|
|
Enron Mail |
WELCOME TO e-FFICIENCY NEWS
Online and in color: http://www.ase.org/e-FFICIENCY The monthly newsletter from the Alliance to Save Energy January 2002 Vol. 4 No. 1 ******************************** CONTENTS EFFICIENCY NEWS - Energy Expected on Political Front Burner in 2002 - FreedomCAR Replaces PNGV as Government Body for Energy-Efficient Vehicle R&D - Primen: Consumers Say Energy Efficiency Now Top Issue in Home Appliance Purchases - California Sees Big Savings by Tightening Efficiency Standards - Efficiency, Conservation Could Save NW States 300 Megawatts - Study Cites Five-fold Return on Energy Training Investment in Plants - Energy Efficiency Methods Can Yield 50 Percent Reductions in Data Center Power Requirements, Says REPP Report - CFLs Capture High California Marketshare ALLIANCE NEWS - Nominees Sought for 2002 Energy Efficiency Awards - 'Static Electricity House' Brings Down House; Garners $16 Million Free TV Airtime for Energy Efficiency Message - DRAM, Alliance Partner to 'Advance' Advanced Metering Technologies EYE OPENERS - Energy Efficiency Is Patriotism - New Web Site Offers Money-Saving Tips to Homeowners EFFICIENCY EVENTS - 'Demand-Response Programs,' Houston, Tex., March 7-8 - 'Safety, Security in Electric Power Industry' Conference: Houston, Tex., March 25 EFFICIENCY PEOPLE - Alliance Staffer Verdict Returns to Texas - Energy Job Openings ******************************** EFFICIENCY NEWS Energy Expected on Political Front Burner in 2002 In the next six weeks, energy should be prominent in national politics. The Bush Administration is sure to return its attention to the national energy policy in the State of the Union Address January 29. The President is expected to emphasize that economic recovery depends on congress passing his domestic agenda, including the Administration's energy plan passed by the House last year. In the Senate, Majority Leader Tom Daschle has vowed to bring an energy bill to the floor the week of February 11. Also in February, The White House is expected to release federal its budget, which will reveal the spending priorities of the Administration, showing which energy efficiency programs receive funding increases or funding cuts. For more on energy policy: http://www.ase.org/policy -------------------------------- FreedomCAR Replaces PNGV as Government Body for Energy-Efficient Vehicle R&D Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced at the Detroit Auto Show that the Partnership for Next Generation Vehicles (PNGV) will be replaced by a new private-public partnership, called "FreedomCAR." PNGV was a public-private partnership designed to develop cars with triple the current fuel economy. FreedomCAR, by contrast, has as its goal the production of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which produce no emissions but water vapor and do not rely on fossil fuels. While supportive of fuel cell R&D, the Alliance noted in New York Times and other media interviews that it should not be at the expense of badly needed new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, including SUVs. A political cartoon by Stuart Carlson illustrates the point quickly and humorously: http://www.ucomics.com/stuartcarlson/viewsc.htm Read the DOE press releases about FreedomCar: http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/janpr/FreedomCarFactSheet.htm http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/janpr/pr02001.htm -------------------------------- Primen: Consumers Say Energy Efficiency Now Top Issue in Home Appliance Purchases U.S. consumers now rank energy efficiency as their most important consideration in shopping for new home appliances, according to a new study by Madison-based Primen, an energy market-intelligence company. Three-fourths of consumers said energy efficiency was a very important factor in their purchase of appliances during the past year. More important, 84 percent said they anticipate that energy efficiency will be a "very important consideration" in making future purchasing decisions. Pro-efficiency sentiment ran strongest among California consumers, with an overwhelming number of households claiming efficiency will outrank all other factors in future appliance-purchasing decisions. Read more: http://www.primen.com/about/pr_consumers.asp -------------------------------- California Sees Big Savings by Tightening Efficiency Standards The California Energy Commission (CEC) will propose adopting new efficiency standards for ten products at a February 6 hearing, as mandated by legislation in response to the state's electricity crisis. Products range from air conditioners to traffic signals. CEC's life-cycle-cost analysis shows that the energy savings over the life of the product outweigh any initial increased purchase cost. Among the largest savers: electric transformers reduce life-cycle-costs by $3,768; commercial air conditioners by $2,580; and commercial refrigerators by $958. A table illustrates savings from tighter standards: www.ase.org/e-FFICIENCY/documents/0102a.htm -------------------------------- Efficiency, Conservation Could Save NW States 300 Megawatts Energy efficiency and conservation in the Northwest could yield as much power as a new natural gas plant-an extra 300 megawatts over three years-according to the Northwest Power Planning Council (NPPC). As a result of these findings, NPPC is asking Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington to invest in efficiency and conservation measures rather than the construction of new power plants. Power savings will come from a wide variety of sources-from modernizing machinery to shutting down vending machines during off-hours. NPPC is a multi-state agency with a mandate to balance power production and environmental concerns in the Pacific Northwest. Read more: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?section=local&;display=content/local /10power.inc -------------------------------- Study Cites Five-fold Return on Energy Training Investment in Plants Investments in energy-efficiency training saved ICI Chemicals, a British chemical company, ?500,000 (1992 currency) for a ?100,000 investment: a ten-week payback. This information was released in a paper written for the Training Subcomittee of the BestPractices Steam Program. ICI Chemicals invested in its people, implementing a training program including direct training, employing a full-time energy manager, metering, and expending revenue on repairs and minor improvements. These findings are explicated in "The Human Side of Efficiency: The Value of Training in Plant Systems Optimization," which includes other examples of the value of training. A companion slide show to the paper links to further examples and resources of how to implement a training program. Read the paper http://www.ase.org/steamingahead/papers/IETCpaper.doc View the slideshow http://www.ase.org/steamingahead/trainingslides_files/frame.htm -------------------------------- Energy Efficiency Methods Can Yield 50 Percent Reductions in Data Center Power Requirements, Says REPP Report The Information Technology industry and electric power utilities have a "window of opportunity to define and implement best practices in data center design and construction before the next Information Technology surge," notes Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) Research Manager Fred Beck. Based on extensive research and interviews with industry experts, Beck details many practical efficiency measures that can be implemented today, as well as identifying broader solutions such as ultra-efficient "Energy Smart Power Parks" employing shared electricity production and cooling facilities. Read more: http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/binaries/data_centers_report.pdf -------------------------------- CFLs Capture High California Marketshare Energy Star compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have captured a higher marketshare in California than ever in the 20 year history of energy-efficiency programs. The expanded marketshare is due in part to the "Instant Discount Retailer Program" by California Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) to promote the purchase and use of CFLs by residential consumers in partnership with retailers and manufacturers that were customer-oriented and cost-effective. Noted factors that have contributed to the success of the 2001 program include consumer education; greater accessibility of next-generation CFLs, together with their higher quality, lower price, and decreased size; and the competitive nature of the marketplace. By the end of the Instant Discount Retailer Program in December 2001, Pacific Gas and Electric Company reports that 42 retailers with 434 locations in Northern and Central California had participated to provide discounts on 6 million CFLs accounting for $18 million dollars in incentives. Read more: http://www.ase.org/e-FFICIENCY/documents/0102b.htm ******************************** ALLIANCE NEWS Nominees Sought for 2002 Energy Efficiency Awards The Alliance to Save Energy is seeking suggestions for domestic or international nominees to receive the organization's 2002 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards. These prestigious awards are given annually to an individual or organization that has significantly furthered the cause of energy efficiency in the previous year. Because 2002 represents the Alliance's 25th Silver Anniversary, nominees are sought who have made an extraordinary contribution to energy efficiency. Awardees will be chosen by a panel of distinguished energy professionals from among those nominations received. Awardees will be formally recognized at a black tie dinner - Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency in early autumn. To submit a nominee for the 2002 Alliance awards, please send an email with the person, company, or organization's name, and a short paragraph on why you feel this person or group should be recognized for their achievement to development@ase.org. -------------------------------- 'Static Electricity House' Brings Down House; Garners $16 Million Free TV Airtime for Energy Efficiency Message The Alliance to Save Energy obtained some $16 million of free TV airtime for its "Static Electricity House" national TV PSA and a customized New York version developed for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Nielsen Sigma tracking reports that the national TV PSA was aired more than 38,000 times for 462 million total impressions from December 2000 through December 2001. Additionally, the national TV PSA was picked up by the ABC and CBS TV networks, CNN Headline News, other cable networks, local cable operators, and CNN Airport Network at 35 major airports which are not tracked by Nielsen and which would push all of the total values significantly higher. More than a year later, past this tracking time frame, there are reports of sightings this month in San Francisco and Washington D.C. markets and on cable. Typical of the e-mails received by the Alliance, Eve Norman of San Francisco writes: "I LOVE this commercial. This has got to be one of the funniest spots I've ever seen. First time I saw it, I was dozing on the couch, woke up thinking for a moment that it was serious. What a great idea: using static electricity. Of course, I then realized it was a very clever spoof. Thanks, for a good laugh plus valuable information." In case you missed the PSA: http://www.ase.org/shocking -------------------------------- DRAM, Alliance Partner to 'Advance' Advanced Metering Technologies The Alliance, in coordination with the Demand Response and Advanced Metering Coalition (DRAM) is developing plans for new initiatives in the area of metering, which may include consumer awareness programs, work on technology standards and other related areas. For several years, the Alliance has been monitoring policy and developments in the area of advanced metering, and in particular time-of-use and real-time metering. These technologies have received a great deal of attention recently, as they have been increasingly deployed in so-called "demand response" programs, which help save energy and money by consumers. Read more: http://www.ase.org/e-FFICIENCY/documents/0102c.htm For more information on the Alliance' efforts or those of the DRAM coalition, contact Joe Loper, jloper@ase.org, or Bill Prindle, bprindle@ase.org, at the Alliance. ******************************** EYE OPENERS Energy Efficiency Is Patriotism A new web site has been created for people who want to contribute to the effort against terrorism and who want to address the primary causes both of anti-American sentiment and American dependence on foreign oil. America consumes a disproportionate share of world oil resources, which has brought a disproportionate amount of risk to America - risks to our health, safety, economy, and national security. At www.SaveABarrel.org, visitors are asked to take a "Patriot's Energy Pledge." The Patriot's Energy Pledge Campaign(tm) SaveaBarrel.org(tm) website was developed by "a bipartisan group of concerned citizens who strongly believe that reducing our country's use of oil is essential to our national security." Read more and take the pledge: http://www.saveabarrel.org -------------------------------- New Web Site Offers Money-Saving Tips to Homeowners Thinking of replacing an existing furnace or central air conditioner? Is the existing system costing more to run than it has to? To help homeowners learn more about saving, TimeEnergy.com has posted many key tips that affect heating and cooling efficiency. Read more: http://www.timeenergy.com/index.html ******************************** EFFICIENCY EVENTS 'Demand-Response Programs,' Houston, Tex., March 7-8 This conference will enable participants to retain customers, sell surplus output and minimize capacity constraints using technologies while allowing optimal return on investments. More info: http://www.cbinet.com/events/PB206/index.html -------------------------------- 'Safety, Security in Electric Power Industry' Conference: Houston, Tex., March 25 The threat and scope of malicious and purposeful sabotage today is much greater than that of natural disasters. Therefore, The Center for Business Intelligence has developed the "Safety and Security in the Electric Power Industry" conference. Power industry executives will examine the impact of heightened security measures on their companies' day-to-day operations. More information: http://www.cbinet.com/events/PB231/index.html ******************************** EFFICIENCY PEOPLE Alliance Staffer Verdict Returns to Texas Working for the Alliance for nearly ten years, Energy Efficiency Financing Director Malcolm Verdict is returning to his native state of Texas. Verdict will continue to work within the energy efficiency community at his new post at the Texas A&M University. We will miss him and wish him well at his new home and in his new job. Energy Job Openings Fort Collins Utilities Energy Services Engineer. Fort Collins Utilities (FCU) is the municipal utility providing electric, water, wastewater and stormwater services to Fort Collins, a growing town of 120,000 in northern Colorado at the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains. FCU has a longstanding reputation as a progressive utility. Since 1980, it has offered a variety of energy efficiency services to its customers and has been recognized regionally and nationally for its efforts. The focus of the Energy Services Engineer is improving energy efficiency. The job description can be viewed at http://www.fcgov.com/jobs. Applications must be received by 8 Feb 2002. ******************************** CONTACT US Need to reach someone at the Alliance to Save Energy? View our staff list by name and area of expertise. www.ase.org/about/staff.htm -------------------------------- This e-mail newsletter is sent monthly to anyone interested in energy-efficiency issues. Gadi Nevo Ben-Yehuda, Editor, webmaster@ase.org David Nemtzow, Publisher, nemtzow@ase.org To be removed from this list, do not reply to this message. Instead, send a message to: Majordomo@lists.ase.org In the body of the message type in "unsubscribe e-fficiencynews" (without the quote marks). Do not include any other message in the body, including your signature file. If a friend has forwarded this message to you and you'd like to get it yourself, send us a message: subscribe@ase.org -------------------------------- Do you have news you'd like to share with us? Do you have comments about e-FFICIENCY NEWS? Want to write an opinion piece? Letter to the editor? Share some information with others? We'd enjoy hearing from you: Webmaster@ase.org. Alliance to Save Energy 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20036 202/857-0666 info@ase.org http://www.ase.org
|