Tag Archives: energy efficiency
Glass and Green Building
A look at today’s architecture and design magazines, or at new construction projects in NYC, confirms that the current material of choice is glass. Floor-to-ceiling windows, 360° views, natural daylight, connecting inside to the outside are the design vocabulary du jour. Glass, and lots of it, is intended to convey modernity, sophistication, and, increasingly, green [...]
Net Metering: Whats Not to Like?
There’s been a lot of talk lately about net metering. What’s so special about net metering, and why all the fuss? Net metering is a simple concept that’s policy in 43 states. It’s like rollover minutes on a cell phone bill — it lets utility customers who install solar systems feed energy they generate into [...]
Apple Discusses their Energy Efficiency Efforts
You don’t see Apple Inc. employees speaking at very many events, other than their own product launches. So hearing from Apple’s Energy Manager at Friday’s SVLG Sustainability Summit was an event conspicuous by its lonesomeness. Forget about sharing the presentation with you — it’s secret. I asked them to share it. In fact, Apple’s energy [...]
The Greenest Building in America?
On Earth Day this year, The Bullitt Center opened its doors in Seattle, Washington. The six-story building is being hailed as the greenest commercial building in the world. Its specs are very impressive indeed, including: 56,000-gallon cistern for rainwater collection; Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof that are estimated to generate 230,000 kilowatt-hours per [...]
The ‘New’ Energy Efficiency Industry
Today we’re announcing the official launch of our energy efficiency channel. Okay, so it’s not exactly “new.” It’s more of a re-launch. You’ve probably noticed our energy efficiency coverage for some time. We’re simply reminding our audience that we take energy efficiency very seriously. And more importantly, we see the industry moving in new dynamic [...]
How To: Check Your Home’s Energy Efficiency Online
We love our homes and spend our hard-earned money kitting them out with all the latest mod-cons. But often homeowners neglect their energy efficiency options, even though they could potentially save you thousands in utility bills each year. So take the time to look at these online tools for energy efficiency and see how you [...]
In Focus: Honda’s Smart Home
American Honda is building a house that demonstrates zero carbon living using some of its technologies, such as solar-charging for its Fit electric car and Honda’s home energy management system. The first ”Honda Smart Home” was built in Japan last year and this one will be on the campus of University of California, Davis. “This showcase for environmental innovation and renewable energy-enabling [...]
Top 5 Materials for your Green Home
If you’re designing your dream home and you like to keep an eye on your carbon footprint, you might be concerned about the impact of all your construction plans. But don’t despair! There are steps that you can take to limit your emissions and minimise the effect that your new home has on the environment. [...]
M2M Communications: Will it Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
Call it what you will — the “industrial internet,” the “internet of things,” or “machine-to-machine communications” (M2M) — the seamless connectivity of devices is becoming one of the core drivers of the clean energy transition. There are now 1.3 billion M2M devices in operation around the world. By 2020, there will be 12.5 billion in [...]