1. Making
the Switch: Traditional 75-Watt Bulb Is the Next to Go - As of Sept. 30, 2012 it became
illegal to import or manufacture the traditional 100-watt incandescent bulb.
But stores can still sell what they have on the shelves. On Jan. 1, 2013 the
same federal energy legislation passed in 2007 now covers a manufacturing and
import ban on 75-watt incandescent bulbs. On Jan. 1, 2014 the most widely-sold
wattage bulb -- the 60-watt -- will be on the way out, along with the 40-watt
bulb. The law requires most bulbs to be 30 percent more efficient. The
traditional bulbs are cheaper at 60 cents or so. CFLs are $3 or less per bulb,
and halogens range from $4 to $6. LED's are $20 to $70 a bulb. The more
energy-efficient bulbs last longer than traditional bulbs. http://www.lightopedia.com/
2. Demand Response
for Commercial Buildings - The commercial sector offers a
significant growth opportunity for the demand response (DR) market. Commercial
buildings account for a substantial amount of electricity consumption and
represent a major underserved market. Pike Research forecasts that the number
of commercial facilities participating in DR programs will rise from fewer than
600,000 in 2012 to more than 1.5 million sites by 2018. The market opportunity and technology issues
for DR in commercial facilities are explored, and market drivers and inhibitors
are examined. http://www.pikeresearch.com/research/demand-response-for-commercial-buildings
3. Ames Laboratory to Lead New Research Effort
to Address Shortages in Rare Earth and Other Critical Materials - The U.S. DOE announced 1/09 that a
team led by Ames Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, has been selected for an award of up
to $120 million over five years to establish an Energy Innovation Hub that will
develop solutions to the domestic shortages of rare earth metals and other
materials critical for U.S. energy security. The new research center will be
named the Critical Materials Institute (CMI). The new Hub will focus on
technologies that will enable us to make better use of the materials we have
access to as well as eliminate the need for materials that are subject to
supply disruptions. These critical
materials are essential in modern clean energy technologies – such as wind
turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, and energy-efficient lighting. http://energy.gov/articles/ames-laboratory-lead-new-research-effort-address-shortages-rare-earth-and-other-critical
4. Tax Credits for
Energy-Efficient Home Improvements Reinstated - Federal tax
credits for energy-efficient home improvements are back. Reinstatement of the popular credits was a
little-noticed part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act, the last-minute
legislation that kept America from tumbling over the fiscal cliff. The law allows homeowners to claim tax
credits of varying amounts on improvements such as insulation, energy-smart
windows and highly efficient furnaces. Congress made those credits retroactive,
meaning improvements made in both 2012 and 2013 will qualify. 1/09 Akron Beacon Journal
5. DEP Farm Show
Exhibit Offers Graphic Illustration of Energy Efficiency - Anyone who is
not convinced that there really is a difference in energy efficiency can try
pedaling a bike that allows them to not just hear about the facts, but feel
them. Visitors to the Department of
Environmental Protection's new "DEP at Home" exhibit at the
Pennsylvania Farm Show can ride a bike to turn on light bulbs. It is much
harder to pedal to get the incandescent light bulbs to illuminate because they
are less energy efficient, http://www.yorkdispatch.com/ci_22322012
6. Scotland, NC County
Revives Energy Savings Project - Once thought dead, the $1.2 million energy
savings project, part of the "Energy Savings Performance Contract"
program to update the HVAC and lighting systems in several county buildings is
now back on track. When Johnson Controls,
one of 15 state-approved contractors in the program, reported that the savings
were only going to be $800,000 -- not the $1.2 million initially projected --
it appeared that the project was dead in the water.
Thanks to Johnson Controls' revised report to the county, it is
projected that the project can now be financed with an additional $400 in
excess energy savings. The $1.2 million savings would occur over 15
years and is expected to begin during the 2013-14 fiscal year. 1/8
Laurinburg Exchange
7. TVA Program
Offers Business Incentives - Knoxville businesses have an opportunity
to save money on light bills and get up to $2,000 in incentives toward more
efficient lighting under a new TVA/KUB program.
The Tennessee Valley Authority launched its MainStreet
Efficiency pilot program Monday.
Participating customers get a free lighting assessment of their
facility, to show how much they could save on energy costs each month with more
efficient lighting. Lighting upgrades could include replacing fluorescent
fixtures with higher-efficiency lamps and ballasts, changing regular bulbs to CFLs
or LEDs or upgrading "Exit" signs to LED technology For more
information: http://enerpath.com/results/tva
1/10 The Knoxville News-Sentinel
8. Alliant Energy
to Install LED Street Lights in Newton, Iowa - Alliant Energy owns or maintains
around 44,000 of these specific streetlights in Iowa. IPL successfully implemented a project pilot
for the LED fixtures in the Cedar Rapids community. The project was so
successful that cities all across the state joined the program. The previous
fixtures used a 100-watt HPS bulb. The new fixtures will use an 80-watt LED
bulb. Based on 2012 electrical rates, Newton will save an average of 68 cents
per light per month in energy cost. Alliant Energy will save money on
maintenance cost as well as HPS bulbs can last up to seven years, and LED bulbs
can last more than 20 years. 1/10 Newton Daily News
9. Nextera Energy Solutions Launches $7.5 Million
Renovation Project in Dallas Mt. Pleasant Independent School District - Using an innovative financing approach,
the Mt. Pleasant Independent School District (ISD) partnered with energy
savings specialist NextEra Energy Solutions to upgrade lighting, replace aging
HVAC equipment, lower operating and maintenance costs, and deliver a
significantly improved educational environment for Mt. Pleasant students and
staff. The $7.5 million project, which will benefit almost all of the
district's buildings, produces a positive cash flow in each of the 15 years of
the contract term. 1/08 PRNewswire
10. Greeley, CO Looks into Energy Efficiency
Upgrades to City Facilities Following a report that Greeley's aging city facilities
need more than $25 million in repairs, city officials are mulling an energy
efficiency program that would pay for energy-smart improvements with utility
cost savings. The upgrades, identified
in an audit that was paid for through an energy block grant, would mean $1.7
million worth of improvements to lighting, ventilation, pool pumps and other
utilities in seven Greeley buildings. 1/08 Greeley Tribune
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