Energy Conservation News articles from July 1999

Energy Conservation News archives from July 1999

OUTLOOK: Restructurings Mask Gas Bill Savings.
July 1, 1999... Recent declines in natural gas bills would have been even greater-if it hadn't been for one-time charges by local distribution companies for restructuring costs, according to a Gas Research Institute (GRI, 8600 West Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, IL...

Higher Performance from Portable Power.
July 1, 1999... The market for portable, battery-powered products has grown from a few well- established niches such as flashlights and wristwatches to a diverse, rapidly growing market that encompasses a variety of electronic, computer, communications, and...

Senate Bill Seeks to Undo Clinton Initiative.
July 1, 1999... In a move described as "unbelievable" by President Bill Clinton, Thad Cochran, a Republican senator from Mississippi, inserted language into the Senate Interior Appropriations bill designed to block the puting into effect President Clinton's...

GOVERNMENT: Efficiency Costs Less Than Power Plants.
July 1, 1999... According to a just-released study by Wisconsin's Environmental Decade Institute, energy efficiency programs are less-costly options for increasing the reliability of the electricity supply than building new power plants and transmission...

NYPA Adds $200 Million in Initiatives.
July 1, 1999... New York Power Authority (NYPA, 123 Main St., White Plains, NY 10601) trustees have approved an additional $200 million in funding for energy efficiency projects in the state. The power authority's statewide Energy Services Program and energy...

NIST to Develop Housing Technology Tools.
July 1, 1999... The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing has awarded The National Institute of Standards and Technology (Website: www.nist.gov) $1.2 million to begin developing critical measurement and information tools for predicting the...

Kmart Uses Management Solutions.
July 1, 1999... Accu-Temp, Inc. (660 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46203; Tel: 317/638-5363, Fax: 317/264-3571) and TeCom, Inc. (TECO Plaza, 702 N. Franklin St., Tampa, FL 33602; Tel: 813/228-4111, Fax: 813/228-4262, Website: www.teco.net) are providing the...

RESIDENTIAL: Pentech in Fuel Cell Initiative.
July 1, 1999... Pentech Energy Solutions, Inc. (6885 Flanders Dr., Suite B, San Diego, CA 92121- 2933; Tel: 619/450-8200, Website: www.pentechsd.com) has just introduced its newest product, the Pentech Energy Recovery Controller (PERC) Residential....

$100 Million for Green Homes.
July 1, 1999... The National Assn. of Home Builders has announced a $100 million initiative with the federal loan agency Fannie Mae to invest in green home building in six pilot cities. The partnership will help promote energy-efficient construction methods...

COMMERCIAL: Big Savings from Peak Shaving.
July 1, 1999... Exelon Energy Services (2301 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19101; Tel: 215/841- 4000, Fax: 215/841-4188, Website: www.peco.com or www.exeloncorp.com) recently installed two new energy-efficient generators at St. Agnes Medical Center in South...

Fuel Cell/Photovoltaic Hybrid Power System.
July 1, 1999... The first commercially available fuel cell/photovoltaic hybrid power system has just been dedicated at Kirby Cove in California's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The system will provide power for a camp ground host that is open seven...

INDUSTRIAL: COnEd Offers Parallel Drivelines.
July 1, 1999... ConEdison Solutions (4 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003; Tel: 212/460-4600, Fax: 212/982-7816, Website: www.ConEdSolutions.com) has added parallel drivelines to its selection of total energy resource management services. ConEdison Solutions'...

TRANSPORTATION: Army Supports EV/Hybrids.
July 1, 1999... Seeking to cut its fuel usage by 75% by 2020, the U.S. Army is working with the private sector to develop hybrid-electric vehicles because they are more fuel- efficient and can operate in a stealthy, all-electric mode, reports Soldiers Online....

Cost of Aviation Fuel Halved.
July 1, 1999... Piston-engine aircraft will soon be able to use a new low-cost, lead-free alternative fuel that is based largely on ethanol and other agricultural products. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently certified the fuel, which is about...

LBL Look at Vehicle A/C.
July 1, 1999... Car makers traditionally have solved the cooling problem with the use of large, heavy, and inefficient air conditioners, typically of the same size that would be used to cool a small house. Now, researchers are exploring an alternative...

Major Fuel Processor Contract Awarded by DOE.
July 1, 1999... Catalytica Advanced Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Catalytica, Inc. (430 Ferguson Dr., Mountain View, CA 94043-5272; Tel: 650/960-3000, Fax: 650/960- 0127, Website: www.catalytica-inc.com), and McDermott Technology, Inc....

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION Siemens, Shell to Make Fuel-Cell.
July 1, 1999... Shell Hydrogen and Siemens Westinghouse have commenced a project to develop and market a fuel cell power generation technology, utilizing natural gas, that would essentially eliminate emissions to the atmosphere. The project combines the...

HVAC: Trigen Patents Cooling Solution.
July 1, 1999... Trigen Energy Corp. (One Water St., White Plains, NY 10601-1009; Tel: 914/286- 6600, Fax: 914/948-9157, Website: www.trigen.com) has just formed a new subsidiary company, Thermal Technologies, Inc., which is to function within Trigen's...

MOTORS: Simulation Optimizes Motor Design.
July 1, 1999... According to a recent account of research by Bruce Kielgas, senior product engineer, (A.O. Smith Electrical Products Co., 531 N 4th St., Tipp City, OH 45371-1857; Tel: 937/667-2431), A.O. Smith used computer simulation to design switched...

INDUSTRY NEWS: Energy Efficiency Building Standards Are in Effect.
July 1, 1999... The latest version of the California energy efficiency building standards went into effect this month, and the Energy Commission is working to make them increasingly more user-friendly. The standards, revised every three years, apply to both...

Vehicle Exhibits Fuel Economy.
July 1, 1999... The first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle available in the U.S. will be called the Honda Insight when it goes on sale this December, according to American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90501-2746; Tel: 310/783-2000,...

RESOURCES: Efficiency-Related Doctoral Dissertations.
July 1, 1999... The Journal of Industrial Ecology has established an internet-based database of dissertations related to industrial ecology at website: www.yale.edu/jie/dissert1.htm. It includes listings of dissertations on many energy efficiency issues...

Report on Combined Heat and Power.
July 1, 1999... The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE, 1001 Connecticut Ave., Washington, D.C. 20036; Website: www.aceee.org) has released a major new report on combined heat and power. The report, Combined Heat and Power: Capturing...

CALENDAR.
July 1, 1999... August 3-5, 1999, 1999 Joint DOE/EPRI/GRI Fuel Cell Technology Review Conference, Chicago, IL. Contact: Website: www.gri.org/ August 23-25, 1999, Energy '99: An Energy Efficiency Workshop and Exposition, Orlando, FL. Contact: JoAnn...