US Energy Flows — Inputs and Outputs 1995 to 2010
I like to talk about the big picture of energy occasionally here. I also love data! Today, I'm not going to do a whole lot of talking at all. I mainly want to show you what I consider to be…
energy conservation
Who Wants Daylight Savings Time — and Why?
Most of us here in the US just lost an hour this weekend because of Daylight Savings Time. This annual clock-advancing used to happen late in April but has been extended a couple of times in the past few decades.…
Where Does Your State Rank in Energy Efficiency? ACEEE Can Tell You
Hey, Californians, look out. You're not number 1 anymore. Nope. You're number 2 now. In their annual assessment of how the states are doing with energy efficiency, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has pronounced Massachusetts the…
What Does Energy Security Look Like?
"US military warns oil output may dip causing massive shortages by 2015." That's the headline in an article I read the other day. Politicians and the media may not take energy security seriously, but the leaders of our armed forces…
Energy Independence Is a Fantasy – Let’s Focus on Energy Security
As I sit here on Memorial Day thinking of my cousin Daniel, who was killed in the first Iraq war in 1991, and all the many others who gave their lives in support of the United States, my mind is…
News Flash: Americans Use Less Energy When It Costs More
On Twitter yesterday, I saw this from my Ohio Twitter buddy Josh Lloyd: On Twitter yesterday, I saw this from my Ohio Twitter buddy Josh Lloyd: I wrote about energy conservation versus energy efficiency last year and showed how things…
The McMansion Penalty in ENERGY STAR Version 3
When I first became a HERS rater and went to the RESNET conference in 2004, I got to talk with David Lee, who was the head of the ENERGY STAR homes program at the time. Because I was puzzled by…
Should Nuclear Energy Be in the Mix of Preferred Energy Sources?
Nuclear energy is like religion or politics. Almost no one, it seems, can separate their biases and emotional attachments from an objective assessment of the worth of this energy source. And yes, I count myself among the non-objective. Nuclear energy…
How NOT to Use Your Heat Pump Thermostat
Recently I've learned of two people running their heat pump in a way that costs them a lot of extra money. With heat pumps, there's an extra setting on the thermostat.* In addition to heat, cool, and off, there's a…
4 Products for Enhancing Air Flow in Dryer Vents
After I wrote an article this past week about the problem of restrictive wall caps reducing dryer vent air flow, I heard from David Williams, a fellow resident as well as a contractor who's done a lot of work here…