Blog

LED lighting is increasingly popping up in warehouses and commercial facilities as part of energy retrofit projects, even though they are often thought to be too costly for commercial buildings. Energy use remains a significant cost for buildings and facility managers, so lighting retrofits are a great way to manage and control energy costs. "Energy efficiency retrofits […]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently published an opinion article urging Missouri to get more energy efficient. John Hickey, the director of the Missouri chapter for the Sierra Club, writes, “Missouri homeowners and businesses should embrace energy efficiency. Our opportunity is big because Missourians are wasting so much energy.” He goes on to cite that the […]

What's great about energy savings is that anyone can do it. It doesn't take a large metropolitan city to enact change, it just takes some dedication. Take Murray City, Ohio for example. Beginning in October 2010, and the 14 months that followed, Murray City enacted a block-by-block energy retrofit project that weatherized three-quarters of the […]

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu resigned from the Department last Friday. Chu, who turns 65 this month, was a leading advocate for alternative energy development. "I would like to return to an academic life of teaching and research, but will still work to advance the missions that we have been working on together […]

Light emitting diode is a fast-growing technology that many businesses and consumers are embracing. LEDs provide a long life, enhance visibility, reduce energy use, and provide 50,000 lifetime hours. But one barrier that the technology still needs to overcome is the price. While it costs more compared to fluorescent or plasma lighting, LEDs still have […]

Compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles are on the rise, and companies with large fleets are taking notice. In fact, a natural gas vehicle provides significant fuel cost savings, fuel efficiency, and is environmentally friendly. "Even though the price of compressed natural gas is one-third to one-half that of diesel, some companies have been reluctant to convert […]

It's a relevant question to consider: does increased energy efficiency spark more use? The so-called "rebound effect" could affect efficiency and should be examined while putting in place energy efficiency policy, according to some analysts. For example, by 2025, fuel efficiency of vehicles will be required to double. As a result, oil consumption and global […]

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers have a surplus of shale gas, so what does that mean for us? Natural gas producers can either sell the fuel here in the U.S. or export it to Asia and Europe, where LNG fetches much higher prices. The America's Energy Advantage is a coalition created by U.S. manufacturers to […]

Alternative fuels, such as natural gas, continue to grow in popularity and use. Biofuels have already experienced substantial use on the market, and are likely to remain the dominant alternative fuel. At its simplest, biofuel is "any fuel directly derived from recently existing biological organisms ... or agricultural byproducts as opposed to from petroleum." Since […]