Not so long ago, news about energy efficiency focused on what the US could or should do, but wasn’t to save energy. It was a tale of woe.

That’s no longer the case. Now, report after report tells the story of a burgeoning energy efficiency market that is achieving a level of surprising savings. (more…)

Imagine this. You and your beautiful bride-to-be take a break from wedding planning for a much needed weekend away. With your mid-sized SUV loaded, you head west for snow covered hills. After a few days of playing in powder, sleeping in and drinking adult beverages on a sun-kissed patio, you head home feeling refreshed and ready to button-up the final (more…)

Space heating and cooling now makes up less than 50% of all residential energy consumption, down from 58% two decade ago, according to the Residential Energy Consumption Survey from the Energy Information Administration.

Among the reasons for the shift: More energy efficient equipment, (more…)

Although connecting energy efficiency programs and private capital may seem like an ideal partnership, program managers from New York and Pennsylvania have found it is challenging to achieve competitive investment ratings for energy efficiency loan portfolios. Jeff Pitkin and Keith Welks discussed their experiences with accessing the secondary market in (more…)

After long and diligent work, my own Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced last week that it had successfully bundled 4,700 residential energy efficiency loans, and obtained $23 million in cash and $8.3 million in deferred payments, for a projected total of $31.3 million.  The press release is available here.

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A national “cool” roof campaign could save some 5.7 quad of net primary energy valued at $33 billion over the 20-year lifespan of an average roof, according to researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Heat Island Group.

The Case for Cool Roofs recommends a no-cost cool (more…)

Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’ is the latest ‘Downton Abbey.’ Or for us older folks, it is the latest who-shot-JR Ewing – a television series that lots of people are talking about.

A story of Congressional intrigue, the 13-part series has caught the attention of not only the viewing public, but also Washington insiders, who are having (more…)

PACE programs have been waiting for the FHFA to finalize their court-ordered rulemaking on residential PACE efforts (background here). Today, the court approved FHFA’s request for an extension of the deadline for issuance of the final rule to September 16, 2013. FHFA must submit a status report by June 1, 2013. The status (more…)

President Barack Obama recently pushed for increased energy efficiency in his State of the Union address. His endorsement is a plus, no argument. But it may not be the federal government that drives the industry’s next growth spurt.

Increasingly, the push for clean energy seems to be more grassroots, from the city and community. (more…)

The skier’s delight rarely falls in the realm of green renewable eco-friendly holidays, but many resorts are trying to change that image. Some resorts are increasing their recycling, while others are working to have a less strenuous impact on Mother Nature. This means eco-friendly, sustainable and an awareness of how to use natural resources efficiently (more…)