Energy Exchange

Just Do It: Sometimes Jumping In With Both Feet Is The Best Choice To Make

By EDF Blogs / Published: August 29, 2011

By Jen Weiss, 2011 EDF Climate Corps Fellow at Shaw University, MEM Candidate, Nicolas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC

A few weeks ago, I found myself peering over the edge of a forty-two foot platform willing myself to take the leap – to tackle the Mega Jump. Okay, maybe peering is not the right word. I was gripping the side of the platform, looking out over the horizon, and wondering how I had ever gotten convinced to do this given my severe fear of heights. But, there I was. I decided to stop thinking about it. Better to trust that it was all going to work out fine than analyze every detail. I closed my eyes, released my grip, and jumped …

The next moment, I was on the ground. I checked for breaks or cuts – nothing. The only thing I felt was exhilaration – a feeling of success and accomplishment. I had done it. And I had survived.

I get a similar sense of nervous anticipation with energy efficiency. What’s that? You don’t follow my leap? Consider this …

I have just wrapped up my EDF Climate Corps Fellowship at Shaw University in downtown Raleigh. My EDF partner, Eliza, and I have made recommendations that could save the university over $125,000 a year in annual energy savings. And, some of these recommendations come at absolutely no cost:

Power management (sleep mode) for PCs and copiers
Summer setback temperatures for some of the dorms
Upgrading exit signs to LED versions
Upgrading the residence hall’s laundry services to more energy efficient washing machines
Consolidation of office equipment and mini-fridges

A few other recommendations have a small price of admission, but with Progress Energy rebates and very short payback periods, they can be done quickly and savings can be seen within six months:

Install vending misers on all vending machines
Upgrade lighting to more efficient T-8s
Install programmable thermostats (my personal favorite – the savings here are huge!)

Shaw is now standing on the edge of the platform waiting to jump. The eager faces in the audience as Eliza and I presented these recommendations tell me that they have the desire and commitment to make the changes and lead Shaw into sustainability. And they certainly have the experience and knowledge to get it done. The next step is up to them.

At this point, Shaw needs to take a leap of faith. They need to jump off the platform and feel the exhilaration that comes from saving the planet (and saving money). There is absolutely nothing to lose and a tremendous amount to gain. My advice?

Just Do It!

EDF Climate Corps Public Sector (CCPS) trains graduate students to identify energy efficiency savings in colleges, universities, local governments and houses of worship. The program focuses on partnerships with minority serving institutions and diverse communities. Apply as a CCPS fellow, read our blog posts and follow us on Twitter to get regular updates about this program.

A Green Roof And Greenhouse: Signs Of An Ambitious Green Campus

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 1, 2011

By: Carrie Gonnella, 2011 Climate Corps Public Sector Fellow at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC; MEM/MBA candidate at the Nicholas School of the Environment/Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

This summer I am lucky to have a fellowship at Catawba College‘s Center for the Environment. I was fortunate to start just in time to learn about two initiatives the Center is pursuing: a green roof for the science building and a new high efficiency greenhouse.

I learned all about green roofs from Chuck Friedrich of Stalite Co. Stalite makes a green roof growing medium that is durable, lightweight, and easy to apply. There are many important steps involved in creating a luscious, healthy, and sustainable living roof, and Chuck gave us many things to consider, including:

There are two green roof options: extensive or intensive. An extensive roof has 2-4 inches of growing material, supporting sedum and other low-lying foliage. Intensive is 6 inches or more, and can support a greater range of plants, including trees.
Why remain flat? Subtle rolling hills can be created on green roofs based on the location of roof ballasts. They can support a thicker growing medium.
A green roof can extend the life of your roof by threefold!

The Bottom Line: Information Is Powerful & Can Be Used For Good

By EDF Blogs / Published: May 23, 2011

By: Matt Davis, EDF Research Fellow and Author of EDF Behavior and Energy Savings Study

I’m excited to announce the results of a new EDF study that analyzes the potential to reduce energy use and our environmental impact using one of the cheapest inputs in the world: information. At EDF, we’ve always believed that the right set of consumer-facing energy efficiency tools and technology could allow families to take charge of their energy usage, cut down on their monthly bills, and shrink their carbon footprint – and now we have proof.

Source: Opower

We collaborated with an innovative start-up called Opower to look at the potential for simple graphs and data to drive energy savings. We analyzed 22 million electricity bills, spread across 11 utilities, to see how households react to energy-savings tips and – most importantly, and originally – a graphic that shows them how their usage stacks up against their neighbors’.

Our findings, in a nutshell: information pays. The 771,000 households who received Home Energy Reports (Reports) reduced their electricity usage by 1.8% on average. While we can only speculate about what would happen in other settings, that number jumped out at us, and for good reason. If every home in America reduced their electricity usage by that much, we would all see the following benefits:

$3 billion in savings on energy bills;
26,000 gigawatt-hours of reduced electricity-demand – enough to power the homes of 5.6 million Americans; and
8.9 million metric tons of reduced carbon emissions, which is equivalent to the annual emissions from three 500 MW coal-fired power plants.

We also looked at how different types of households respond to the Reports and found some interesting results. For instance, in most of the utilities we looked at, the “energy hogs” are the most likely to roll back their energy usage. If you were to use that fact to target reports at “high-potential” households, you could boost the average reduction to 6.8% – more than three times the sample-wide average.

Energy efficiency is widely considered one of the greatest untapped energy resources. This study confirms that simple behavioral changes generate consistent savings across a wide range of utilities and demographics. The message is clear: customers empowered with information on energy usage are more likely to save energy and money, all while reducing their carbon footprint.

We hope that simple, innovative tools like this one will spread far and wide.

Posted in Energy Efficiency / Read 3 Responses

Pay low costs for greenhouse gasses today or pay in human lives later

By Jim Marston / Published: August 11, 2009

The United States Military is perhaps the most advanced scientific entity in the world, and can tout advances such as the internet, “smart” armor using nanotechnology and sophisticated “war game” computer simulations to develop strategic plans.

The military has used scientific theories throughout history to ensure a strong sense of national security in a world filled with international upheaval. They have used the theory of gravity to develop bullet trajectories and the science of aeronautics to land a man on the Moon. So it should be some comfort to Texans that our Senators have historically deferred to the military on such issues as the preeminent experts in keeping our nation and resources secure.

All the more reason that it seems strange that Texas’ Senators Hutchison and Cornyn are trying to play political football with an issue that both our public and our nation’s best military minds see as a grave threat to our national security.

We now know that the climate change and the national security threats arising from it have been a focus of National Defense University and military intelligence analysts for years. They find that the costs of inaction will be serious, and not just in terms of direct impacts to our farmland and coastline. Read More »

Posted in Climate, Texas / Read 28 Responses

New electricity rate will make truck and bus charging cheaper, cleaner in California

By Michael Colvin / Published: November 18, 2021

State regulators just approved a first-of-its-kind charging rate for electric trucks and buses in northern California that will make it more affordable for fleet operators to make the switch from diesel to electric.

This new “dynamic” rate changes on an hourly basis, offering more opportunities for fleet operators to charge their vehicles when electricity is cheap (for example, when the grid is underutilized or when clean electricity is plentiful). In 2019, state regulators authorized Pacific Gas and Electric Company to offer a commercial electric vehicle time of use rate; regulators also directed the utility to request a more dynamic rate option, which is what was just approved. PG&E offering a menu of options tracks with EDF’s recent recommendation that multiple options — to accommodate many different operational use cases — are needed to make commercial vehicle electrification as affordable and clean as possible.

Posted in Air Quality, California, Electric Vehicles / Comments are closed

Federal regulators should reevaluate the incentive model for gas pipelines

By Natalie Karas / Published: June 28, 2019

The energy industry is in the midst of a massive transformation. Natural gas fired power plants are now the dominant source of electric power in the U.S., and according to numerous studies, natural gas will continue to have a role in our future energy system — even in stringent greenhouse gas reduction scenarios. For the first time ever, renewables supplied more generation than coal in April. New technologies, evolving customer expectations and state laws directing greenhouse gas reductions are driving significant changes in the way we use and consume energy. The pace of this change will be even further accelerated as we turn to electrification as a means of decarbonization.

Regulators must reevaluate their policies and rules to ensure they are keeping up with these major changes. This is particularly true for the current revenue model of gas pipelines, which is built on the idea that “the more you spend, the more you earn.”

Posted in Clean Energy, Gas to Clean, Natural Gas / Comments are closed