Making the Most of Residential Energy Efficiency Federal Tax Credits
Feb 24, 2009
Certainteed Release
Making the Most of Residential Energy Efficiency Federal Tax Credits Included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly reinstated federal tax credits for residential energy efficiency makes 2009 the perfect time for American homeowners to evaluate their homes. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which was signed into law on Feb. 18, 2009, homeowners can receive up to $1500 in tax credits for investments in insulation, exterior doors and windows.
By maximizing a home's efficiency, homeowners can reduce their utility bills and ultimately lessen their impact on the environment. According to the ENERGY STAR(R) program, ensuring adequate insulation and proper air sealing and caulking can save homeowners up to 20 percent on utility bills. Coupled with the residential energy efficiency tax credits, this can add up to a healthy return on investment.
Drawing from more than 50 years of experience insulating homes throughout the United States, CertainTeed Insulation offers the following tips and advice:
-- Conduct a home energy audit. An auditor can pinpoint areas where your home loses valuable energy and can suggest ways to conserve heating fuel, hot water and electricity. Visit energystar.gov to locate an auditor in your area.
-- Stay on top of rising energy costs. Plan ahead and don't get blind sided by high utility bills. Organizations like the Alliance to Save Energy, ase.org, offer tools that project upcoming energy costs in your state.
-- Know the recommended R-value in your area. In simple terms, R-value is a measure of the insulating power of insulation. Colder climates require a higher R-value to ensure a comfortable, energy efficient home. To determine the right R-value for your area, visit the U.S. Department of Energy website at doe.gov.
-- Choose the right insulation for the right area of a home. For example, blow-in insulation, such as InsulSafe(R) SP Premium Blowing Wool, provides uniform coverage that won't settle and is perfect for attic areas. Fiberglass batt insulation is a popular option for walls and in below-grade areas, such as unfinished basements. Visit certainteed.com to find a local contractor that can help determine the best solution for your home.
-- Consider the "big picture." Proper home insulation equates to less energy usage. Ultimately, this means less fossil fuel is burned to produce energy, resulting in a reduction of polluting gases emitted into the atmosphere. Considering the average home causes the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide -- the principle greenhouse gas -- as the average car, home insulation can go a long way reducing the impact on the environment.
CertainTeed offers a comprehensive line of insulation products, including time-tested and trusted fiberglass insulation batts and rolls, fiberglass blow-in insulation, polyurethane spray foam, innovative vapor retarder technology, as well as highly regarded HVAC products. All of CertainTeed's insulation products can help building professionals qualify toward credits for both the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED(R)) through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the National Association of Home Builders' Green Building (NAHB) Program.
For more information or to find a qualified contractor in your area, visit certainteed.com.
To learn more about the ARRA, visit certainteed.com/energypolicyact or the Internal Revenue Service website at irs.gov.
Images, product samples and industry comment are available upon request. To speak to an insulation expert, contact Mike Loughery of CertainTeed Corporation at mike.b.loughery@saint-gobain.com or 610-341-7328.
About CertainTeed
Through innovation and creative product design, CertainTeed has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm made its slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," which quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed(R) is North America's leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, windows, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers.
Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 6,000 employees and more than 65 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. In 2008 the group had total sales of more than $3 billion. www.certainteed.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Lighting Control Solutions
Feb 24, 2009
The Guardian (UK)
China's increasing carbon emissions blamed on manufacturing for west
New research shows extent of 'off-shore' emissions as Chinese manfacturing for US accounts for 6% of total
The full extent of the west's responsibility for Chinese emissions of greenhouse gases has been revealed by a new study. The report shows that half of the recent rise in China's carbon dioxide pollution was caused by the manufacturing of goods for other countries — particularly developed nations such as the UK.
Last year, China officially overtook the US as the world's biggest CO2 emitter. But the new research shows that around a third of all Chinese carbon emissions are the result of producing goods for export.
The research, due to be published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, underlines "off-shored emissions" as a key unresolved issue in the run up to this year's crucial Copenhagen summit, at which world leaders will attempt to thrash out a deal to replace the Kyoto protocol.
Developing countries are under pressure to commit to binding emissions cuts in Copenhagen. But China is resistant, partly because it does not accept responsibility for the emissions involved in producing goods for foreign markets.
Under Kyoto, emissions are allocated to the country where they are produced. By these rules, the UK can claim to have reduced emissions by about 18% since 1990 – more than sufficient to meet its Kyoto target.
But research published last year by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) suggests that, once imports, exports and international transport are accounted for, the real change for the UK has been a rise in emissions of more than 20%.
China, as the world's biggest export manufacturer, is key to explaining this kind of discrepancy. According to Glen Peters, one of the authors of the new report at Oslo's Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research, around 9% of total Chinese emissions are now the result of manufacturing goods for the US, and around 6% are from producing goods for Europe.
Academics and campaigners increasingly say responsibility for these emissions lies with the consumer countries.
Dieter Helm, professor of economics at Oxford University, said "focusing on consumption rather than production of emissions is the only intellectually and ethically sound solution. We've simply outsourced our production. If you add foreign manufacturing emissions to the transport emissions of bringing things from abroad, and you consider the lower energy efficiency and greater use of coal in China, then the result is hugely significant."
By contrast, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc), argues that these "embedded emissions" in Chinese-produced goods are "not the UK's emissions; the UK calculates and reports its emissions according to the internationally agreed criteria set out by the UN."
However, Decc admitted to the Guardian that "the footprint associated with the UK's consumption has risen".
Elliott Morley, chairman of the energy and climate change committee, believes importers and exporters share responsibility for the environmental impact. "Everyone has some responsibility. It is true that UK emissions have been off-shored. But the UK has paid a price in terms of lost jobs, while China has benefited from job creation."
Even if world leaders did agree a deal based on consumption rather than production of CO2, it is unclear how national figures would be calculated.
Jonathon Porritt, head of the Sustainable Development Commission, said: "Ultimately, the only place to register emissions is in the country of origin – in this case, China. Otherwise, the whole global accounting system for greenhouse gases will be undermined by the complexity of double-accounting."
The difficulty of measuring exported emissions is reflected in the fact that the new research focuses on the years 2002 to 2005. Relevant trade data is not yet available for subsequent years.
However, Dieter Helm believes these challenges can be overcome. "It's complicated but there are ways of taking consumption into account, such as a border tax on carbon transfer", he said.The bigger obstacle, Helm believes, is political will. "Few policymakers have come out in favour of a consumption model", he said, "because the implications are quite radical. "
Commenting on the report's implications, Glen Peters said, "We're not saying that trade is bad, or that we shouldn't trade with China. The question is how China's comparative advantage in low-cost manufacturing can be applied in environmentally friendly ways. If China focused on exporting wind turbines and low-energy lightbulbs, for example, that would be a win-win."
The Guardian (UK)
China's increasing carbon emissions blamed on manufacturing for west
New research shows extent of 'off-shore' emissions as Chinese manfacturing for US accounts for 6% of total
The full extent of the west's responsibility for Chinese emissions of greenhouse gases has been revealed by a new study. The report shows that half of the recent rise in China's carbon dioxide pollution was caused by the manufacturing of goods for other countries — particularly developed nations such as the UK.
Last year, China officially overtook the US as the world's biggest CO2 emitter. But the new research shows that around a third of all Chinese carbon emissions are the result of producing goods for export.
The research, due to be published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, underlines "off-shored emissions" as a key unresolved issue in the run up to this year's crucial Copenhagen summit, at which world leaders will attempt to thrash out a deal to replace the Kyoto protocol.
Developing countries are under pressure to commit to binding emissions cuts in Copenhagen. But China is resistant, partly because it does not accept responsibility for the emissions involved in producing goods for foreign markets.
Under Kyoto, emissions are allocated to the country where they are produced. By these rules, the UK can claim to have reduced emissions by about 18% since 1990 – more than sufficient to meet its Kyoto target.
But research published last year by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) suggests that, once imports, exports and international transport are accounted for, the real change for the UK has been a rise in emissions of more than 20%.
China, as the world's biggest export manufacturer, is key to explaining this kind of discrepancy. According to Glen Peters, one of the authors of the new report at Oslo's Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research, around 9% of total Chinese emissions are now the result of manufacturing goods for the US, and around 6% are from producing goods for Europe.
Academics and campaigners increasingly say responsibility for these emissions lies with the consumer countries.
Dieter Helm, professor of economics at Oxford University, said "focusing on consumption rather than production of emissions is the only intellectually and ethically sound solution. We've simply outsourced our production. If you add foreign manufacturing emissions to the transport emissions of bringing things from abroad, and you consider the lower energy efficiency and greater use of coal in China, then the result is hugely significant."
By contrast, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc), argues that these "embedded emissions" in Chinese-produced goods are "not the UK's emissions; the UK calculates and reports its emissions according to the internationally agreed criteria set out by the UN."
However, Decc admitted to the Guardian that "the footprint associated with the UK's consumption has risen".
Elliott Morley, chairman of the energy and climate change committee, believes importers and exporters share responsibility for the environmental impact. "Everyone has some responsibility. It is true that UK emissions have been off-shored. But the UK has paid a price in terms of lost jobs, while China has benefited from job creation."
Even if world leaders did agree a deal based on consumption rather than production of CO2, it is unclear how national figures would be calculated.
Jonathon Porritt, head of the Sustainable Development Commission, said: "Ultimately, the only place to register emissions is in the country of origin – in this case, China. Otherwise, the whole global accounting system for greenhouse gases will be undermined by the complexity of double-accounting."
The difficulty of measuring exported emissions is reflected in the fact that the new research focuses on the years 2002 to 2005. Relevant trade data is not yet available for subsequent years.
However, Dieter Helm believes these challenges can be overcome. "It's complicated but there are ways of taking consumption into account, such as a border tax on carbon transfer", he said.The bigger obstacle, Helm believes, is political will. "Few policymakers have come out in favour of a consumption model", he said, "because the implications are quite radical. "
Commenting on the report's implications, Glen Peters said, "We're not saying that trade is bad, or that we shouldn't trade with China. The question is how China's comparative advantage in low-cost manufacturing can be applied in environmentally friendly ways. If China focused on exporting wind turbines and low-energy lightbulbs, for example, that would be a win-win."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Energy Management
More birds stay north during winter months Audubon Society sees it as evidence of climate change
Feb 11, 2009
Chicago Tribune
Michael Hawthorne
Feb. 11, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Once a harbinger of spring in the Chicago area, the American robin increasingly is hanging around for the winter too.
Their familiar dawn-to-dusk caroling might not be as prevalent when snow is on the ground. But robins are among scores of bird species that are steadily moving northward as average temperatures across the United States get higher, according to an Audubon Society study released Tuesday.
More than half of the 305 species in North America are spending winters at least 35 miles farther north than they did 40 years ago, the study found. During the same period, the nation's average January temperature rose about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the changes appear to be less significant in Illinois than in other parts of the nation, nearly 20 bird species in the state have shifted their ranges farther north, the study found. Robins moved the farthest among species seen locally, and now are wintering about 200 miles north of where they did four decades ago.
Other transients include the turkey vulture, Eastern bluebird and hermit thrush, all of which now are seen more frequently in the Chicago area during the winter. Meanwhile, some species rarely seen in Illinois, such as the rough-legged hawk and pine siskin, have become virtual no-shows because they hang out even farther north nowadays.
Researchers say the findings are another sign that climate change is having direct effects far beyond the Arctic and Antarctic. It also backs up anecdotal evidence collected by birders, who have speculated for years that rising global temperatures are leading many species north.
"Some of these birds have almost vanished from the state during the winter," said Judy Pollock, director of bird conservation for the Audubon Chicago Region. "Others are being seen in far greater numbers, drawn perhaps by warmer temperatures and more abundant food supplies."
Indeed, bird ranges can change for various reasons, including habitat loss from urban sprawl and deforestation. Even backyard feeders can have an impact. But authors of the Audubon study said climate change is the only plausible reason so many different birds across the U.S. have shifted north during the past four decades.
Doug Stotz, a conservation ornithologist at the Field Museum, said researchers are just beginning to understand how changes in temperature, vegetation and food supplies are affecting different species. Local biologists have focused more intently on other threats, including loss of habitats and bird crashes into skyscrapers.
The Audubon study is limited to data from the society's Christmas Bird Count, and more research is needed to discover how species are affected during the spring breeding season, Stotz said.
For example, earlier springs might spawn bursts of insects before migratory birds arrive from wintering grounds farther south, meaning the birds would have less to eat when they get here. Changes in vegetation also could play a role if trees and shrubs bud before or after birds fly through the area.
Nationwide, the Audubon study found that one-fourth of the species tracked wintered farther south between 1966 and 2005. The number moving farther north, though, is twice that.
Audubon officials said the study should help support legislation pending before Congress that would cap heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions for the first time. President Barack Obama has set a target of reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2050.
"These birds are like canaries in the coal mine," said John Flicker, Audubon's president. "We are witnessing an uncontrolled experiment on the birds and the world we share with them."
Climate change affects each species differently. But the Audubon study suggests that birds in some cases adapt better than other species.
"Some of these birds have moved hundreds of miles," Stotz said. "It takes centuries for a snake to pull that off."
Feb 11, 2009
Chicago Tribune
Michael Hawthorne
Feb. 11, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Once a harbinger of spring in the Chicago area, the American robin increasingly is hanging around for the winter too.
Their familiar dawn-to-dusk caroling might not be as prevalent when snow is on the ground. But robins are among scores of bird species that are steadily moving northward as average temperatures across the United States get higher, according to an Audubon Society study released Tuesday.
More than half of the 305 species in North America are spending winters at least 35 miles farther north than they did 40 years ago, the study found. During the same period, the nation's average January temperature rose about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the changes appear to be less significant in Illinois than in other parts of the nation, nearly 20 bird species in the state have shifted their ranges farther north, the study found. Robins moved the farthest among species seen locally, and now are wintering about 200 miles north of where they did four decades ago.
Other transients include the turkey vulture, Eastern bluebird and hermit thrush, all of which now are seen more frequently in the Chicago area during the winter. Meanwhile, some species rarely seen in Illinois, such as the rough-legged hawk and pine siskin, have become virtual no-shows because they hang out even farther north nowadays.
Researchers say the findings are another sign that climate change is having direct effects far beyond the Arctic and Antarctic. It also backs up anecdotal evidence collected by birders, who have speculated for years that rising global temperatures are leading many species north.
"Some of these birds have almost vanished from the state during the winter," said Judy Pollock, director of bird conservation for the Audubon Chicago Region. "Others are being seen in far greater numbers, drawn perhaps by warmer temperatures and more abundant food supplies."
Indeed, bird ranges can change for various reasons, including habitat loss from urban sprawl and deforestation. Even backyard feeders can have an impact. But authors of the Audubon study said climate change is the only plausible reason so many different birds across the U.S. have shifted north during the past four decades.
Doug Stotz, a conservation ornithologist at the Field Museum, said researchers are just beginning to understand how changes in temperature, vegetation and food supplies are affecting different species. Local biologists have focused more intently on other threats, including loss of habitats and bird crashes into skyscrapers.
The Audubon study is limited to data from the society's Christmas Bird Count, and more research is needed to discover how species are affected during the spring breeding season, Stotz said.
For example, earlier springs might spawn bursts of insects before migratory birds arrive from wintering grounds farther south, meaning the birds would have less to eat when they get here. Changes in vegetation also could play a role if trees and shrubs bud before or after birds fly through the area.
Nationwide, the Audubon study found that one-fourth of the species tracked wintered farther south between 1966 and 2005. The number moving farther north, though, is twice that.
Audubon officials said the study should help support legislation pending before Congress that would cap heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions for the first time. President Barack Obama has set a target of reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2050.
"These birds are like canaries in the coal mine," said John Flicker, Audubon's president. "We are witnessing an uncontrolled experiment on the birds and the world we share with them."
Climate change affects each species differently. But the Audubon study suggests that birds in some cases adapt better than other species.
"Some of these birds have moved hundreds of miles," Stotz said. "It takes centuries for a snake to pull that off."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Lighting Control and Home Automation
By Dan Eggen and Michael D. Shear
President Obama announced a series of new policies yesterday intended to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, capping a week of widespread changes aimed at reversing the legacy of George W. Bush.
In his first seven days in office, Obama has banned the use of controversial CIA interrogation tactics, ordered the closure of the U.S. military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and begun planning for the drawdown of troops in Iraq. He also imposed stringent limits on lobbyists, unveiled an $825 billion stimulus plan, and ordered a halt to any last-minute rules and regulations put in place by his predecessor.
The moves are part of an effort by Obama to follow through on his campaign promise to forge a new direction in Washington, administration officials said. "What you have seen in the first week is rapid change and a resetting of our global agenda," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. "The president believes we can't afford to continue what we are doing. We can't afford to slow down."
Yet despite such ambitions, Obama and his aides are also facing a stark reality: Rolling back eight years of the Bush administration is not going to happen overnight.
Obama's call for tougher vehicle emissions standards, for example, ran into immediate opposition from major business and auto industry groups. His plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison has angered Republicans who object to transferring suspected terrorists to U.S. facilities. Many of those same Republicans are also fighting his economic stimulus proposal, arguing that it is too costly and would ultimately be ineffective, while others have attacked his plan to quicken the pace of troop withdrawals from Iraq.
The new administration has created some dilemmas of its own, as well. After Obama announced strict new lobbying limits for political appointees last week, the White House conceded it would have to issue a waiver for William J. Lynn III, a former Raytheon lobbyist who is up for a post at the Pentagon.
"Governing is a lot more complicated than campaigning," said Peter Wehner, a former Bush aide who is now a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank. "He's the candidate who has presented himself as moving the Earth. . . . When you set those kinds of expectations, it's tough to pull them back."
Administration defenders note that Obama won election handily in November and that he has some of the highest approval ratings of any new president in modern times. With that kind of popularity, they argue, he is in a position to push for the kind of dramatic changes promised during the campaign.
Obama and his aides and have worked to tamp down expectations, especially regarding the economy. In his inaugural address, Obama warned that "the challenges we face are real" and "will not be met easily or in a short span of time."
At the same time, he also has suggested that he has no intention of lowering his sights. "There are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans," Obama said during the Jan. 20 speech. "Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage."
In addition to his early moves on intelligence policy, the environment and the economy, Obama lifted a ban on U.S. funding for international family planning groups that perform abortions, which was first put in place by Ronald Reagan and revived by Bush. The new president also vowed to open more federal records to public scrutiny and named former U.S. senator George J. Mitchell as a special envoy for Middle East peace.
The rapid-fire actions are an early down payment on promises he made throughout his presidential campaign. As he fought his way through a bruising Democratic primary, Obama assailed Bush's economic policies as tax cuts for the wealthy, mocked the president's lack of stature around the world and hammered his response to Hurricane Katrina and his handling of the Iraq war.
In his inauguration speech, Obama obliquely referred to the "worn-out dogmas" of the Bush administration and vowed to end what he called "petty grievances and false promises." The new White House Web site includes a withering critique of Bush's "unconscionable ineptitude" in responding to Katrina, and vows to fix "broken promises" to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
The anti-Bush rhetoric helped make Obama competitive with Democratic presidential challenger Hillary Rodham Clinton, especially with the liberal wing of his party. And while many of his supporters may be expecting instant results, they are more likely to see a slow and steady push by Obama, accompanied by pleas for patience, aides said.
"I don't doubt that there are some that believe that all of this can be done overnight," Gibbs said. "My caution to them is that this will take time. But we feel good about the pace of our progress."
Obama has often tempered his soaring rhetoric with a strong doses of pragmatism. In an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors shortly before his inauguration, for example, he said he supported a bill pushed by labor groups that would make it easier to unionize workers, but acknowledged that the proposal is a political thicket that could undermine other priorities. "My focus first is on those key economic priority items," he said.
Many of Obama's clearest political challenges are coming from Capitol Hill, where the GOP minority has begun asserting itself, particularly in opposition to Democratic stimulus plans. Obama hopes to save as many as 4 million jobs by cutting taxes by a minimum of $275 billion and spending at least $545 billion on infrastructure, renewable energy production and aid to states.
During his first meeting with GOP lawmakers, on Friday, Obama rejected most of their counterproposals. But he has also signaled that he is willing to offer concessions to attract GOP support, and is scheduled to attend another round of meetings with Republican congressional leaders today.
Obama appears to be without peer among modern presidents in terms of the number of broad policy pronouncements made during his first week in office. Many Republicans also note that Obama is in a much better political position than was Bush, who entered office in 2001 after a fiercely disputed election and faced a narrowly divided Congress. Even then, Bush was able to push through a massive and controversial package of tax cuts, though he had to offer some concessions to win Democratic support.
Ari Fleischer, Bush's first press secretary, said Bush "was forced to trim his sails from the beginning" because of the political climate. "We had zero momentum going in, and never really made a break from the division of the country," he said. "Obama is in a much stronger position."
President Obama announced a series of new policies yesterday intended to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, capping a week of widespread changes aimed at reversing the legacy of George W. Bush.
In his first seven days in office, Obama has banned the use of controversial CIA interrogation tactics, ordered the closure of the U.S. military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and begun planning for the drawdown of troops in Iraq. He also imposed stringent limits on lobbyists, unveiled an $825 billion stimulus plan, and ordered a halt to any last-minute rules and regulations put in place by his predecessor.
The moves are part of an effort by Obama to follow through on his campaign promise to forge a new direction in Washington, administration officials said. "What you have seen in the first week is rapid change and a resetting of our global agenda," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. "The president believes we can't afford to continue what we are doing. We can't afford to slow down."
Yet despite such ambitions, Obama and his aides are also facing a stark reality: Rolling back eight years of the Bush administration is not going to happen overnight.
Obama's call for tougher vehicle emissions standards, for example, ran into immediate opposition from major business and auto industry groups. His plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison has angered Republicans who object to transferring suspected terrorists to U.S. facilities. Many of those same Republicans are also fighting his economic stimulus proposal, arguing that it is too costly and would ultimately be ineffective, while others have attacked his plan to quicken the pace of troop withdrawals from Iraq.
The new administration has created some dilemmas of its own, as well. After Obama announced strict new lobbying limits for political appointees last week, the White House conceded it would have to issue a waiver for William J. Lynn III, a former Raytheon lobbyist who is up for a post at the Pentagon.
"Governing is a lot more complicated than campaigning," said Peter Wehner, a former Bush aide who is now a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank. "He's the candidate who has presented himself as moving the Earth. . . . When you set those kinds of expectations, it's tough to pull them back."
Administration defenders note that Obama won election handily in November and that he has some of the highest approval ratings of any new president in modern times. With that kind of popularity, they argue, he is in a position to push for the kind of dramatic changes promised during the campaign.
Obama and his aides and have worked to tamp down expectations, especially regarding the economy. In his inaugural address, Obama warned that "the challenges we face are real" and "will not be met easily or in a short span of time."
At the same time, he also has suggested that he has no intention of lowering his sights. "There are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans," Obama said during the Jan. 20 speech. "Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage."
In addition to his early moves on intelligence policy, the environment and the economy, Obama lifted a ban on U.S. funding for international family planning groups that perform abortions, which was first put in place by Ronald Reagan and revived by Bush. The new president also vowed to open more federal records to public scrutiny and named former U.S. senator George J. Mitchell as a special envoy for Middle East peace.
The rapid-fire actions are an early down payment on promises he made throughout his presidential campaign. As he fought his way through a bruising Democratic primary, Obama assailed Bush's economic policies as tax cuts for the wealthy, mocked the president's lack of stature around the world and hammered his response to Hurricane Katrina and his handling of the Iraq war.
In his inauguration speech, Obama obliquely referred to the "worn-out dogmas" of the Bush administration and vowed to end what he called "petty grievances and false promises." The new White House Web site includes a withering critique of Bush's "unconscionable ineptitude" in responding to Katrina, and vows to fix "broken promises" to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
The anti-Bush rhetoric helped make Obama competitive with Democratic presidential challenger Hillary Rodham Clinton, especially with the liberal wing of his party. And while many of his supporters may be expecting instant results, they are more likely to see a slow and steady push by Obama, accompanied by pleas for patience, aides said.
"I don't doubt that there are some that believe that all of this can be done overnight," Gibbs said. "My caution to them is that this will take time. But we feel good about the pace of our progress."
Obama has often tempered his soaring rhetoric with a strong doses of pragmatism. In an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors shortly before his inauguration, for example, he said he supported a bill pushed by labor groups that would make it easier to unionize workers, but acknowledged that the proposal is a political thicket that could undermine other priorities. "My focus first is on those key economic priority items," he said.
Many of Obama's clearest political challenges are coming from Capitol Hill, where the GOP minority has begun asserting itself, particularly in opposition to Democratic stimulus plans. Obama hopes to save as many as 4 million jobs by cutting taxes by a minimum of $275 billion and spending at least $545 billion on infrastructure, renewable energy production and aid to states.
During his first meeting with GOP lawmakers, on Friday, Obama rejected most of their counterproposals. But he has also signaled that he is willing to offer concessions to attract GOP support, and is scheduled to attend another round of meetings with Republican congressional leaders today.
Obama appears to be without peer among modern presidents in terms of the number of broad policy pronouncements made during his first week in office. Many Republicans also note that Obama is in a much better political position than was Bush, who entered office in 2001 after a fiercely disputed election and faced a narrowly divided Congress. Even then, Bush was able to push through a massive and controversial package of tax cuts, though he had to offer some concessions to win Democratic support.
Ari Fleischer, Bush's first press secretary, said Bush "was forced to trim his sails from the beginning" because of the political climate. "We had zero momentum going in, and never really made a break from the division of the country," he said. "Obama is in a much stronger position."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Energy Management
2009 Construction Outlook: "The Nonresidential Building Boom is Over"
The nation's economic news went from bad to worse at the end of 2008, and economists warn that the worst is yet to come. The credit freeze, contracted consumer spending, rising unemployment and declining household wealth are driving a recession that could be the most severe occurring since 1981.
The ongoing decline in residential construction may be accelerating as housing starts and permits for new housing construction showed sharp downturns at the end of 2008 and builders continue pressing the brakes in an effort to reduce their inventories.
The nonresidential market has acted as an offset against the losses suffered by the residential market, posting a strong gain in construction spending over 2007. But inflation, tightening credit and weakening demand for new facilities caused by the general economic downturn are slowing the pace of new starts, indicating a slowdown.
Leading business confidence indicators, already weak for most of the year, began tumbling at the end of 2008 and indicate a contractionary business environment for construction and electrical products and services.
Overall, nonresidential spending is expected to decrease by 11% in 2009 in inflation-adjusted terms, according to the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast.
One bright note is that prices have dropped for key construction commodities such as steel after a volatile year. And President Obama's stimulus plan is expected to include significant infrastructure spending, which may help cushion the impact of the economic downturn and create opportunities, primarily for Federal buildings and schools.
This construction outlook reviews the year's topline construction numbers, examines the directions that leading construction and electrical industry indicators are pointing, and provides a summary of the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast for 2009.
The nation's economic news went from bad to worse at the end of 2008, and economists warn that the worst is yet to come. The credit freeze, contracted consumer spending, rising unemployment and declining household wealth are driving a recession that could be the most severe occurring since 1981.
The ongoing decline in residential construction may be accelerating as housing starts and permits for new housing construction showed sharp downturns at the end of 2008 and builders continue pressing the brakes in an effort to reduce their inventories.
The nonresidential market has acted as an offset against the losses suffered by the residential market, posting a strong gain in construction spending over 2007. But inflation, tightening credit and weakening demand for new facilities caused by the general economic downturn are slowing the pace of new starts, indicating a slowdown.
Leading business confidence indicators, already weak for most of the year, began tumbling at the end of 2008 and indicate a contractionary business environment for construction and electrical products and services.
Overall, nonresidential spending is expected to decrease by 11% in 2009 in inflation-adjusted terms, according to the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast.
One bright note is that prices have dropped for key construction commodities such as steel after a volatile year. And President Obama's stimulus plan is expected to include significant infrastructure spending, which may help cushion the impact of the economic downturn and create opportunities, primarily for Federal buildings and schools.
This construction outlook reviews the year's topline construction numbers, examines the directions that leading construction and electrical industry indicators are pointing, and provides a summary of the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast for 2009.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Energy Management and Control With C Bus
DOE Reaches 50% Milestone Toward Commercial Zero-Energy Buildings
Craig DiLouie, Editor
Posted November 17, 2008
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have released the first technical support documents to show 50 percent energy savings in commercial retail buildings. The two reports provide recommendations on how to achieve 50% energy savings over the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2004 in grocery stores and medium-sized retail buildings.
Conducted by NREL's Commercial Buildings team, under the direction of DOE's Building Technologies Program, the studies support DOE's goal of producing market-ready, net-zero energy commercial buildings by 2025. They follow the August 2008 launch of DOE's Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative (the umbrella initiative of the net-zero energy goal) and the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies, which focuses scientific expertise and resources of five national laboratories toward reaching the goal. NREL is one of the laboratories in the collaborative.
The reports found that achieving 50% energy savings is possible for medium-sized retail buildings with plug load levels no greater than 1.76 W/sq. ft. (18.9 W/sq. m.) and for grocery stores in each climate zone in the United States. According to the reports, reaching 50% is a positive return on investment at today's energy prices and can be met without photovoltaic electricity generation.
DOE commissions technical support documents to describe the assumptions, methodologies, and analyses used to achieve certain levels of energy performance. In many cases, the documents are the basis for Advanced Energy Design Guides (AEDGs) — "how to" guides that show how to achieve above-code exemplary energy performance for buildings. AEDGs target architects, engineers, and other design practitioners and demonstrate that a pathway to energy savings exists today with available technology.
* The ASHRAE AEDGs are developed by ASHRAE, DOE, the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the U.S. Green Building Council. To date, four AEDGs have been published and all have targeted 30 percent energy savings: * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings—Office Buildings up to 20,000 sq.ft. * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings—Retail Spaces up to 20,000 sq.ft. * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings—Elementary, Middle, and High School Buildings* The ASHRAE 30 percent Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses and Self-Storage Buildings—Warehouses up to 50,000 ft.2 and self-storage buildings that use unitary heating and air-conditioning.
In addition to the ASHRAE design guides, the results of these studies will be shared with DOE's Retailer Energy Alliance, an alliance of leading retailers dedicated to reducing the energy use and environmental footprint of retail buildings.
Craig DiLouie, Editor
Posted November 17, 2008
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have released the first technical support documents to show 50 percent energy savings in commercial retail buildings. The two reports provide recommendations on how to achieve 50% energy savings over the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2004 in grocery stores and medium-sized retail buildings.
Conducted by NREL's Commercial Buildings team, under the direction of DOE's Building Technologies Program, the studies support DOE's goal of producing market-ready, net-zero energy commercial buildings by 2025. They follow the August 2008 launch of DOE's Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative (the umbrella initiative of the net-zero energy goal) and the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies, which focuses scientific expertise and resources of five national laboratories toward reaching the goal. NREL is one of the laboratories in the collaborative.
The reports found that achieving 50% energy savings is possible for medium-sized retail buildings with plug load levels no greater than 1.76 W/sq. ft. (18.9 W/sq. m.) and for grocery stores in each climate zone in the United States. According to the reports, reaching 50% is a positive return on investment at today's energy prices and can be met without photovoltaic electricity generation.
DOE commissions technical support documents to describe the assumptions, methodologies, and analyses used to achieve certain levels of energy performance. In many cases, the documents are the basis for Advanced Energy Design Guides (AEDGs) — "how to" guides that show how to achieve above-code exemplary energy performance for buildings. AEDGs target architects, engineers, and other design practitioners and demonstrate that a pathway to energy savings exists today with available technology.
* The ASHRAE AEDGs are developed by ASHRAE, DOE, the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the U.S. Green Building Council. To date, four AEDGs have been published and all have targeted 30 percent energy savings: * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings—Office Buildings up to 20,000 sq.ft. * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings—Retail Spaces up to 20,000 sq.ft. * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings—Elementary, Middle, and High School Buildings* The ASHRAE 30 percent Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses and Self-Storage Buildings—Warehouses up to 50,000 ft.2 and self-storage buildings that use unitary heating and air-conditioning.
In addition to the ASHRAE design guides, the results of these studies will be shared with DOE's Retailer Energy Alliance, an alliance of leading retailers dedicated to reducing the energy use and environmental footprint of retail buildings.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Energy management, energy conservation, saving elctricity
Johannesburg - A change at the helm of the ministry that controls South Africa's state utility Eskom may delay projects to expand electricity generation in a country gripped by a power crisis that will take years to resolve.
New President Kgalema Motlanthe surprised analysts by naming former justice minister Brigitte Mabandla to the public enterprise department, which runs Eskom.
The utility has since January this year battled to keep the lights on in South Africa after a near-collapse of its grid.
The rolling power cuts affected aluminium smelters and shut gold and platinum mines, sending metal prices soaring, and by some estimates cost Africa's biggest economy R50bn by August, slowing fast-paced economic growth.
The government offered a mea culpa, saying it ignored warnings from experts to invest in new power generation. The power crisis could last until 2013, but South Africa has said plans to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup should be unaffected.
Analysts said Mabandla would have to get to grips with plans to build a slew of new power stations and help Eskom raise cash internationally, right in the middle of a global credit squeeze.
Her term will last seven months before scheduled general elections, and there is little time for meaningful changes, and worse still if a new minister is named after the polls, as it may disrupt plans to handle the power crisis.
"I don't think we needed this kind of changes at this stage. It will take her seven months just to settle," said Johan de Kock, head of research at Metropolitan Asset Managers.
"I expect a delay of a couple of months if not more on various decisions on contracts for expansions," he said.
Nuclear plant
One of the key tasks for Mabandla this year would be the approval of huge deals to expand power generation, including a new nuclear plant, which could be worth billions of dollars.
The market is watching to see how soon or if at all Mabandla will give her approval to plans to build the country's second nuclear power plant. France's Areva and US-based Westinghouse Electric have bid for the contract.
Areva has said it expected a decision last week, but added Mbeki's exit could have pushed back the timing.
"She has to walk in completely cold," Johan Botha, a senior economist at Standard bank said.
"She won't put hand to paper to approve the big contracts like the nuclear one before she has been fully briefed."
Mabandla was unavailable to comment. She has not publicly spoken of her plans since she was sworn in on Friday.
South Africa's National Treasury, which has already fast-tracked R60bn over the next three years to pay for Eskom's 343 billion rand, 5-year expansion.
Eskom has said it plans to get the extra cash from the government, tariffs, the World Bank and global capital markets, and that a ratings downgrade by Moody's may hurt its chances.
Fani Zulu, Eskom's spokesperson, said Moody's downgrade of Eskom would lessen the amount it can raise from capital markets, but a roadshow in Europe showed there was still some appetite.
The new minister is expected to be briefed on Eskom soon.
Rock the boat
"She has to face foreign investors, and play the PR (public relations) role for Eskom in attracting funds to the sector," Nicky Weimar, a senior economist at Nedbank said.
"The more she knows about the sector the better."
Analysts said there were plans for further Eskom changes, and the minister may open the door for rivals to Eskom.
"There is some market talk of plans to move Eskom to the Treasury, which understands funding issues, or house it under the Department of Minerals and Energy," Botha said.
Weimar said despite her short time in office, Mabandla may take a fresh look at Eskom's status as a monopoly.
"The minister drives policy," Weimar said. "She could review public enterprises policy on generation or distribution, and end its role as a monopoly."
Global Insight's senior economist Ronel Oberholzer said moving Eskom elsewhere or changing the country's energy policy would require rigorous debate. She said what most investors wanted was a quicker end to the power shortage crisis.
"I can't see her trying to stir things up, she may try to play it safe," Oberholzer said.
New President Kgalema Motlanthe surprised analysts by naming former justice minister Brigitte Mabandla to the public enterprise department, which runs Eskom.
The utility has since January this year battled to keep the lights on in South Africa after a near-collapse of its grid.
The rolling power cuts affected aluminium smelters and shut gold and platinum mines, sending metal prices soaring, and by some estimates cost Africa's biggest economy R50bn by August, slowing fast-paced economic growth.
The government offered a mea culpa, saying it ignored warnings from experts to invest in new power generation. The power crisis could last until 2013, but South Africa has said plans to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup should be unaffected.
Analysts said Mabandla would have to get to grips with plans to build a slew of new power stations and help Eskom raise cash internationally, right in the middle of a global credit squeeze.
Her term will last seven months before scheduled general elections, and there is little time for meaningful changes, and worse still if a new minister is named after the polls, as it may disrupt plans to handle the power crisis.
"I don't think we needed this kind of changes at this stage. It will take her seven months just to settle," said Johan de Kock, head of research at Metropolitan Asset Managers.
"I expect a delay of a couple of months if not more on various decisions on contracts for expansions," he said.
Nuclear plant
One of the key tasks for Mabandla this year would be the approval of huge deals to expand power generation, including a new nuclear plant, which could be worth billions of dollars.
The market is watching to see how soon or if at all Mabandla will give her approval to plans to build the country's second nuclear power plant. France's Areva and US-based Westinghouse Electric have bid for the contract.
Areva has said it expected a decision last week, but added Mbeki's exit could have pushed back the timing.
"She has to walk in completely cold," Johan Botha, a senior economist at Standard bank said.
"She won't put hand to paper to approve the big contracts like the nuclear one before she has been fully briefed."
Mabandla was unavailable to comment. She has not publicly spoken of her plans since she was sworn in on Friday.
South Africa's National Treasury, which has already fast-tracked R60bn over the next three years to pay for Eskom's 343 billion rand, 5-year expansion.
Eskom has said it plans to get the extra cash from the government, tariffs, the World Bank and global capital markets, and that a ratings downgrade by Moody's may hurt its chances.
Fani Zulu, Eskom's spokesperson, said Moody's downgrade of Eskom would lessen the amount it can raise from capital markets, but a roadshow in Europe showed there was still some appetite.
The new minister is expected to be briefed on Eskom soon.
Rock the boat
"She has to face foreign investors, and play the PR (public relations) role for Eskom in attracting funds to the sector," Nicky Weimar, a senior economist at Nedbank said.
"The more she knows about the sector the better."
Analysts said there were plans for further Eskom changes, and the minister may open the door for rivals to Eskom.
"There is some market talk of plans to move Eskom to the Treasury, which understands funding issues, or house it under the Department of Minerals and Energy," Botha said.
Weimar said despite her short time in office, Mabandla may take a fresh look at Eskom's status as a monopoly.
"The minister drives policy," Weimar said. "She could review public enterprises policy on generation or distribution, and end its role as a monopoly."
Global Insight's senior economist Ronel Oberholzer said moving Eskom elsewhere or changing the country's energy policy would require rigorous debate. She said what most investors wanted was a quicker end to the power shortage crisis.
"I can't see her trying to stir things up, she may try to play it safe," Oberholzer said.
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