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Monthly Archives

February 2014

Large Industrials Opting Out of Programs – A Retread Story

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant, Utility Stuff One Comment
A few years ago, I was reading an article on road-transportation taxes, of which the taxes on fuel are a huge portion.  One trucking company rep whined about the disproportionate taxes they had to pay.  First of all, he’s not paying any taxes anyway.  His customers are.  It’s built into the fuel price across the board for him and all his competitors.  But secondly, a loaded truck exerts about 20,000 pounds of force on the road per axle, while my cars exert about 1500 pounds of force per axle.  So Mr. Trucker, we are paying all your taxes for the…
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Efficiency Soup

By Briefs
Reviewing different heating and cooling efficiency ratings is like looking into a bowl of alphabet soup. Trying to determine which rating is used for which type of equipment can be even more confusing.
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Free Rider – Philosophical Jujitsu

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
Last week I was reading this article about how corporate energy saving and sustainability goals might shake up the utility business.  The crux of the article is that widespread execution of corporate sustainability plans would drive a downward spiral of energy demand that would threaten the utility industry.  One reader commented that these corporate programs must be accounted for when determining utility program attribution, or free ridership.Free ridership plus attribution equals unity, as in 1.00.  Savings are either attributable to the program, or not (a free rider).  For reference, see definitions of these things and other amazing, stunning facts you…
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Love Thy Backup Punter, Or Pay Dearly – The Unloved Exhaust Fan

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant No Comments
Everyone reading this blog is at least a stage 1 energy geek.  A stage 1 energy geek will notice the type of light bulbs used in their hotel room and complain that the place isn’t green enough.  A stage 2 would file a complaint if the cleaning crew takes the used bath towel that is clearly hung up to dry for the next shower.  A stage 3 will appreciate the guest room occupancy-sensing thermostat.  A stage 4 will browse the web for hotels with satisfactorily green features, before booking.  A stage 5 will actually bring their own artisanal bar of…
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Michaels Energy Awarded CARD Grant from MN DOC

By News, Uncategorized No Comments
Michaels Energy Awarded CARD Grant from MN DOC La Crosse, WI - February 4, 2014 - Michaels Energy was recently awarded a Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) Grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources, for their "Mainstreaming Motel Optimization" program.  This program falls under the "Test or Demonstrate Innovative Program Implementation Strategies" funding topic. Michaels Energy's goal is to develop and pilot a deep energy savings program for midscale hotels in Minnesota. This will be an innovative program that will advance energy efficiency in the hotel sector through a combination of technical recommendations, ENERGY STAR benchmarking…
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Google Buys Nest – Say, What’s In Your Underwear Drawer?

By Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 2 Comments
At last week’s AESP National Conference in San Diego, Meg Matt, AESP CEO, joked in her opening remarks that AESP was acquired by Google.  Others at the conference asked that with the purchase of Nest, is Google getting into the energy efficiency business?  At the risk of cliché, my answer is literally, “I don’t think so.” After the acquisition announcement, I opined to a couple colleagues that Google is the new Microsoft, and that when it came to Google’s SWOT, Google just buys all the WOT.  This doesn’t always go well.  Google purchased Motorola to battle Apple’s dominance in software…
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