Important developments in more efficient air conditioning

With the changing climate, we are seeing greater deployment of air conditioning. While we can reduce the need through energy renovation and passive designs, the trend towards greater air conditioning will continue. Geoff Smith, Emeritus Professor in Applied Physics, University of Technology, Sydney, writes on The Conversation website about a new approach that uses fluid-filled … Continue reading Important developments in more efficient air conditioning →

Taking a more sustainable approach to addressing heat waves in cities

Much of southern Europe has had to cope with a major heat wave for an extended period. This situation is also true in many parts of North America and elsewhere. Nicholas Rajkovich, Assistant Professor of Architecture, University at Buffalo explains in an article on The Conversation website that multiple solutions are required for cities to … Continue reading Taking a more sustainable approach to addressing heat waves in cities →

How air conditioning has changed our lifestyles

Emily Badger and Alan Blinder write about air conditioning in the United States and what its impact has been. This is an article in The Upshot section of the New York Times. The Upshot provides news, analysis and graphics about politics, policy and everyday life. This makes for good summer reading as some of you … Continue reading How air conditioning has changed our lifestyles →

Consumers benefiting from energy efficiency standards

It is encouraging to see that the Consumer Federation of America has reported to the Department of Energy of the benefits that consumers are enjoying from important federal minimum energy performance standards. This is their article on YubaNet.com from Nevada County, California. Are comparable calculations available for Europe? New Analysis Shows Energy Efficiency Standards … Continue reading Consumers benefiting from energy efficiency standards →

Energy labels in Europe exaggerating energy savings of major appliances

There have been several articles this week that there is a large disconnect between test results and real world conditions. One of the best articles we’ve seen is by Melanie Hall on the Deutsche Welle website. ‘Appliancegate′ on the horizon? EU household devices guzzle more energy than labeled Domestic appliances use up to double … Continue reading Energy labels in Europe exaggerating energy savings of major appliances →

Better understanding how we use electricity in our homes

You know yourself that you have lots of gadgets and the number has increased in recent years. As the author, Oliver Pickup, writes, the average UK home possesses between 40 and 50 electrical appliances. He writes a good article on The Telegraph website about their impact. Now with Brexit, it will be interesting to know … Continue reading Better understanding how we use electricity in our homes →

Adapting to climate change is not always straightforward

There are stark differences between OECD countries and non-OECD countries in the appliances that are used. One appliance, air conditioners, can cause a problem, not only for the electricity consumption but also for the materials used in them. Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman professor of economics at the University of Chicago, writes an excellent article … Continue reading Adapting to climate change is not always straightforward →

We need a new approach to staying cool

Air conditioning has made modern living bearable in many cities. The percentage of homes and offices with air conditioning in warm countries is increasing at a staggering rate. Surely, since we know how to build passive buildings, there must be a way of significantly slowing the rate of deployment. John Vidal writes in The Observer … Continue reading We need a new approach to staying cool →

Summary of achievements of energy efficiency standards and labelling programmes

The International Energy Agency has a number of important technology collaboration programmes that have provided valuable results over many years. One of the collaboration programmes on Energy Efficient End-Use Equipment (4E) has recently published a report as explained by Vikki Searancke on the 4E website. 4E Releases Update to Standards & Labelling Achievements Report … Continue reading Summary of achievements of energy efficiency standards and labelling programmes →

Big potential for energy savings in Pakistan

The Samaa TV website provides a good article on the estimate of how much electricity is wasted in Pakistan because of inefficient appliances. This shows that all countries need to pay attention to improving energy efficiency. Pakistani households waste 25 percent of electricity: study Despite energy shortages in Pakistan, it is estimated that households … Continue reading Big potential for energy savings in Pakistan →