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A look at this infographic and anyone can see how energy efficiency can not only save money, but the environment as well. The infographic summarizes national levels of energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions, current laws, and steps to take to become more energy efficient. Click on the image to see a larger version. Source: […]

The U.S. has nearly three times as much recoverable natural gas as the government estimates, a Canadian analyst found. The U.S. has 890 trillion cubic feet equivalent of recoverable natural gas, said the head of ITG Investment Technology Group, an energy research brokerage firm. ITG also stated that the numbers will continue to grow, and […]

So you know you need new lights, but how do you determine what’s the best investment for your facility? Energy efficient lighting projects can include relights, retrofits, or 1-for-1 bulb replacements. But what’s the difference, and why should it matter to your building? What is a lighting retrofit? A lighting retrofit typically means a replacement […]

The KCP&L rebates aren’t going to last forever. In fact, they may not be available next year. Rebates for the state of Kansas are no longer available, but the ones for Missouri customers are. If you have considered updating your lighting system in the past, now is the time to do it. And if the […]

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system was designed 12 years ago to help architects, designers, and real estate firms “improve energy efficiency and increase the use of recycled materials and nontoxic paint into their projects.” The LEED rating system has since grown into a global standard and powerful  accomplishment. Right now […]

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy recently released their sixth annual state scorecard. The ACEEE measures states energy efficiency initiatives. The top states include Massachusetts, California, and Oregon. The three most improved states are Oklahoma (thanks to newly enacted natural gas efficiency programs), Montana, and South Carolina. States most in need of improvement include […]

The Swedish-based furniture chain recently announced a new green initiative  Ikea is phasing out sales of all lighting that is not LED-based by 2016 “in an effort to help customers save energy, reduce electricity bills, and cut carbon emissions.” Ikea is the first major home furnishing retailer with a U.S. presence to entirely banish less efficient […]

Google’s data center in Mayes County, Oklahoma will be running more efficiently soon. The search engine giant announced last week that it would buy wind energy from the Grand River Dam Authority to purchase energy. This will be the first time Google has partnered with a utility to buy renewable energy. The GRDA will provide […]

Color rendering index (CRI) is a light’s ability to produce all the colors of the spectrum. This quantitative measure is used for lighting fixtures to determine how closely the light can produce the colors and a bright white light. T8 lamps, the efficient counterpart to the obsolete T12 lights, have four types of CRI: 835, […]