Reflecting on consumer preferences

This blog by Brian McGraw for GlobalWarming.org discusses a new paper by the Mercatus Center. The Mercatus Center released a paper (PDF) this month co-authored by Ted Gayer (an economist at the Brooking Institution) and W. Kip Viscusi (an economics professor at Vanderbilt), titled “Overriding Consumer Preferences with Energy Regulations” which questions the economic justification … Continue reading Reflecting on consumer preferences →

Learning from the past

This report by Matt Fulford, head of buildings at Sustain, in the Guardian, discusses what we can learn today from our heritage buildings. What can heritage buildings teach us about modern energy efficiency? Heritage buildings have, by definition, been around for a long time. With careful management, they are here to stay for hundreds … Continue reading Learning from the past →

Canada is less energy-efficient than . . .

The survey from the American Council for an Energy-efficient Economy on how the top 12 economies are doing on energy efficiency has thrown the Canadians into a tizzy since it is doing even worse than its neighbour, the United States as well as China. This article by Mitch Potter of the Toronto Star explains the … Continue reading Canada is less energy-efficient than . . . →

Air conditioning – part 2

Following last week’s post on air conditioning or not, this is a good overview by Stan Cox for Yale Environment 360 of the global impact of air conditioning. The report was on the Guardian website. Climate risks heat up as world switches on to air conditioning The world is warming, incomes are rising, and smaller … Continue reading Air conditioning – part 2 →

Something to ponder over the summer

In April, the Commission published its evaluation of the Ecodesign directive and (2009/125/EC) and the results were discussed at a Consultation Forum meeting of April 19, 2012. One of the conclusions of the report was: Ex-ante impact assessments estimated that the first 12 Ecodesign Regulations will allow savings of 385TWh per year by 2020, which … Continue reading Something to ponder over the summer →

Feeling cool about air conditioning

While much of northern Europe is anxiously waiting for summer to really take hold, in Canada and the United States, a major heat wave has driven many to use their air conditioning to the maximum. Margaret Wente of Canada’s Globe and Mail writes here on the dilemma faced by the eco-conscious. The air conditioning … Continue reading Feeling cool about air conditioning →

New study on retrofitting commercial buildings

Commercial buildings represent a large and growing share of energy consumption in buildings. This is a good article by Business Wire on a new market study from Pike Research. The market for energy efficiency retrofits in commercial buildings will nearly double by 2020, reaching $152 billion worldwide, according to new study Efforts to retrofit … Continue reading New study on retrofitting commercial buildings →

Saving energy and enjoying a summer pint of beer

As EiD readers planning to head for the pub during these summer days will be pleased to learn that many local pubs are taking action to save energy. Defra promises drinkers the UK’s first energy-saving pint By BusinessGreen 09 Jul 2012 Drinkers could soon be supping on a more sustainable pint thanks to new … Continue reading Saving energy and enjoying a summer pint of beer →

BMW accused of hypocrisy

This is a thought-provoking article by Adam Vaughan of the Guardian on BMW lobbying against tougher emission proposals while talking up its green credentials as official Olympics. BMW accused of hypocrisy over opposition to European car targets BMW is lobbying to water down European plans to improve the fuel efficiency of cars at the … Continue reading BMW accused of hypocrisy →

Sustainable development in the Paris region

Paris is taking a very progressive approach on sustainable development. You can see from the “Neighbourhood” that there are good things going on in the EiD “quartier.” This article from Agence France Presse presents a new roadmap that the regional council has recently published. Sustainable Development: the Ile de France presents its roadmap PARIS … Continue reading Sustainable development in the Paris region →