Are Performance-Based Models the Future of Commercial Building Energy Codes?
by Craig DiLouie, Lighting Controls Association
Posted October 2010
Commercial building energy codes are largely prescriptive, combining mandatory requirements for lighting controls with limits on lighting loads by application. The typical lighting load metric is lighting power density (LPD) measured in watts per square foot.
This approach is intended to ensure that a building is built (or renovated) to a certain standard of efficiency, but does not require that the building operate within a target limit for ongoing energy use for the simple reason that it does not account for the operating time of the building. Additionally, as energy codes become more restrictive and continue the prescriptive LPD approach, critics charge that they limit design flexibility.
As a result, code authorities are considering approaches to energy codes that are performance based instead of mainly prescriptive. In a performance-based code, the building would be designed so that it would operate within a target limit for energy consumption—using annual kWh/sq.ft. instead of W/sq.ft. as the primary metric. The limit, in turn, might be developed from whole building monitoring, historical data that is considered the most accurate, and/or building modeling.
"The performance basis can seem like a much more straightforward and potentially more effective way to show that a building is energy efficient," says Eric Richman, senior research engineer for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "Limiting energy use is, after all, the true goal of energy codes."
He points out that a performance-based code is more directly linked to actual or expected energy use, potentially allows maximum component tradeoff flexibility between building systems, is considered a way to achieve higher energy savings, and can more easily accommodate alternative energy features such as renewable energy.
One approach of a performance method is to compare modeled energy use for a proposed building against a predetermined energy target. In this approach, few items would actually be prescriptively required with the main goal being to comply with the energy consumption limit. This would provide maximum tradeoff flexibility between building systems, but establishing the right (and fair) target would be difficult considering the large variation in building types and uses. Another approach is to monitor the building's actual energy performance after occupancy over a period of time and compare it against the target. This would provide the most accurate measure of building energy use, but would require building departments to monitor buildings after construction, and begs the question of what happens if a given building fails to achieve its target.
These are questions that must be debated before effective solutions can be considered for policy, but Richman says there is a great deal of interest among the lighting community in a kWh approach as a way to slow down perceived excessive ratcheting down of LPD limits. If target energy savings can be realized through controls, for example, this would give breathing room for lighting power allowances. Energy advocates, meanwhile, are also interested in performance-based codes as a way to harvest missing energy savings.
Lighting sections of energy codes already consider energy consumption, however, by virtue of the fact that each generation of codes contains more extensive mandatory requirements for advanced lighting control strategies such as automatic shutoff and daylight harvesting. Because of this, significant additional energy savings accounting for time of use may not be realized by implementing a performance-based code.
"This is the very reason that it is not clear that a performance-based method will automatically save more energy than the newest energy code requirements," Richman says. "Building modeling as a compliance method does offer additional flexibility and is currently allowed in all major energy codes. However, it is not clear that setting building energy targets of future building operation as the comparison for compliance is accurate or practical and/or that it will garner additional energy savings."
As a result, policy makers may find it difficult to turn the ideal of a performance-based code into a practical reality that will be accepted by designers and building departments. But they have time: Richman says do not expect such a code anytime soon—or at least one that functions smoothly or fairly.
"There is work being done on methods to implement performance-based approaches but since changes for the two major national code standards—90.1 and IECC—are already 'in the can' for 2010 and 2012, I don't expect to see anything for a couple of years, at least."
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Energy Management
Poor municipal service delivery is largely due to a shortage of artisans, which are not being produced in sufficient numbers to operate and maintain municipal infrastructure.
John Botha, the general manager of the Production Management Institute, a subsidiary of Adcorp, said this week: "When you scratch the surface of poor delivery, you inevitably find that the one constant factor is a lack of skills. We just don't have enough artisans to do the work. We are producing less than half the number we should be."
He was commenting on recent reports that at least R2 billion was left unspent by local government, with many municipalities plagued by poor infrastructural maintenance.
Artisans are critical for the operation and maintenance of municipal infrastructure and equipment. This includes heavy-current electricians, plumbers, fitters and turners, welders, carpenters, bricklayers and handymen.
He said the main reason for the shortage of artisans was the lack of suitably qualified candidates with qualifications in science and maths, the foundation of many artisan trades.
Prior to 1990, artisan trades were restricted to those who had passed Standard 7 (now Grade 9) - a level denied to most black people. "Currently, the school system is turning out woefully insufficient numbers of black science and maths students," said Botha.
Another reason for the shortage is that Eskom and Telkom, which used to train a large number of artisans through apprenticeships, no longer do so due to the commercialisation of their operations.
Emigration has also dented the skills base as has the fact that companies have scaled down their training as Seta learnerships have replaced company apprenticeships
John Botha, the general manager of the Production Management Institute, a subsidiary of Adcorp, said this week: "When you scratch the surface of poor delivery, you inevitably find that the one constant factor is a lack of skills. We just don't have enough artisans to do the work. We are producing less than half the number we should be."
He was commenting on recent reports that at least R2 billion was left unspent by local government, with many municipalities plagued by poor infrastructural maintenance.
Artisans are critical for the operation and maintenance of municipal infrastructure and equipment. This includes heavy-current electricians, plumbers, fitters and turners, welders, carpenters, bricklayers and handymen.
He said the main reason for the shortage of artisans was the lack of suitably qualified candidates with qualifications in science and maths, the foundation of many artisan trades.
Prior to 1990, artisan trades were restricted to those who had passed Standard 7 (now Grade 9) - a level denied to most black people. "Currently, the school system is turning out woefully insufficient numbers of black science and maths students," said Botha.
Another reason for the shortage is that Eskom and Telkom, which used to train a large number of artisans through apprenticeships, no longer do so due to the commercialisation of their operations.
Emigration has also dented the skills base as has the fact that companies have scaled down their training as Seta learnerships have replaced company apprenticeships
Lighting control and Energy Management
Energy SETA placed under administration
After many years of both the ECA(SA) and employers having to deal with the dysfunctional Energy SETA, it was placed under administration on 17 September 2010. The director general of the Department of Higher Education, Prof. Mary Metcalf, by notice in the Government Gazette has suspended all members of the board and the operation of the ESETA's constitution. Accordingly, all of its committees are also suspended. The chief executive officer was also dismissed by the accounting authority before that date.
Tsakani Matshazi has been appointed as the administrator for six months, and her appointment will be reviewed on the expiry of that period. She will have all the powers, rights and duties that previously rested with the accounting authority.
The ECA(SA) has been asked by the administrator to meet with her regarding its specific requirements, to ensure that skills and educational instruction within the sector are developed, implemented and approved. Hopefully a meeting will take place shortly, and extensive training will once again take place to address the current skills shortage
After many years of both the ECA(SA) and employers having to deal with the dysfunctional Energy SETA, it was placed under administration on 17 September 2010. The director general of the Department of Higher Education, Prof. Mary Metcalf, by notice in the Government Gazette has suspended all members of the board and the operation of the ESETA's constitution. Accordingly, all of its committees are also suspended. The chief executive officer was also dismissed by the accounting authority before that date.
Tsakani Matshazi has been appointed as the administrator for six months, and her appointment will be reviewed on the expiry of that period. She will have all the powers, rights and duties that previously rested with the accounting authority.
The ECA(SA) has been asked by the administrator to meet with her regarding its specific requirements, to ensure that skills and educational instruction within the sector are developed, implemented and approved. Hopefully a meeting will take place shortly, and extensive training will once again take place to address the current skills shortage
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Energy Management
When Selling Energy Efficiency, Don't Say 'Retrofit,' Say 'Upgrade' -- Study
Oct 5, 2010
JENNY MANDEL of
Give the people what they want. Know your customer. Make it easy to do the right thing.
These are some of the common-sense recommendations featured in a new report that highlights just how unprepared many energy program designers are when it comes to selling efficiency to the public.
In a study (pdf) of programs aimed at improving residential energy efficiency, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found much to learn from. The results, they say, should serve as a guide to the more than 2,000 towns, cities, states and regions with stimulus funding to spend on clean energy programs and with minimal experience to draw from.
For starters, the researchers said, don't offer "audits" or "retrofits" -- customers shy away from the negative connotations. Instead try offering "energy assessments" and "upgrades," but focus messaging on health benefits, improved comfort, community pride or other benefits that consumers tend to care more about.
Other suggestions included working with trusted local partners, minimizing the paperwork and hassles that customers face, and following the marketing rule of thumb that it takes three "touches" to convince most people that something is worth buying into.
A key partner for such programs should be the contractor workforce, the authors said, because contractors know the marketplace for residential construction work and will be the "face" that customers see when they interact with the program. Ensuring that contractors are well-trained, they added, can help to avoid problems and consumer backlash.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is fond of saying that his goal is to make people save money through energy efficiency. But the new report underscores the psychological components to energy consumption patterns that have historically proven difficult to change.
"Convincing millions of Americans to divert their time and resources into upgrading their homes to eliminate energy waste, avoid high utility bills and help stimulate the economy is one of the great challenges facing energy efficiency programs around the country," said Merrian Fuller, an author of the study and energy analyst in the Berkeley Lab's Electricity Markets and Policy group.
"Usually, when policymakers address the issue of energy efficiency benefits, they ... neglect the issue of how to motivate consumers to take advantage of home energy upgrade programs," she said. "This is often a missing element in policy discussions and a primary impetus for us in writing this report."
The study examined 14 home efficiency programs that the authors felt were successful, including one by the Bonneville Power Administration in the Pacific Northwest and efforts in Houston, Minneapolis, Kansas, Boston, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
Click here (pdf) for the report.
Copyright 2010 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
For more news on energy and the environment, visit www.greenwire.com.
Greenwire is published by Environment & Energy Publishing. Read More »
Oct 5, 2010
JENNY MANDEL of
Give the people what they want. Know your customer. Make it easy to do the right thing.
These are some of the common-sense recommendations featured in a new report that highlights just how unprepared many energy program designers are when it comes to selling efficiency to the public.
In a study (pdf) of programs aimed at improving residential energy efficiency, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found much to learn from. The results, they say, should serve as a guide to the more than 2,000 towns, cities, states and regions with stimulus funding to spend on clean energy programs and with minimal experience to draw from.
For starters, the researchers said, don't offer "audits" or "retrofits" -- customers shy away from the negative connotations. Instead try offering "energy assessments" and "upgrades," but focus messaging on health benefits, improved comfort, community pride or other benefits that consumers tend to care more about.
Other suggestions included working with trusted local partners, minimizing the paperwork and hassles that customers face, and following the marketing rule of thumb that it takes three "touches" to convince most people that something is worth buying into.
A key partner for such programs should be the contractor workforce, the authors said, because contractors know the marketplace for residential construction work and will be the "face" that customers see when they interact with the program. Ensuring that contractors are well-trained, they added, can help to avoid problems and consumer backlash.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is fond of saying that his goal is to make people save money through energy efficiency. But the new report underscores the psychological components to energy consumption patterns that have historically proven difficult to change.
"Convincing millions of Americans to divert their time and resources into upgrading their homes to eliminate energy waste, avoid high utility bills and help stimulate the economy is one of the great challenges facing energy efficiency programs around the country," said Merrian Fuller, an author of the study and energy analyst in the Berkeley Lab's Electricity Markets and Policy group.
"Usually, when policymakers address the issue of energy efficiency benefits, they ... neglect the issue of how to motivate consumers to take advantage of home energy upgrade programs," she said. "This is often a missing element in policy discussions and a primary impetus for us in writing this report."
The study examined 14 home efficiency programs that the authors felt were successful, including one by the Bonneville Power Administration in the Pacific Northwest and efforts in Houston, Minneapolis, Kansas, Boston, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
Click here (pdf) for the report.
Copyright 2010 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
For more news on energy and the environment, visit www.greenwire.com.
Greenwire is published by Environment & Energy Publishing. Read More »
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Electrical Energy Management
SA is nearing peak coal, say scientists
27 September 2010 - South Africa has more coal than it can ever burn, right? If you think this, as many of us do, think again.
Research by international and local scientists has shown that coal, like other resources, is finite and can be expected to comply with peak resources theory.
The theory shows that production in commodities such as oil grows until a peak is reached, whereafter production declines. In the case of South African coal, the studies show production has already reached its peak, or soon will.
“It is commonly believed that South Africa has abundant coal reserves which will last 200 years or more,'' says Jeremy Wakeford, chair of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (Aspo) in South Africa, in the organisation's latest newsletter.
“But recent research [from] three scientific journals suggests that usable reserves are much smaller than previously thought, and that annual production could reach a peak and begin to decline within a decade -- or might even have peaked already.''
Wakeford says that “given the country's overwhelming dependence on coal, this issue has huge ramifications for our future development path''.
Coal provides 70% of the country's energy supply, supports 90% of electricity generation, is used to make a quarter of the country's liquid fuels using the Sasol process and is a big earner of foreign exchange through exports to foreign users.
Geologist Chris Hartnady, in a paper to be published in the SA Journal of Science, has forecast peak production in 2020 at about 285-million tonnes a year.
This compares with total production last year of 242-million tons. This was mostly used by Eskom (123-million tonnes), Sasol (40-million tonnes) and export (66-million tonnes).
Eskom's current expansion programme could use an additional 50-million tonnes, and if the Sasol Mafutha project goes ahead it will need another 20-million tonnes annually, says Wakeford.
David Rutledge, a professor at the California Institute of Technology, has meanwhile forecast South African production to peak in 2011 at about 253-million tonnes a year.
This is supported by research by two American professors, says Wakeford, Tadeusz Patzek and Gregory Croft, published this year in the journal Energy.
“They estimate that South Africa's coal production from existing coal fields, when measured in energy units, peaked in 2007.
“They further contend that future mines are unlikely to reverse the trend since the economics of mining dictates that most accessible reserves are mined earlier on, so that the net energy return from the coal mining declines while the production costs rise over time,'' says Wakeford.
Eskom chief executive Brian Dames bemoaned the poor quality of coal Eskom is receiving in a briefing to parliamentarians earlier this month. Dames said that Eskom was losing 1 000 megawatts of power each day because of the low quality of coal it was being supplied.
He warned that the utility may have to start paying higher prices to improve the quality of its coal supplies and that these costs would be passed on to consumers.
Hartnady said that between 2003 and 2004 the then department of minerals and energy downsized substantially South Africa's coal reserves from about 50-billion tonnes to 30-billion tonnes.
Reserve data is so open to interpretation and, you could say, manipulation, that peak resource theorists typically base their analyses on actual production data rather than on claims of what is mineable.
Patzek and Croft in their article, which was published in May this year, said that world energy from coal production could peak as early as next year, leading to a spike in coal prices as demand continues to outstrip supply.
They predicted that production rates of coal internationally will decline after 2011, reaching 1990 levels by the year 2037. They noted that Transnet has had difficulty in achieving the 70-million tonnes nameplate value for the Richard's Bay Coal Terminal.
They quote acting chief executive Chris Wells, who said that undersupply problems from the mines had led to rail volumes falling over a three-year period.
“Rail volumes last year fell to a very disappointing 61.9-million tonnes, capping a three-year trend in underperformance.'' Wakeford said that the implications of peak coal are stark.
“The cost of coal is almost certainly going to maintain a rising trend -- albeit with greater volatility -- resulting in increasingly expensive electricity and steel.''
“Domestic demand for coal could increasingly compete with exports, raising questions around how the country's natural resources should best be utilised and the role and rights of privately owned mining companies. This is nothing new in the global energy context.''
Wakeford said that leaving aside social and environmental concerns around carbon dioxide emissions, water scarcity, pollution and health impacts, entrenching dependence on a depleting fossil fuel is taking the country down a cul-de-sac.
He said that the solution is to embark on an aggressive drive for energy conservation and efficiency while diversifying our energy mix away from coal as an imperative.
“We should not wait until coal becomes too expensive or scarce, but invest now in renewable energy infrastructure and industries.
“Renewables have proven environmental benefits, are becoming increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels, generate more jobs per rand invested and are essential for South Africa's long-term sustainable development
27 September 2010 - South Africa has more coal than it can ever burn, right? If you think this, as many of us do, think again.
Research by international and local scientists has shown that coal, like other resources, is finite and can be expected to comply with peak resources theory.
The theory shows that production in commodities such as oil grows until a peak is reached, whereafter production declines. In the case of South African coal, the studies show production has already reached its peak, or soon will.
“It is commonly believed that South Africa has abundant coal reserves which will last 200 years or more,'' says Jeremy Wakeford, chair of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (Aspo) in South Africa, in the organisation's latest newsletter.
“But recent research [from] three scientific journals suggests that usable reserves are much smaller than previously thought, and that annual production could reach a peak and begin to decline within a decade -- or might even have peaked already.''
Wakeford says that “given the country's overwhelming dependence on coal, this issue has huge ramifications for our future development path''.
Coal provides 70% of the country's energy supply, supports 90% of electricity generation, is used to make a quarter of the country's liquid fuels using the Sasol process and is a big earner of foreign exchange through exports to foreign users.
Geologist Chris Hartnady, in a paper to be published in the SA Journal of Science, has forecast peak production in 2020 at about 285-million tonnes a year.
This compares with total production last year of 242-million tons. This was mostly used by Eskom (123-million tonnes), Sasol (40-million tonnes) and export (66-million tonnes).
Eskom's current expansion programme could use an additional 50-million tonnes, and if the Sasol Mafutha project goes ahead it will need another 20-million tonnes annually, says Wakeford.
David Rutledge, a professor at the California Institute of Technology, has meanwhile forecast South African production to peak in 2011 at about 253-million tonnes a year.
This is supported by research by two American professors, says Wakeford, Tadeusz Patzek and Gregory Croft, published this year in the journal Energy.
“They estimate that South Africa's coal production from existing coal fields, when measured in energy units, peaked in 2007.
“They further contend that future mines are unlikely to reverse the trend since the economics of mining dictates that most accessible reserves are mined earlier on, so that the net energy return from the coal mining declines while the production costs rise over time,'' says Wakeford.
Eskom chief executive Brian Dames bemoaned the poor quality of coal Eskom is receiving in a briefing to parliamentarians earlier this month. Dames said that Eskom was losing 1 000 megawatts of power each day because of the low quality of coal it was being supplied.
He warned that the utility may have to start paying higher prices to improve the quality of its coal supplies and that these costs would be passed on to consumers.
Hartnady said that between 2003 and 2004 the then department of minerals and energy downsized substantially South Africa's coal reserves from about 50-billion tonnes to 30-billion tonnes.
Reserve data is so open to interpretation and, you could say, manipulation, that peak resource theorists typically base their analyses on actual production data rather than on claims of what is mineable.
Patzek and Croft in their article, which was published in May this year, said that world energy from coal production could peak as early as next year, leading to a spike in coal prices as demand continues to outstrip supply.
They predicted that production rates of coal internationally will decline after 2011, reaching 1990 levels by the year 2037. They noted that Transnet has had difficulty in achieving the 70-million tonnes nameplate value for the Richard's Bay Coal Terminal.
They quote acting chief executive Chris Wells, who said that undersupply problems from the mines had led to rail volumes falling over a three-year period.
“Rail volumes last year fell to a very disappointing 61.9-million tonnes, capping a three-year trend in underperformance.'' Wakeford said that the implications of peak coal are stark.
“The cost of coal is almost certainly going to maintain a rising trend -- albeit with greater volatility -- resulting in increasingly expensive electricity and steel.''
“Domestic demand for coal could increasingly compete with exports, raising questions around how the country's natural resources should best be utilised and the role and rights of privately owned mining companies. This is nothing new in the global energy context.''
Wakeford said that leaving aside social and environmental concerns around carbon dioxide emissions, water scarcity, pollution and health impacts, entrenching dependence on a depleting fossil fuel is taking the country down a cul-de-sac.
He said that the solution is to embark on an aggressive drive for energy conservation and efficiency while diversifying our energy mix away from coal as an imperative.
“We should not wait until coal becomes too expensive or scarce, but invest now in renewable energy infrastructure and industries.
“Renewables have proven environmental benefits, are becoming increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels, generate more jobs per rand invested and are essential for South Africa's long-term sustainable development
Monday, September 27, 2010
Electrical Energy Management
1. High-tech tools to save energy in center city
Sep 24, 2010 Charlotte Observer
Duke Energy and corporate-government partners unveiled plans Thursday to deploy cutting-edge technology to save energy in uptown Charlotte's commercial core.
The initiative, which Duke calls the first of its kind, would apply the smart-grid devices Duke is already testing in south Charlotte homes to the energy-hungry buildings in the center city.
The goal, by 2016, is to cut energy use 20 percent in about 60 buildings, including most commercial structures inside the Interstate 277 loop.
Smart grid refers to the use of digital technology and sensors to update an electrical system that has changed little, in its basics, since Thomas Edison. It uses electricity more efficiently, in part by giving consumers more information and control over their energy use.
In uptown, digital displays in each building's lobby will track its real-time energy use. Building managers will use the information to fine-tune heating, cooling and lighting. Workers, Duke hopes, will be motivated to turn off lights.
With Thursday's announcement, Duke, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County - which control about 12 million of the 15 million square feet of commercial space inside the loop - agreed to make it a joint effort.
Organizers hope to expand it to most other commercial buildings in the uptown loop.
"We're putting control in the hands of our major customers and we're making our city one of the most energy-efficient in the world" as energy costs rise, Duke CEO Jim Rogers said in New York, where the plan was announced at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. The Clinton initiative promotes government-private sector partnerships.
Duke worked with Charlotte Center City Partners, the uptown development group, to design a signature test of energy efficiency. It will be the first in a series of public-private projects focused on green values under an umbrella initiative called Envision: Charlotte.
Duke and technology company Cisco will front the $5.3million cost of outfitting Charlotte's commercial buildings with energy-management equipment. Duke hopes to recover some of its costs through a small energy-efficiency rider that would be added to customer bills.
Apart from saving electricity, one of the goals is to heighten awareness of energy conservation.
"One of the biggest challenges in succeeding with smart grid is changing behavior," said Ed Carney, a Cisco vice president.
Uptown buildings might compete with each other to save power. Their total energy use will be compared with that of Raleigh, Atlanta and New York.
"The real power of smart grid lies in the power of information," said Yi Deng, dean of UNC Charlotte's College of Computing and Informatics, which will help Duke analyze the energy data that's produced.
"A substantial part is behavior and how can you better manage the buildings. Right now, we don't have the information to answer those questions."
Commercial buildings waste about 30 percent of the energy they buy, the Environmental Protection Agency says. Bank of America and Wells Fargo, which together control 10 million square feet uptown, have both set corporate energy-saving goals and erected new towers that meet high efficiency standards.
Charlotte has also staked a claim as an energy capital because of the presence of Duke, 13,000 energy-related jobs in the broader region and training programs such as UNCC's Energy Production & Infrastructure Center.
"We are the right city at the right time," said Brett Carter, president of Duke Energy North Carolina.
Sep 24, 2010 Charlotte Observer
Duke Energy and corporate-government partners unveiled plans Thursday to deploy cutting-edge technology to save energy in uptown Charlotte's commercial core.
The initiative, which Duke calls the first of its kind, would apply the smart-grid devices Duke is already testing in south Charlotte homes to the energy-hungry buildings in the center city.
The goal, by 2016, is to cut energy use 20 percent in about 60 buildings, including most commercial structures inside the Interstate 277 loop.
Smart grid refers to the use of digital technology and sensors to update an electrical system that has changed little, in its basics, since Thomas Edison. It uses electricity more efficiently, in part by giving consumers more information and control over their energy use.
In uptown, digital displays in each building's lobby will track its real-time energy use. Building managers will use the information to fine-tune heating, cooling and lighting. Workers, Duke hopes, will be motivated to turn off lights.
With Thursday's announcement, Duke, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County - which control about 12 million of the 15 million square feet of commercial space inside the loop - agreed to make it a joint effort.
Organizers hope to expand it to most other commercial buildings in the uptown loop.
"We're putting control in the hands of our major customers and we're making our city one of the most energy-efficient in the world" as energy costs rise, Duke CEO Jim Rogers said in New York, where the plan was announced at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. The Clinton initiative promotes government-private sector partnerships.
Duke worked with Charlotte Center City Partners, the uptown development group, to design a signature test of energy efficiency. It will be the first in a series of public-private projects focused on green values under an umbrella initiative called Envision: Charlotte.
Duke and technology company Cisco will front the $5.3million cost of outfitting Charlotte's commercial buildings with energy-management equipment. Duke hopes to recover some of its costs through a small energy-efficiency rider that would be added to customer bills.
Apart from saving electricity, one of the goals is to heighten awareness of energy conservation.
"One of the biggest challenges in succeeding with smart grid is changing behavior," said Ed Carney, a Cisco vice president.
Uptown buildings might compete with each other to save power. Their total energy use will be compared with that of Raleigh, Atlanta and New York.
"The real power of smart grid lies in the power of information," said Yi Deng, dean of UNC Charlotte's College of Computing and Informatics, which will help Duke analyze the energy data that's produced.
"A substantial part is behavior and how can you better manage the buildings. Right now, we don't have the information to answer those questions."
Commercial buildings waste about 30 percent of the energy they buy, the Environmental Protection Agency says. Bank of America and Wells Fargo, which together control 10 million square feet uptown, have both set corporate energy-saving goals and erected new towers that meet high efficiency standards.
Charlotte has also staked a claim as an energy capital because of the presence of Duke, 13,000 energy-related jobs in the broader region and training programs such as UNCC's Energy Production & Infrastructure Center.
"We are the right city at the right time," said Brett Carter, president of Duke Energy North Carolina.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Electrical Energy Management
On ESI-Africa dated 29th of April 2010 - President Jacob Zuma has called on South Africans to save energy in an effort to avoid the load-shedding that plunged the country into darkness in 2007 and 2008.
“As we continue to look for other alternatives to save energy, let me remind all that we must continue to save electricity. We must switch off our appliances when they are not in use. Let us share this responsibility as citizens of this country and electricity users." said Zuma.
In the region of Gauteng in April and May large areas have suffered from further electricity blackouts, notably the East Rand in Johannesburg. It is now obvious that Eskom is still not managing to meet the high demand for electricity. As the winter weather closes in, so does higher electricity demand due to electrical heaters and warming devices, which means more electricity blackouts if we don’t do something about our electricity usage.
That said, even if electricity blackouts are not affecting you directly, the new prices definitely will. The increases announced in February 2010 will total to 75.8% from 2010 to 2013. This is without the increase of 31% last year, which will take the increases in electricity up to a staggering 106.8%.
If not the load-shedding, then the price of electricity is forcing us all consumers to start thinking of cutting down on use or at least making usage of electricity more efficient. Taking responsibility means that it is time to seriously start looking at managing our electricity consumption. To start saving we must start measuring our electricity consumption, because we can’t save something we can’t measure.
You can save 20%-40% on your electricity bill. To start saving we suggest you start measuring your electricity consumption with electricity monitors and make modifications to you consumption so that you can reduce your bills and help us all, just maybe save on having to endure winter blackouts.
“As we continue to look for other alternatives to save energy, let me remind all that we must continue to save electricity. We must switch off our appliances when they are not in use. Let us share this responsibility as citizens of this country and electricity users." said Zuma.
In the region of Gauteng in April and May large areas have suffered from further electricity blackouts, notably the East Rand in Johannesburg. It is now obvious that Eskom is still not managing to meet the high demand for electricity. As the winter weather closes in, so does higher electricity demand due to electrical heaters and warming devices, which means more electricity blackouts if we don’t do something about our electricity usage.
That said, even if electricity blackouts are not affecting you directly, the new prices definitely will. The increases announced in February 2010 will total to 75.8% from 2010 to 2013. This is without the increase of 31% last year, which will take the increases in electricity up to a staggering 106.8%.
If not the load-shedding, then the price of electricity is forcing us all consumers to start thinking of cutting down on use or at least making usage of electricity more efficient. Taking responsibility means that it is time to seriously start looking at managing our electricity consumption. To start saving we must start measuring our electricity consumption, because we can’t save something we can’t measure.
You can save 20%-40% on your electricity bill. To start saving we suggest you start measuring your electricity consumption with electricity monitors and make modifications to you consumption so that you can reduce your bills and help us all, just maybe save on having to endure winter blackouts.
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