Push by industry to revise fuel economy standards in the US

With a midterm review of federal fuel-economy rules to begin this summer, the automobile industry in the US is already arguing that the standards should be revised, given the current market situation. Bill Vlasic explains recent developments in an article in the New York Times. Low Gas Prices Create a Detour on the Road … Continue reading Push by industry to revise fuel economy standards in the US →

Lack of effective enforcement of EU directives shows high percentage of appliances not meeting standards

In our modern societies we use a lot of appliances. When we buy them, we depend on both the performance standard and the label providing us the performance level to be correct. Otherwise we pay for more electricity than we should and that has repercussions on emissions, energy consumption and our pocketbooks. Arthur Neslen writes … Continue reading Lack of effective enforcement of EU directives shows high percentage of appliances not meeting standards →

Impact of massive cuts to UK’s energy efficiency strategy

While the British government states energy efficiency remains a priority, cuts to important policy measures show the stark reality. Damian Carrington writes an excellent article in The Guardian about recent research by the Association for the Conservation of Energy showing that the number of UK households being helped by government to improve their energy use … Continue reading Impact of massive cuts to UK’s energy efficiency strategy →

New UK fund to promote improved energy performance of commercial buildings

We are all concerned about finding adequate financing for energy efficiency projects. Priyanka Shrestha writes on the Energy Live News website about a new fund established by a commercial bank in the UK to support energy performance improvements. This is a welcome development. Lloyds Bank launches £1bn energy efficiency fund A new £1 billion … Continue reading New UK fund to promote improved energy performance of commercial buildings →

Identifying a potential opportunity to save energy – in televisions

We are always looking at novel ways to save energy. It is certainly important that we need to know more about consumers and how they use their appliances. Chris Mooney writes in the Washington Post about a suggestion that power companies should create incentives for the purchase of new and highly efficient TVs among that … Continue reading Identifying a potential opportunity to save energy – in televisions →

Trying to modernise a utility’s relationship with customers through promoting energy efficiency

The role of energy companies to promote energy efficiency is well understood even if it isn’t always well done. Diane Cardwell writes in the New York Times about an important new initiative by Con Edison to personalise services to consumers. Will it work? What do you think? Con Edison Aims to Revamp Customer Service, … Continue reading Trying to modernise a utility’s relationship with customers through promoting energy efficiency →

Yes, Canada needs better energy performance of buildings policies

Developing and implementing policies in federal states is never easy. John Lorinc writes an excellent article in Canada’s Globe and Mail about the problems improving the policies to promote better energy performance of buildings. There are important lessons for all of us. Why does Canada lag in demanding environmental diligence from builders and homeowners? … Continue reading Yes, Canada needs better energy performance of buildings policies →

Monitoring progress of the national building renovation strategies

On February 26th, EiD published a review of a recent European Commission report that analysed the progress made by Member States in developing their long-term renovation strategies. This is an obligation under the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive. This week, the industry association, EuroACE, published a press release criticising the quality of the analysis. Hopefully the … Continue reading Monitoring progress of the national building renovation strategies →

More arguments why improved energy efficiency needs to be seen as an infrastructure issue

Last week EiD reported on a new briefing note by E3G on energy efficiency as infrastructure. Now we have a good post by Dr. Sam Gardner of WWF Scotland in the Herald Scotland arguing that improved energy efficiency must be seen as a national infrastructure project. This is an important argument that we hope gains … Continue reading More arguments why improved energy efficiency needs to be seen as an infrastructure issue →

A little innovation for renovating buildings can go a long way

There is American slang about painting the town red, meaning to be wildly extravagant (well, that is one interpretation). Now we can forget the whole town and concentrate on individual buildings and use solar paint. Well, there are also other innovative ideas provided by Annie Kane who explains in The Guardian that, while new homes … Continue reading A little innovation for renovating buildings can go a long way →