Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast

What do Americans want from their investments in energy efficiency? First of all, they want cost savings. Miles Meehan, a spokesman for HomeServeUSA, gives details of a new poll conducted by Harris of 2,100 Americans.

Why are National Grid's energy efficiency programs so successful in Rhode Island? Laura Rodormer and Matthew Ray, senior strategic business analysts at National Grid, describe the popular efficiency programs--plus the company's solar program. Customers who achieve high levels of energy efficiency are eligible for higher payments (approximately 40 cents/kWh) if they produce solar under National Grid's program, which does not involve net metering.

If you swap energy management teams with another business, just what will you learn? In this podcast, Maria Vargas, director of the Better Buildings Challenge, describes what Whole Foods and Hilton Worldwide learned when they swapped energy management teams in San Francisco.

If you swap energy management teams with another business, just what will you learn? In this podcast, Maria Vargas, director of the Better Buildings Challenge, describes what Whole Foods and Hilton Worldwide learned when they swapped energy management teams in San Francisco.

NV Energy wants more efficiency--but regulators in Nevada want less. That's the ironic situation in Nevada. Last July, NV Energy said its residential lighting programs in southern Nevada were so popular--three times the utility’s initial projections--that it wanted to add more money to the program mid-year. It also wanted to boost its LED lighting program between 2016-2018, but the program was eliminated by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission.

In this podcast, Fridrik Larsens, CEO of Larsen Energy Branding--likely the first CEO in the world to get a Ph.D in energy branding—defines energy branding and explains why many companies are doing a bad job of establishing a clear, consistent and compelling brand.

Disruptive energy technologies provide many opportunities to cut energy bills in commercial buildings—but the many options are leaving building owners confused, resulting in missed opportunities. Mach Energy president Jon Moeller discusses a new survey in this podcast.

Patty Durand, executive director, Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative, shares the results of a study that categorizes consumers in terms of how they use--or avoid--smart grid applications. The most recent version of the study includes in-depth, on-camera interviews with consumers.

Patty Durand, executive director, Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative, shares the results of a study that categorizes consumers in terms of how they use--or avoid--smart grid applications. The most recent version of the study includes in-depth, on-camera interviews with consumers.

Energy harvesting can power the many sensors that are associated with the Internet of Things, says Terry Pennisi, CEO and founder of Jennova in this podcast interview (click on the player above to listen). When there's energy available as the result of fans or motors running, this energy can be harvested to power things like sensors that send data to the Internet, he explains.

Energy harvesting can power the many sensors that are associated with the Internet of Things, says Terry Pennisi, CEO and founder of Jennova in this podcast interview (click on the player above to listen). When there's energy available as the result of fans or motors running, this energy can be harvested to power things like sensors that send data to the Internet, he explains.

Energy harvesting can power the many sensors that are associated with the Internet of Things, says Terry Pennisi, CEO and founder of Jennova in this podcast interview (click on the player above to listen). When there's energy available as the result of fans or motors running, this energy can be harvested to power things like sensors that send data to the Internet, he explains.

Energy harvesting can power the many sensors that are associated with the Internet of Things, says Terry Pennisi, CEO and founder of Jennova in this podcast interview (click on the player above to listen). When there's energy available as the result of fans or motors running, this energy can be harvested to power things like sensors that send data to the Internet, he explains.

Energy-harvesting sensors that are made of fabric and eliminate the need for batteries in some applications are the focus of this podcast interview with Keith McMillen, CEO and founder of BeBop Sensors. Listen by clicking on the player above.

Energy efficient motors can cut energy costs by 50% to 80% compared to older technologies. Even better, they can do that at the same cost as motors that use old-style technologies, says PJ Piper, president and CEO of QM Power in this podcast interview.

About 97 percent of the energy efficiency market is untapped due to the difficulty finding investors and other issues, says Dennis Quinn, COO of Joule Assets. And that’s a big market: nearly $279 billion in the US, he says. In this podcast, Quinn and Richard Jones, senior vice president of Hartford Steam Boiler explain how they’re going to help solve the problem by boosting investor confidence in projects. The two companies announced a portfolio-wide insurance product designed to meet the needs of small to medium-sized enterprises.

USGBC Colorado has seen a number of existing multi-family building owners invest in energy efficiency recently.“The new level of attention these leading multi-family buildings are paying to energy efficiency through their voluntary participation in the Denver City Energy Project (DCEP) points to a new trend that multi-family properties are establishing towards increased investment in energy efficiency,” said Patti Mason, Executive Director, USGBC Colorado. “This positive effort and investment will benefit Denver’s triple bottom line for decades to come."

Government energy efficiency mandates--especially those relating to appliances--are clunky and ineffective, says Ted Gayer, Brookings Institution vice president of economic studies. The costs outweigh the benefits, he says. It would make more economic sense to tax energy use or companies that produce pollution. Learn more about Gayer's views here: http://www.brookings.edu/research/testimony/2015/04/30-energy-efficiency-legislation-gayer

How are solar plus energy storage helping alleviate problems created by the drought in California? Neil Fromer, executive director, Resnick Institute of Sustainability at Caltech, explains the link between water availability and energy generation.

Which ethnic group invests most in energy efficiency? How to homeowners link solar and energy efficiency? Learn the answers to these questions by listening to this interview with Dave Treston, senior account planner at KSV, who give details about a recent energy efficiency study by KSV.

When we get a message from our cell phone provider that we're about to go over our limits, we generally cut back our calls. That's also true of consumers who opt for pre-pay energy, says Jamie Wimberly, CEO of Distributed Energy Financial Group, which has released a study showing that consumer like pre-pay energy and cut their energy use by up to 15% with it.

In 2013, Before California's initiative requiring utilities to install 1,325 MW of energy storage, the market was just in test phases. But now, the market has really heated up and energy storage competes with other sources of energy. Mike Hopkins, CEO of Ice Energy, gives his perspective on the state of the market in California--and the contracts his company has won.

In Ithaca, NY, Herbert Dwyer, president and CEO, ASI Energy, is developing the state's first "nodal microgrid," which is being built in phases. The project combines CHP with solar to provide heat and electricity. In this podcast, Dwyer explains the reasoning behind the "nodal" concept and its benefits.

Here's an interesting idea: creating a system that allows people to save energy, and then donate the amount saved to someone else who needs it! A new project, "Community First! Village" takes a step in that direction. Listen to our interview with Michele Negley, vice president, southern region, CLEAResult.

People Power's Presence Pro Energy Pilot Program--whose app was a Number One seller in the Apple store--has yielded 9% to 10% energy savings. The program first attracts participants with programs that allow them to monitor pets and relatives at home, then adds energy efficiency. Gene Wang, CEO of People Power, explains.

A project at Las Positas College in Livermore, funded by a $1.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission, will test the powers of energy storage and microgrids to integrate renewable energy sources, curb peak power and take a mission-critical circuit off-grid. Herve Mazzocco, vice president of solutions for Imergy Power Systems, describes the project.

Can California double the efficiency of existing buildings? Lauren Faber, west coast political director for the Environmental Defense Fund, describes California's new package of bills aimed at fighting climate change, including an effort to double the energy efficiency of existing buildings.

Building efficiency and energy storage are creating jobs in North Carolina, according to the 2014 North Carolina Clean Energy Industry Census, which showed about 25% annual job growth in clean energy overall since 2012, outpacing growth of other industries in the state. Ivan Urlaub, executive director of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, explains the gains in the energy efficiency industry revealed in the report.

With PG&E planning to offer solar as both a community solar and green power program, we asked what's the difference--and who would be interested in community solar instead of green power. Erica Schroeder McConnell, attorney for Interstate Renewable Energy Council, answers the question in this podcast.

This year's Super Bowl was the first Super Bowl played under LED lighting. What are the advantages to LED lighting in stadiums? What are the biggest energy users in sports stadiums, which generally consume huge amounts of electricity? What are the best ways to green them? Jim Fitzpatrick, business development manager for CLEAResult, answers these questions in this podcast.

With Obama's recent visit to India, and the country's big focus on boosting solar development, what are the opportunities for clean energy developers--including those involved in energy efficiency and microgrids? Anjali Jaiswal, director of NRDC's India Initiative, discusses the opportunities and barriers in India and explains why India is a great market for clean energy in general.

What are states that support energy efficiency doing that other states are not? And the states that don’t support energy efficiency–what are they doing wrong and why? Jeff Haydock, president and CEO of EcoCFO, a consulting firm, gives his point of view. He also explains what needs to be done to boost efficiency in general.

Utilities could be doing more with smart meter data in ways that help consumers cut their electricity use. In this podcast, Nat Treadway, Managing Partner, Distributed Energy Financial Group (DEFG), explains the problem and says that utilities could offer consumers daily energy use summaries, plus incentives for reducing their energy consumption.

A company made up of young entrepreneurs has sold more than 3 million solar-powered lamps and mobile phone chargers for off-grid users using unusual distribution strategies. Listen to the podcast with Jonas Ketterle, Imagineer at Greenlight Planet to learn how they did it.

How do you “credential” energy efficiency projects for investors and what are the benefits? Matt Golden, director of the Investor Confidence Project for the Environmental Defense Fund, answers these questions in this podcast, Part 2 of our interview with him about building investor confidence in energy efficiency.

The Investor Confidence Project provides energy efficiency standards that serve as the "logo in the lobby," building investor confidence in much the same way the LEED program standards and certification build confidence in projects, says Matt Golden, director of the Environmental Defense Fund's Investor Confidence Project in this podcast, which is Part One of Two Parts.

Demand is growing for service technicians who can repair solar modules, electric vehicle chargers, and other products in green industries. Rue Phillips, CEO of True South Renewables, describes a training program for these jobs, whose workers bring in $50,000 - $75,000 a year.

The future of energy is distributed energy, says Bill Watkins, CEO of Imergy Power. Solar, energy storage and microgrids will put power in consumers' control--where it should be, he says. Companies like Walmart should build microgrids and offer power to neighbors, he says in this podcast.

BC Hydro expects that in the near future, it will experience problems meeting the demand from consumers to charge their electric vehicles during peak hours. In a new project, the company has partnered with Greenlots to create standards that will allow for smart grid innovation and solutions to challenges like BC Hydro’s.

Interest in community solar is growing, but one of the main challenges is the red tape associated with getting projects up and running. Tom Hunt, director of research and government relations, Clean Energy Collective, talks about a new DOE-supported web platform that will help overcome this obstacle.

Which states are rolling back their energy efficiency programs? Which states are boosting them–and why? In this podcast, Jordan Doria, Manager of Stakeholder Engagement, Ingersoll Rand’s Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, gives predictions for efficiency in 2015.

There’s a booming market for off-grid energy that takes advantage of solar in urban areas, says Alex MeVay, president and CTO of Blue Sky Energy. Solar street lighting and solar parking meters are two examples. His company offers technology that improves by 10 to 30 percent the output of solar systems that use battery storage.

In a study of Opower’s new behavioral demand response program, the company found some surprising and exciting results. The program costs less than traditional demand response programs, and yields more–up to 5% peak reduction. Learn the three keys to unlocking DR’s full potential. Download the OPower white paper: http://clk.ml-links.com/clk?pub=634&pgr=1166&src=12993&ctg=667&tstamp=20141028T235917&ast=42350&cmp=13753&crv=0&pos=0&frm=1927&imp=6071841131331717263&yld=0

What’s a microgrid for a home? It’s a system that combines solar and energy storage in a home, and automatically determines when it’s best to use solar, battery storage, or other power sources. Bill Southworth, CEO of Elecyr, describes this system and the possible impact of California’s efforts to require net-zero homes by 2020.

Why is the CHP microgrid market ripe for growth? In this podcast, Chris Lyons, manager of power generation, Solar Turbines, names the factors that are driving growth in the market, including storms like Superstorm Sandy, gas prices, and regulatory issues.

The US Navy wants to show off its energy efficiency efforts--and solicit ideas for new ways to save energy. It's doing all that with a new app. Rear Admiral Kevin Slates, director of energy and environmental readiness, Chief of Naval Operations Staff, describes the app and the efficiency efforts.

Frozen water has been used in the past for commercial energy storage to reduce cooling loads. However, a new product from Ice Energy allows for residential energy storage, which provides many benefits in areas with high cooling loads. James White, owner of Ice Energy, explains the benefits of energy storage for residential customers.

How is NV Energy generating new electricity sales by promoting the use of EVs? And what economic benefits are the company’s customers reaping? In this podcast, Mike Salisbury, transportation program associate with Southwest Energy Efficiency Project describes what the company is doing right–and what’s needed from states to boost EV use.

In response to requests from smart grid companies and homeowners who want to save energy, the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association wants to make homeowner data available from utilities. Listen to the podcast with Betsy McCorkle, Director of Government Affairs, to learn how the organization is working to make this happen.

SWSX Eco, which takes place Oct. 6-8, provides opportunities for energy efficiency companies to gain exposure to investors, utilities, and others. Chris Sonnier, producer of SXSW Eco, discusses efficiency trends that will be addressed at the conference and describes opportunities, especially for software companies.

Craig Wilkins, chairman and founder of ViZn Energy Systems, which produces large-scale energy storage technology and just won an award from Frost & Sullivan, identifies the top challenges to bringing more energy storage online. He also discusses the top challenges for microgrid developers: integration and standardization.