Now, as you read this, you may be thinking, “What is a “DER” and why is it important to me?” Chances are, you encounter them almost every day, but you may not think of them as “DERs.” Distributed Energy Resources refer to systems that produce energy at or near the where it is being utilized. These systems are often renewable.
Read MoreI am sure you know California’s push toward 100% renewable energy. A BIG part of this initiative is building electrification. Building electrification means, converting from using natural gas appliances to appliances that use electricity. There are many cost-effective ways to do this.
Read MoreAs I am sure you are aware, your HVAC system is one of the biggest energy users in your building. In fact, HVAC is often responsible for 20-30% of the energy usage in a building. This is especially true in the Central Valley.
Read MoreWish that you could somehow shift most of your cooling energy load to off-peak hours?Time-of-use rate changes are here and the hottest part of the day (4 pm – 6 pm) will become the most expensive time to use your air conditioner. It may be time to consider an ice storage air conditioner.
Read MoreWe touched on convection ovens very briefly in last week’s article when we discussed 5-in-1 ovens. A 5-in-1 oven is special because it has many different capabilities. Specifically, they are a convection oven, a toaster oven, a warming/proofing oven, a precision cooking oven, and a microwave.
Read MoreWe are all done with the ghosts, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween, and we are looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. November 1st is the unofficial start of the holiday season. This is, by far, my favorite time of the year. However, while we are all gearing up for yet another wonderful holiday season and its traditions, it is important to understand and seek out new and more efficient ways of doing the things that we love, even if they are traditional.
Read MoreAs we are approaching the holiday season, we will be launching an EE cooking series for Technology Tuesdays! This week’s edition features Induction Cooktops
Read MoreAllow me to explain: the duck curve describes the shape of a chart. This particular chart covers a 24-hour period of time during the spring in California. The season is important because during the springtime, there is still a lot of sunlight which translates into solar generation however, people are not using their air conditioning or heating.
Read MoreHe's a 10, but... he bought the 13 SEER to save money… Check out our #TechTuesday to see why this is ALL wrong
The SEER rating is probably the most important number when looking for a new air conditioning unit. I would argue that the SEER rating is more important than the price. How can that be?
Read MoreWhat exactly are we talking about when we discuss water efficiency and conservation? First off, we are still talking about energy efficiency and energy conservation because water and energy are inextricably tied. This is because, in order to use water, we must move it to where we need it. In order to move it, we need energy.
Read MoreWe all know the scenario: it is the middle of summer and the middle of the hottest temperature streak in recent memory. You hear a strange noise coming from your air conditioning unit just before it starts blowing what feels like warm air. Without a doubt, your AC has decided to take an unscheduled hiatus during the time you need it the most! Not to mention the other compounding issues with getting it repaired.
Read MoreA DER can be made up of many things but the overall purpose of it is to “help support the delivery of clean, reliable power to additional customers and reduce electricity losses along transmission and distribution lines.” Distributed energy resources are small scale electricity resources that help to meet supply and demand by using their interconnectivity to the grid
Read MoreThis is the first summer season where new peak rates have been implemented across all sectors and all California utilities, meaning, peak time is from 4pm to 9pm as opposed to the old timeframe which was noon to 7pm. It is never too late to take a look at your buildings to be sure you are ready for those hot summer months and to be sure they don’t break the bank!
Read MoreEarth Day is coming up on Friday and it is such a special time of the year. It is special because we have the opportunity, to take a moment to appreciate the Earth and all of the wonderful things it offers us each day. We also have the opportunity to educate people on the things we can do to help preserve our resources.
Read MoreBuilding electrification is definitely a popular buzz word these days. However, as with most buzz words, people use them without fully understanding the meaning. In this case, people sometimes use the term “building electrification” without fully understanding its impacts. Let us start with the definition of building electrification.
Read MoreThe best explanation of how a heat pump water heater works, that I have seen, I found on energy.gov, “To move the heat, heat pumps work like a refrigerator in reverse.” This is a great visual but what exactly does it mean?
Read MoreHowever, with the seemingly never-ending safeguards and security protocols that we deal with on a daily basis, it seems that the most fundamental aspect of our security rarely gets the attention it deserves. I am referring to our energy security.
Read MoreLet’s talk about renewable energy! It seems as though everywhere we look there are solar arrays popping up. While that is encouraging. One thing that is more encouraging than this is the price for renewable energy.
Read MoreIn the realm of energy efficiency, we talk about lighting… A LOT! It seems to be the EE measure that just won’t go away. I believe lighting will always be a pertinent part of the overall EE conversation and will continue to see advances in both the technology itself as well as how we utilize it.
Read MoreThe new year is well underway, and we started out this year with a discussion about smart buildings. As I have said before, we have covered just about everything “smart,” and I would like to wrap up that topic with one more concept: smart manufacturing.
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