The following summaries of current news items were compiled from various news sources by the Association of Energy Service Professionals.

Lawmakers, Obama Administration Seek To Boost Energy Efficiency
The Obama administration and members of Congress are attempting to increase building and appliance energy efficiency as part of an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and stimulate a low carbon economy. Democratic members of the House of Representatives have unveiled legislation for more than $6 billion in rebates for efficiency investments. The "Home Star" program would offer rebates up to $3,000 for investments into building improvements such as insulation, window sealing, and more efficient water heaters, and additional rebates for higher energy savings. Supporters of the bill say it would create 170,000 jobs and save families nearly $10 billion in energy bills, not including the cost of investments. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced changes to make the "Energy Star" efficiency certification process more stringent. The EPA says companies seeking to certify their appliances, computers, and other electric products under the "Energy Star" program would have to submit lab reports for review.
From "Lawmakers, Obama Administration Seek To Boost Energy Efficiency"
Dow Jones Newswires (04/14/10) Talley, Ian

Study Sees Jobs If Tennessee Cuts Energy Demand
A study co-authored by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board appointee Marilyn Brown shows that lowering Tennessee's expected 15 percent increase in residential, commercial, and industrial power demand in the next 20 years can produce 21,500 jobs. The profile of the state shows that the region has high residential demand compared to other states. Stricter building codes, improved appliance standards, and spreading the Weatherization Assistance Program are included in the energy saving policies. Boosting the energy savings features in commercial buildings, plant utility upgrades, and improving combined heat and power standards also are on the list. The Tennessee Valley has had below average power costs in the past, and has not needed customers to become energy efficient. However, that is going to change because of population growth and demand. The report states that existing energy demand can be lowered by about 6 percent by 2020, and by about 12 percent in 2030, which is equal to seven power plants. Boosting energy efficiency also would create 15,600 jobs by 2020 and an additional 5,900 jobs by 2030. "It is really important to look at the number of jobs," says Clean Energy Economy co-founder Susan Richardson Williams. "Look at what a clean energy economy can do for Tennessee."
From "Study Sees Jobs If Tennessee Cuts Energy Demand"
Associated Press (04/13/10) Poovey, Bill

Financing Offered for Saving Energy
The GreenFinanceSF program, just launched in San Francisco, is one of the largest and most ambitious home retrofit and alternative energy efforts in the nation. The $150 million, privately funded program enables San Francisco property owners to have money-saving energy efficiency measures installed in their homes and businesses. The costs, which will be attached to property tax bills, are payable over 10 to 20 years. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom says the program "will save property owners money on monthly utility bills, increase property value, and will help the city meet its aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals." Renewable Funding LLC, an Oakland company that works in partnership with other financial firms to raise money for the clean energy programs primarily through bond measures. "This is an opportunity to do something transformative," says company president Cisco De-Vries. "It can set the model for green retrofits all over the country."
From "Financing Offered for Saving Energy"
San Francisco Chronicle (04/08/10) Ross, Andrew


A 'Smart' Electrical Grid Could Secure the Energy Supply
The power grid in the United States has become dangerously antiquated over the past few decades, and aging technology means colossal inefficiency. As part of the economic stimulus package, the Obama administration has pledged $3.4 billion toward "smart grid" technology - the next generation of infrastructure, meant to stabilize the grid in the event of a failure, incorporate green technology, and vastly improve efficiency. However, bringing the entire national grid up to speed could take decades and cost upwards of $100 billion. Two-way movement of power is critical to a smart grid, enabling homes equipped with solar panels or wind turbines to be able to push power into the grid as well. "In the more distant future, smart power grids may be able to coordinate the use of electricity in the home - for instance, turning on an appliance like a washing machine at a time of day when there is ample power on the grid and electrical prices are low," says Massoud Amin, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Minnesota. Increasing the public's knowledge on energy efficiency is as critical as smartening the grid itself. Individual smart meters that replace the traditional power meters installed on homes can show consumers how much power their home is using at given times of the day and how much that power is costing. Policymakers and utilities are hoping that giving people the true costs of their electric appliance use will naturally change their behavior and give them an incentive to make cheaper choices.
From "A 'Smart' Electrical Grid Could Secure the Energy Supply"
U.S. News & World Report (04/10) Kingsbury, Alex

NM Regulators Approve Energy Efficiency Rule
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission has approved a new rule that gives utilities incentives to urge their customers to conserve through energy efficiency programs. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and environmentalists support the program because it will lower the number of power plants that need to be built, as well as provide utilities with the ability to offer rebates and incentives to energy saving customers. Proponents argue that the rule is necessary in order to push utilities to promote energy efficient appliances and other measures because energy companies are afraid these incentives would lower demand for energy. "New Mexico now joins the group of states that sees the inherent disconnect between a utility profiting from energy sales and simultaneously encouraging its customers to use less energy," says Don Brown with the Public Service Company of New Mexico. "What this begins to do is reward utilities for aggressively pushing energy efficiency." California, New York, and other states have tried to address the disincentives that utilities face in promoting energy efficiency. Many do it through a process known as "decoupling," which allows utilities to separate sales of electricity or natural gas from the revenues needed to maintain distribution systems. The new rule in New Mexico will allow utilities to recover lost fixed costs through a rate increase. An implementation plan will be submitted in June, and if it is approved, about 52 cents would be added to residential energy bills. Experts estimate that efficiency programs could save over $400 million in customer savings and almost 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next two decades.
From "NM Regulators Approve Energy Efficiency Rule"
Associated Press (04/14/10) Bryan, Susan Montoya

U.S. Utilities Increase Energy Efficiency Programs 43 Percent to $5.3B
The nonprofit Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) reports that U.S. utilities spent 43 percent more on energy efficiency programs in 2009 than the previous year. U.S. businesses received a portion of the $5.3 billion dedicated to utility energy efficiency programs, including $4.4 billion for electric energy efficiency programs, which is a 38 percent increase from the previous year, and $930 million for natural gas programs, a 79 percent increase. In 2008, CEE member efficiency programs saved about 93,000 GWh of electricity, and more than 343 million therms of gas, according to the report, which prevented the production of more than 55 million metric tons of CO2. The "2009 CEE Annual Report and Efficiency Program Report" finds that in 2008, carbon dioxide emissions prevented were equal to the annual emissions of almost 12 coal-fired power plants, and that electric energy savings were equal to the electricity needed to power 7.4 million homes for a year. Utility energy efficiency programs also grew geographically, to 46 states, up from 37 states in 2008. Bloomberg New Energy Finance reports that energy efficiency programs will control U.S. greenhouse gas emissions over the next 20 years, but long-term costs have been underestimated, and more aggressive policies will be needed to drive energy technology improvements and lower long-term abatement costs. An ACEEE report states that implementing energy efficiency programs are cheaper for utilities and their customers than adding new sources of electricity.
From "U.S. Utilities Increase Energy Efficiency Programs 43 Percent to $5.3B"
Environmental Leader (03/25/10)

A Quantum Leap for Lighting
Many people are replacing incandescent bulbs with compact florescent (CFL) bulbs, which require less energy. However, CFLs may soon be replaced by light emitting diodes (LEDs), which are even more energy efficient and can instantly be at full brightness, unlike CFLs. LED supporters say that the technology is versatile enough to work in any situation, ranging from large-scale stadium lighting to the small lights used in phones. Even more impressive is the fact that another lighting technology beyond LEDs is on the horizon, offering even greater power efficiency, softer, warmer light and precision color control. The technology uses quantum dots, tiny crystals of semiconducting material only a few nanometers, or billionths of a meter, in size. Quantum-dot lighting allows the color of the light to be precisely controlled. The first quantum dot products can produce warm, white light from blue LEDs, which are the brightest, most energy efficient light. By attaching a film embedded with quantum dots of different sizes in carefully chosen ratios, QD Vision and Nexxus Lighting were able to take blue light LEDs, which project less red light than natural light and look cold, and emit light in a range of colors that combine to form white light. Quantum-dots also can be used in displays by arranging quantum dots capable of emitting light themselves in a grid-like pattern of red, green and blue light. In comparison, LCD displays filter light from a backlight through colored filters and liquid-crystal shutters, with only 10 percent to 20 percent of light passing through the display. An "emissive" display that emits light directly could be five to ten times more energy efficient.
From "A Quantum Leap for Lighting"
Economist Technology Quarterly (03/10)

Energy Loan Programs in State Help Spread Out Costs
Financing movements for renewable energy and conservation are becoming more popular in Wisconsin, as city officials and utilities push residents to be more energy efficient. Milwaukee has developed a new solar loan program that will provide revolving loans that homeowners can repay on their property taxes. The city will provide $135,000 for the initial loans to Milwaukee Shines, the city's solar project. Qualified residents will receive loans between $5,000 and $20,000 with an interest rate of 5.25 percent, which is two percentage points higher than the prime rate. "The big barrier to entry for people has been the significant upfront cost, and that's the strongest part of this package," says Alderman Tony Zielinski. "For as little as $300, they can have a solar system installed on their homes and they have 15 years to pay back the city. The money they save on reduced costs for energy, those dollars can be used to pay back the city." Other initiatives also are being announced, with River Falls Municipal Utilities allowing residents in Pierce County to extend payments for renewable energy upgrades. Residents would see a decrease in their electric bill similar to the loan payment. In Racine, residents will be allowed to fund energy efficient retrofits in the Retrofit Racine program. Focusing on older buildings allows residents to see that older buildings are so inefficient that they pay too much on their utility bills. Studies have shown in Wisconsin and elsewhere that energy efficiency is the cheapest way to lower emissions of carbon dioxide.
From "Energy Loan Programs in State Help Spread Out Costs"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) (03/21/10) P. D1; Content, Thomas

Utilities Offer Free Upgrades
The Arizona Corporation Commission has approved a plan to enable homeowners in the state to finance home improvements by paying for them over time with the natural gas saved and the heat not wasted. Unisource Gas will invest up to $1 million statewide in residential energy efficiency upgrades to reduce consumption of gas - and thus lower future customer bills. The Coconino County Sustainable Economic Development Initiative (SEDI) had argued that with Unisource Gas increasing rates to the tune of $1.65 per month per customer, it should also start a fund to help customers to fix up their homes. The group has long called on the gas company to set aside the money for customers statewide to make gas-saving improvements to their homes, in line with new energy efficiency requirements. "I think it's a very big deal," says Kris Mayes, chairwoman of the Arizona Corporation Commission. "You have a group of people in SEDI that forced the issue," she says. "And I think that's great. This is an ... idea that's probably going to benefit all of Arizona." Ratepayers can apply to the gas company and get approval to spend $1,500 for a new and more efficient furnace. The gas company will pay for the $1,500 furnace up front, and the money saved in gas bills per month will be directed to paying off that furnace over the span of 2.5 years. After that time period, residents will end up with a new furnace, and a lower bill, without needing to pay $1,500 in the beginning. "It gives the average person a real shot at making their house more energy efficient" Mayes says.
From "Utilities Offer Free Upgrades"
Arizona Daily Sun (04/03/10) Cole, Cyndy