Energy Conservation News articles from February 2003

Energy Conservation News archives from February 2003

OUTLOOK: Will Higher Gas Prices Lead to Smaller Cars?
February 1, 2003... As long as gasoline is in reasonable supply with no need for rationing, automakers and consumers will not move away from larger cars and SUVs, says Temple engineering professor Richard S. Cohen. "Very high gas prices might do it, but I think...

Efficiency Cut in FY'04 Budget Request.
February 1, 2003... According to Alliance to Save Energy (1200 18th St., NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036; Tel: 202/857-0666, Fax: 202/331-9588; Email: info@ase.org) president David M. Nemtzow, "President Bush's FY 2004 budget request calls for significant cuts...

Closing the Light Truck Loophole.
February 1, 2003... In late January, Senators Feinstein (D-CA) and Snowe (R-ME) introduced a bill that, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE, 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036-5525; Website:...

States Picking Up Funding Slack.
February 1, 2003... Halting a dramatic decline, spending on utility and related state energy efficiency programs has rebounded modestly from the late 1990s, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's (ACEEE, 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW,...

GOVERNMENT: Proposal May Bring Higher Bills, Dirtier Air.
February 1, 2003... New plans for electricity service in Maryland will bring higher bills, less stable rates, and more pollution, according to a group of 11 environmental organizations and advocates of clean energy (see www.aceee.org/testimony/marylandsos.pdf). In...

Berkeley Lab Helps Oakland Meet Costs.
February 1, 2003... The California electricity crisis has receded from the headlines, but energy costs are still high in the state. So there was anticipation in the audience when Oakland's mayor Jerry Brown announced the start of the Oakland Energy Partnership at...

ENERGY MANAGEMENT/FINANCING Partnership to Help Companies Conserve.
February 1, 2003... WebGen Systems, Inc. (41 William Linskey Way, Cambridge, MA 02142; Tel: 617/349-0724, Fax: 617/349-3612; Email: info@webgensystems.com), provider of the first predictive and proactive energy management system, the Intelligent Use of Energy...

RESIDENTIAL: Group Introduces 'Home Performance'.
February 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Energy predicts the current winter's heating oil bills in the Northeast will be 52% higher than last year. In Massachusetts, oil prices have hit a 3-year high of $1.75 per gallon and prices are only expected to increase,...

HealthySeal Wins National Award.
February 1, 2003... TecHome Builder and Electronic House magazines, in partnership with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center, awarded BioPolymers, LLC (Atlanta, GA; Website: www.healthyseal.com), the manufacturer of the trademarked...

Ebara Ballard Unveils a 1-kW Fuel Cell Generator.
February 1, 2003... Ballard Power Systems' (9000 Glenlyon Pkwy., Burnaby, British Columbia V5J 5J9, Canada; Tel: 604/454-0900, Fax: 604/412-4700; Website: www.ballard.com) and Ebara Corp.'s (11-1 Haneda Asahi- cho, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 144-8510, Japan; Tel:...

Collaboration in Energy Management.
February 1, 2003... PECO Energy Co. (10 S. Dearborn St., 37th Fl., Chicago, IL 60690- 3005; Tel: 312/394-7398, Fax: 630/663-7599; Website: www.exeloncorp.com), Invensys (Invensys House, Carlisle Place, London SW1P 1BX, U.K.; Tel: +44-20-7834-3848, Fax:...

COMMERCIAL: ASHRAE Awards Focus on Energy, Water.
February 1, 2003... Although the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino sits on an island, water is considered a scarce resource. So development of a laundry water recovery system that reduced between 4.5 and 6.0 million gallons of the hotel's wastewater annually...

Costs Focus of HUD Guide.
February 1, 2003... With increasing water and energy costs and water treatment requirements becoming more stringent, apartment owners are becoming ever more interested in water conservation strategies for their tenants. Although it may be difficult to persuade...

Awards for Efficient Municipal Projects.
February 1, 2003... The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has announced seven projects chosen to receive more than $1.2 million in funding from its Municipal Water and Wastewater Technology Program. Funding will be received by the...

INDUSTRIAL: New York Supports Industrial Efficiency.
February 1, 2003... The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has issued funding for a number of industrial energy efficiency initiatives in recent weeks. NYSERDA provided nearly $735,000 to install high-efficiency chillers at IBM's...

Engelhard Boosts Refinery Yields.
February 1, 2003... Engelhard Corp. (101 Wood Ave., Iselin, NJ 08830; Tel: 732/205- 5000, or 800/458-9823, Fax: 732/906-0337; Website: www.engelhard.com) has launched a new technology that enables petroleum refiners to significantly boost the amount of gasoline...

Organizations to Cut Greenhouse Gases.
February 1, 2003... Fourteen organizations, including several large corporations, have entered into a legally binding agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 4% within the next 4 years. The 14 entities announced in February that they are forming the...

Zilkha Proposes Wind Plant for Washington.
February 1, 2003... Zilkha Renewable Energy has submitted a permit application to build a 181.5-MW wind facility near Ellensburg, Washington, approximately 70 miles east of Tacoma. The Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project will generate enough electricity to serve...

Strategy for Economic Water Desalination.
February 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have put together a research road map to guide future investments necessary to reduce the cost of water desalination, including the large energy...

TRANSPORTATION: Hydrogen Car Funding: "Too Little, Too Late".
February 1, 2003... In his State of the Union address, President Bush pledged $240 million a year to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology. According to Wenonah Hauter, director, Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program, and Alice Slater,...

Technologies Cut Truck Idling.
February 1, 2003... EPRI has been awarded a grant from the EPA's newly announced SmartWay Transport program (Website: www.epa.gov/smartway/transport) for a demonstration project aimed at reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from long- haul trucks....

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION Total Installations Up by 10%.
February 1, 2003... The U.S. wind energy industry racked up a solid gain in 2002 even in the face of an overall retrenchment in the broader energy industry, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA, 122 C St., NW, Washington, DC 20001; Tel:...

Combustion Modifications Reduce Electricity Costs.
February 1, 2003... A unique combination of high-tech combustion modifications and sophisticated control systems will be tested on a Kansas coal- fired power plant as part of the federal government's efforts to show how new technology can reduce air emissions and...

APPLIANCES: PWM Controller Meets "1-Watt Initiative".
February 1, 2003... Fairchild Semiconductor International (82 Running Hill Rd., South Portland, ME 04106; Tel: 207/775-8100, or 800/341-0392, Fax: 207/761-6020; Website: www.fairchildsemi.com) has engineered a programmable frequency, current mode PWM controller...

LIGHTING: Lighting Project Starts at UCal.
February 1, 2003... The William J. von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement (Tel: 858/822-5960; Email: vlassist@soe.ucsd.edu, Website: www.vonliebig.ucsd.edu) has awarded $50,000 and equipment to a lighting project led by faculty at the...

INDUSTRY NEWS: Proton Energy in Solar/PEM Contract.
February 1, 2003... Producing power from renewable energy sources just got another boost this winter. Proton Energy Systems, Inc. (Proton Energy Systems, 10 Technology Dr., Wallingford, CT 06492; Website: www.protonenergy.com ) has been awarded a $375,000 contract...

GE to Develop Electric System of the Future.
February 1, 2003... The Electricity Innovation Institute (E2I; Website: www.e2i.org), an affiliate of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), has selected a team headed by GE Global Research (Website: www.research.ge.com) to assist in the initial development...

CALENDAR.
February 1, 2003... March 17-19, 2003. Texas Technology Showcase (energy efficiency at chemical plants and refineries), Houston, TX. Contact: Tel: 877/648-7967; Website: www.showcasetexas.org April 2-3, 2003. GLOBALCON Energy Efficiency & Facilities...