the day it seems we started classes on Thursday and Friday, received our syllabi, joked around a while, and then immediately launched into a three day weekend for Labor Day.  The regents must have been young or dumb because that does…
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National Energy Use and Efficiency

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
Okay boys and girls; this week features a slice of energy geek heaven spawned by this human/America whapping article from Clean Technica. The basis for the article, and this post, is Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s (LLNL) annual national energy use and efficiency chart to the left. Clean Technica laments that the country was more efficient in 1970 than it is today.  In 1970, the analysis indicates we were slightly more efficient than 50%, but in 2012 we were only 39% efficient.  Hold on.  This does not tell the entire story.  I will demonstrate with a bunch of nerd analysis that we…
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Utilities: A Formula for Contraction

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant, Utility Stuff 3 Comments
In the Energy Rant, I cover subjects I know well, subjects I don’t know well but can analyze with bookends and say, “that will never fly”, and things I don’t know well.  It takes viscera, and that’s what I’m covering this week – not bowels, but utility rates impacted by energy efficiency. Utilities are in business to make money, like every other business.  Let’s establish that making money or being profitable means revenue exceeds costs.  Costs consist of long-term capital-intensive investments in poles, wires, and power plants; and operating costs including pesky employees, coal, natural gas, uranium, U.S. mail, trucks,…
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