Archive for the ‘Breaking News!’ Category

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced yesterday that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding nearly $40 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Florida and Maine to support clean energy projects. Yesterday, Florida received $30,401,600 and Main got $9,593,500.

“This funding will allow states across the country to make major investments in energy solutions that will strengthen America’s economy and create jobs at the local level,” said Secretary Chu. “It will also promote some of the cheapest, cleanest, and most reliable energy technologies we have—energy efficiency and conservation—which can be deployed immediately. Local communities can now make strategic investments to help meet the nation’s long term clean energy and climate goals.”

Eligible projects include the development of an energy efficiency and conservation strategy, energy efficiency audits and retrofits, transportation programs, the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, and the installation of renewable energy technologies on municipal buildings.

For a full list of awards to date, visit the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program Web site.

Facilitiesnet.com reports that Of the nation’s 2.7 million commercial buildings built before 1980, more than 2.2 million have been using the same lighting for the past three decades, the National Lighting Bureau (NLB) reports, citing data published by the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Energy Information Administration (EIA).

NLB estimates that 3 million or more commercial and other nonresidential buildings are candidates for lighting-system upgrades.

EIA divided the buildings by age: Those built before 1980 (2.73 million) and those built since (1.92 million). According to EIA data, only 455,000 (17 percent) of the older buildings reported lighting-system upgrades since 1980.

Federally mandated phase-out of older, inefficient technologies, like magnetically ballasted T12 fluorescent lighting, as well as rising energy costs are expected to drive lighting-system renovation, says Robert Colgan, Jr., NLB chair.

Federal tax incentives designed to encourage lighting-system upgrades in commercial buildings, as well as a variety of state and utility-company incentive programs are also expected to boost renovation activity.

source: FacilitiesNet

EU phasing out traditional light bulbs

According to Businessgreen.com, to accomplish reducing CO2 emissions by one million tonnes a year by 2020, the recently passed Eco Design of Energy - using Products Directive restricts the manufacture and import of frosted incandescent light bulbs over the next three years before imposing a full ban in 2012. The legislation bans 100W light bulbs beginning September 1 and lower wattage bulbs one by one over the next three years.

Environment minister Dan Norris welcomed the introduction of the ban, predicting that it will help to accelerate the UK’s efforts to phase out inefficient light bulbs.

“We are glad the EU has put this measure in place to stop the waste of energy and money from old-fashioned, high-energy bulbs,” he said. “The UK has had a successful voluntary initiative in place for a few years, and now the rest of the EU will follow suit on a mandatory basis.”

Under a voluntary initiative, retailers in the UK have already begun to remove 150W and 100W bulbs from shelves and plan to remove all old-fashioned bulbs by 2011, a year ahead of the EU schedule. The government cites strong environmental and economic reasons for switching to more efficient bulbs including that traditional light bulbs waste 95 per cent of their energy as heat and that each CFL delivers annual energy bill savings of between £3 and £6 per lamp ($4.42 and$8.85).

What would be the reaction to similar legislation on this side of the pond?

According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, Pennsylvania’s and Delaware’s State Energy Programs received a federal stimulus funding boost on Monday, some of which will spill out in the form of loans and grants to help businesses and other entities become more energy efficient.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Pennsylvania $39,873,600 and awarded Delaware $9,692,400 in Recovery Act funds, which can be used for energy audits, building retrofits, education and training efforts, transportation programs to increase the use of alternative fuels and hybrids, and new financing mechanisms to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy investments, the department said.

Pennsylvania will use the funds for Pennsylvania Green Energy Works, to offer grants to businesses, nonprofits, universities, local governments and utilities for shovel-ready energy projects. Funds will also be used to establish a Green Development Loan Program, a revolving loan fund to provide financing for clean energy technologies and energy-efficiency facilities projects. The state will receive an additional $50 million in funding, for a total of nearly $100 million, once it demonstrates successful implementation of its plans, the department said.

Delaware’s funds will be used to establish a Home Performance Program, to help defray the costs of home energy audits and installation of energy efficient equipment for families above the low-income eligibility threshold for the Weatherization Assistance Program. The state will also use funds to help fund energy efficiency upgrades in small business, commercial establishments and manufacturing facilities and to provide rebates for solar photovoltaic and solar hot water systems, small wind applications and geothermal systems for homes, businesses and institutional buildings.

Delaware will receive more than $12 million in additional funding, for a total of more than $24 million, after the state’s demonstrates successful implementation of its plan, the department said.

Aelux’s turnkey lighting solutions include managing rebate applications in all states where available. Any Aelux team member can assist you in identifying the rebates and financial incentives for which you qualify. 

GreenerBuildings Staff recently reported:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With Energy Secretary Steven Chu by his side, U.S. President Barack Obama detailed stricter new lighting standards and promised the swift release of $346 million in Recovery Act funds to boost energy efficiency in new and existing commercial buildings and homes.

The president’s move, coming on the first business day after the House passed the climate bill, kept efforts to reduce U.S. energy consumption in the headlines.

“I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and businesses,” Obama said of the new rules that set higher thresholds for energy efficiency in lamps and lighting equipment.

The standards were issued on Friday. Products made in the U.S. or imported for use in the country are required to meet the new parameters starting in 2012. According to the Department of Energy, the changes in lamps and lighting equipment would:

• Prevent the emission of as much as 594 million tons of carbon dioxide from 2012 through 2042, which is estimated as being roughly equivalent to removing 166 million cars from the road for a year.

• Save consumers $1 billion to $4 billion annually from 2012 through 2042.

• Save enough electricity from 2012 through 2042 to power every home in the U.S. for as many as 10 months.

• Eliminate the need for up to 7.3 gigawatts of new generating capacity by 2042, which the DOE says is equivalent to as many as 14 500MW coal-fired power plants.

Source: http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/06/30/new-lighting-rules-346m-for-buildings