ASERTTI News
Obama
Administration Launches $130 Million
Building Energy Efficiency Effort
The Obama Administration announced a
multi-agency initiative to spur regional
economic growth while making buildings
more energy efficient. Seven federal
agencies today issued a combined Funding
Opportunity Announcement (FOA) of up to
$129.7 million over five years to create
a regional research center that will
develop new building efficiency
technologies and work with local
partners to implement the technologies
in area buildings. Buildings account
for nearly 40 percent of U.S. energy
consumption and carbon emissions.
Improvements in building efficiency will
provide significant benefits – reducing
energy use, lowering utility bills and
decreasing carbon emissions.
The agencies are working together to
leverage funding and resources to
promote regional growth through an
Energy Regional Innovation Cluster (E-RIC)
that is centered around an Energy
Innovation Hub focused on developing new
technologies to improve the design of
energy-efficient building systems. This
Energy Innovation Hub, one of three
proposed by the Administration and
funded by Congress in the FY10 budget,
will bring together a multidisciplinary
team of researchers, ideally working
under one roof, to conduct research and
work to solve priority technology
challenges that span work from basic
research to engineering development to
commercialization readiness. Please
click here for the full press
release and a link to the FOA.
EPA Announces New
Web Site to Help State and Local
Government Partners Tackle Climate
Change
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) launched a new Web site
today to help state and local
governments understand, plan, and
implement strategies to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions within their
jurisdictions. The State and Local
Climate and Energy Program Web site,
www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate,
brings together EPA resources to serve
as a one-stop shop for government
officials seeking information and
resources related to climate change and
clean energy. The site targets
information to state and local
government officials by providing:
- Resources on energy efficiency,
renewable energy, waste management,
workforce development, health,
adaptation, and more.
- "How to" information for
developing a climate change action
plan or greenhouse gas inventory,
along with maps showing which states
and localities have them in place.
- Guidance on evaluating policy
and program options and measuring
results.
- A calendar of upcoming climate
change and clean energy webcasts and
conferences.
- Podcasts and video recordings of
State and Local Climate and Energy
Program webcasts.
Featured
Resource: Assessing the Multiple
Benefits of Clean Energy: A Resource for
States
This resource will help state energy,
environmental, and economic policy
makers identify and quantify the many
benefits of clean energy. This
groundbreaking document is the first to
organize and present a comprehensive
review of the multiple benefits of clean
energy, together with an analytical
framework that states can use to assess
those benefits during the development
and implementation of clean energy
policies and programs. Access the
resource at:
http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/resources/benefits.html.
ECW Webinar: SSL
Technology and LED Lighting: New Tools
in Your Toolbox – March 10, 2010
The Energy Center of Wisconsin (ECW)
will host "SSL Technology and LED
Lighting: New Tools in Your Toolbox," a
live webinar presented by Presenter:
Avraham Mor, IALD, LEED AP, IESNA,
Lightswitch Architectural. The webinar
will take place on March 10, 2010 from
1:00 - 2:30 PM central time. SSL/LED
lighting can significantly reduce energy
consumption and costs. Technology
advancements have increased the
versatility and durability of the lamps
and improved the fixtures contributing
to their expanding applicability. SSL is
a vital lighting design tool. As LED
lighting becomes more mainstream, it is
important for those who specify lighting
products and users to understand the
technology, its uses and pitfalls.
Attend this webinar and learn the latest
strategies to use these tools
effectively. Please
click here for more information and
to register for the event.
DOE Announces
Inaugural ARPA-E Energy Innovation
Summit
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
announced that the inaugural "ARPA-E
Energy Innovation Summit" will take
place March 1-3, 2010, at the Gaylord
National Hotel and Convention Center in
Washington, D.C. The event, hosted by
the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced
Research Projects Agency - Energy
(ARPA-E) and organized by the Clean
Technology and Sustainable Industries
Organization (CTSI), with key support
from the National Venture Capital
Association (NVCA) and the Kauffman
Foundation, will serve as a forum for
the nation's energy leaders to share
ideas, collaborate, and identify key
technology opportunities and
challenges. Summit participants will
include members of the scientific and
research communities, investors,
technology entrepreneurs, corporations
with an interest in clean energy
technologies, policymakers, and
government officials. For more
information and a link to the Summit
website, please
click here.
California Energy
Commission Awards East Bay City $290,000
for Improved Streetlights
ASERTTI member, the California Energy
Commission, approved a $290,805
low-interest loan to the City of Albany
to improve the energy efficiency most of
its streetlights. The city will save
nearly $24,000 in annual energy costs by
modernizing its streetlights. Funding
for the loan program comes from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(Recovery Act). The loan will allow the
city to replace 451 streetlights, and
the project will receive a $43,350
incentive from the local utility, PG&E.
In addition to the reduced energy costs,
the lighting improvements will reduce
the city's annual greenhouse gas
emissions by an estimated 67 tons of CO2
a year. Please
click here for the full story.
LIPA Awards
Rebates to United Cerebral Palsy of
Suffolk for Energy Efficiency
ASERTTI member, the Long Island Power
Authority (LIPA), presented United
Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Suffolk with a
check for an energy efficiency rebate of
$19,119.70, under the Not-for-Profit
component of LIPA's Efficiency Long
Island (ELI) program. LIPA is committed
to promoting energy efficiency on Long
Island. Recently, UCP Suffolk partnered
with LIPA to ensure energy efficiencies
at its new Health Center specializing in
medical and therapeutic services for
individuals with disabilities. The
efficiency measures receiving incentives
include high efficiency lighting,
occupancy lighting sensors and HVAC
equipment. Through these efficiency
installations it is estimated that UCP
will save approximately 103,000 kilowatt
hours (kWh) per year, which equates to
approximately $19,000 in energy savings.
This project will also reduce LIPA's
energy demand by 10 kilowatts (kW),
helping to reduce the need to burn more
fossil fuel. Please
click here for the full story.
SMUD Wins $20
Million Grant for Residential Retrofits
ASERTTI member, Sacramento Municipal
Utility District (SMUD) has won a $20
million grant to provide energy audits
and energy efficiency retrofit rebates
to more than 15,000 residential
customers over the next two years. If
the program works as envisioned, the
energy efficiency measures could cut
electricity use by 21.9 gigawatt hours,
enough to power 2,500 homes for a year.
The program is expected to launch in
May. The money, provided by federal
stimulus funds and awarded by the
California Energy Commission, will allow
SMUD to launch the "Home Performance
Program" (HPP), a program that
encourages customers to sign up for
comprehensive energy audits and
resulting home retrofits. Audits will
measure the efficiency of insulation,
tightness of doors and windows, the
efficiency of heating and air systems
and more. The audits will pinpoint
problems, and prioritize the steps to
cut energy use. Each audit is estimated
to cost $500. With about $400 being
subsidized by the grant money, the net
cost to homeowners in SMUD territory
would be $99. Please
click here for the full story. |
