Archive for July, 2009

The Power of Lighting Controls for Energy Savings Top 5

July 27th, 2009 by Lucas Klesch

Lighting controls, like any control system has the power to realize a significant amount of savings because you can control specific times when the lights can and cannot be used.  Lighting systems in buildings are typically designed to provide to much light for today’s needs, they usually do not take into account the use of natural daylight, and they are left on when no one is using them.  Lighting controls can address all of these wasteful issues and with reliable paybacks of less than 2 years in many cases.

The top 5 use of lighting controls are:

  1. Scheduling automatically turns lights off or to dimmed levels based on the time of day.
  2. Occupancy sensors turn the lights off when a room or space is vacant.
  3. Daylight harvesting dims or shuts off lights when enough daylight is present to satisfy light levels.
  4. Demand response/load shedding reduces light loads at peak electricity price times.
  5. Personal light controls allows users to dim lights their preferred levels.

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The desire to be normal

July 24th, 2009 by Kevin Skurski

The July 14 Flex Your Power newsletter reveals the results of a study on energy efficiency messaging by Professor Wesely Schultz of California State University San Marcos.  According to Schultz, “individuals tend to base their environmental decisions more on what they think is normal, than on what they think is simply ‘the right thing to do.’”  In his study, doorhangers were distributed to 1,200 homes, each containing one of five messages.  Four of the messages were “traditional ideas such as saving energy saves money, is socially or environmentally responsible, or is easy to do.”

However, the fifth message was quite different.  Instead, “the fifth message compared the household’s energy use to average use in the neighborhood.”  After several weeks of monitoring electricity use, “researchers found that homes that received the fifth message achieved the greatest reductions in energy use, with high consumers using significantly less electricity after the campaign.”

The lesson is that consumers are highly motivated by their sense of being normal–how they stack up to others.  Alone, energy efficiency messaging is not enough…a means to measure and compare is also needed for maximum results.  GreenQuest provides both a platform for messaging and comparisons of actual energy use.

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Financial incentives for energy projects

July 7th, 2009 by Kevin Skurski

We frequently get asked about rebates and tax credits available for energy efficiency projects and products.  Most often, mechanical service contractors want to know what is available in their area of the country or from a national incentive program.

The best resource we’ve come across for finding information about energy-related financial incentives is DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, found at www.dsireusa.org

DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.   DSIRE is an ongoing project of the NC Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The site is easy to use, you can search by state, you can filter the list by type (renewables or energy efficiency) and you get detailed information.  You’ll also find links to the applications themselves, as well as the specific rules and criteria that need to be met to receive funding.

There is an awful lot out there.  If you provide energy services, or for that matter, any services having to do with any energy-consuming systems in buildings or homes, it would be well worthwhile to become familiar with what’s available in your area, as well as nationally.

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