Now, Aldie, I believe I could throw a cat through that crack under your door. That’s right nice of you, heating the neighborhood like that, but the way oil’s going you might want to tighten ‘er up just a dite.

Efficiency / Conservation Blog Posts

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY

We all waste more energy than we like to think about. Because wasted renewable energy is still wasted energy, we need to maximize our energy efficiency before we invest in renewable energy sources for our homes & businesses. The cheapest unit of energy is the one we don't need to burn at all. Read on to get started.

Maine's Educational Opportunities in Clean Energy Trades

06/22/2011 - 12:43pm

Karen Hamilton at the main office for Maine's community colleges offers a list of the increasing number of courses and programs designed to meet the growing demand for skilled workers in "green" energy technologies. They include:

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

Free Planning Guide for Public Officials About Energy Emergencies

06/21/2011 - 3:19pm

To help local officials plan for and respond to incidents and emergencies that result in energy outages, the Public Technology Institute has released Version 2.0 of the Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines.

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

Further Reasons To Explore Maine!

06/21/2011 - 12:38am

It's a good time for Maine's public transportation, for a number of reasons.

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

Over $30 Million To Train The Next Generation of Industrial Efficiency Engineers

06/18/2011 - 1:19pm

Graduate and undergraduate engineers should be pleased to hear that energy secretary Steven Chu announced that more than $30 million will be allocated to training engineering students in tech efficiency. Through the Industrial Assessment Center program, university teams across the country will gain practical training and skills that will enable them to conduct energy assessments in a broad range of manufacturing facilities and help them compete in today's economy.

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

Free Power Monitors Available to Eleven School Districts

06/14/2011 - 5:27pm

Are you interested in knowing how much electricity you use in your home or community buildings, and how you can become more energy efficient? Do you live in the school district of North Haven Community School, Vinalhaven School, Islesboro Central School, Camden Hills Regional High School, Deer Isle-Stonington High School, Washington Academy, Pemetic School on Mount Desert Island, Jonesport-Beals Middle School and High School, Elm Street School in East Machias, Searsport District Middle School or the Appleton Village School?

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

Setting the Record Straight on Maine's Renewable Portfolio Standard

06/13/2011 - 12:00pm

On June 9. 2011, the Portland Press Herald ran the following op-ed by Suzanne Watson, entitled, "State's Renewable Energy Policies Shouldn't Change: An official defense of Gov. LePage's bill on electricity costs fails to mention some facts". We reprint it here with the author's permission.

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

A Free Building Energy Codes Webinar

06/10/2011 - 1:52pm

This webinar may be of interest to both builders and codes officials in Maine, since we have the new statewide Uniform Building and Energy Code in place. The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) is holding a Building Energy Codes Compliance webinar on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Eastern time. This webinar will include presentations from the U.S.

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

Classes on the Appraisal of Green Buildings

06/10/2011 - 10:40am

Maine Chapter of the Appraisal Institute Continuing Education offers 2 classes on appraising green buildings. Learn more about the appraisal process as it pertains to green residential building through upcoming Continuing Education courses.

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

FHA and Fannie Mae Offer Home Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program

06/08/2011 - 5:11pm

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) announced on May 31, 2011 that its Green Refinance Plus, a program between HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Fannie Mae to boost energy efficiency in older affordable housing. The program will allow owners of existing affordable rental housing properties to refinance into new mortgages that include funding for energy- and water-saving upgrades, along with other needed property renovations.

Everything Efficiency / Conservation

Active Energy Management for Automated Industrial Plants

06/08/2011 - 8:42am

In a recent article written for "Asian Engineer" magazine, Mark Freeman of Siemens UK writes:

By selectively switching off any energy consumers that are not currently in use, the demand for energy and the associated costs can be drastically reduced. This is particularly relevant to downtime in production. During breaks in production, many energy consumers continue running even though they are not required. This is where PROFIenergy can be applied, switching off these units during breaks in production in order to save energy and money.

Everything Efficiency / Conservation