Would You Kill-A-Watt to Save A Lot?

This year the VIEW, Valley Innovative Energy Watch, is launching its first ever Kill-A-Watt Krackdown energy challenge. Do not let the name scare you away from taking the challenge. This challenge will help you to better understand energy efficiency as well as help your pocket book.

If you or your business are interested in joining this energy challenge please contact us at the VIEW Partnership. 

Oahu...That's A lot of Renewables!

Oahu and the Hawaiian islands are true paradise with lush green hills for miles upon miles. But, during my latest trip to the island of Oahu I noticed something dramatically different creeping up through those lush hills. Can you spot it?

No don't try to look for Waldo, but a wind turbine! Sure, I have read all of the articles on the renewable energy being used/produced on the island, but not until I was able to witness it firsthand did it really sink in. Oahu has a lot of renewable energy! It was hard not to miss the towering white pillars coming out of the green tropical landscape and how every apartment or home had at least one solar panel. As I sat in the rented Jeep Wrangler, yes we had to ride in island style I couldn't help to think...can the island’s small population really get the benefits of the energy produced?

The Hawaiian islands have a perfect storm of great weather and high utility rates for renewables. The island of Oahu alone has roughly 12% of customers with rooftop solar whereas a normal US City has roughly 0.5%.[ii] That number alone is pretty staggering. How can such a small island have so much solar? Well when solar became main stream in Hawaii residents enthusiastically jumped on board. They jumped on board at an alarming rate to the utilities to where HECO, Hawaii Electric Light Company, had to start limiting the permits for solar. The utility is now hoping to come out with a new set of credits that would be more complete. The current net-metering tariff system would be replaced by credits that would be half as much as current rates.

An article from GreenTech Media stated that the Hawaiian Islands are actually facing a very tough debacle when it comes to renewable's. HECO completed a study that showed midday solar is exceeding demand and then drops off leaving them with a steep ramp up in demand once families return home for the evening. That in turn creates what is referred to as a "Nessie curve", pictured to the right.[i] With the electrical grid becoming overwhelmed it in turn can create grid instability.

Don’t get me wrong I think renewable are a great thing for the US, but they also come with a cautionary tale. As the Hawaiian islands continue to battle the renewable debacle the rest of the US will be watching to learn from their practices.

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[i] “Charting Hawaii’s Spectacular Solar Growth”, Jan., 29, 2015, http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Charting-Hawaiis-Spectacular-Solar-Growth

[ii] EIA: Wind, Solar Seen As Attractive Alternatives For Hawaii”, Jan., 28, 2015, http://www.nawindpower.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.13883

Driving Bans in a Car-Dependent World

Last October, photos and reports from Beijing surfaced, showing dense smog covering much of the City. People couldn't see across the street, let alone down a city block. While the photos and reports were disturbing, they were not shocking to many of us. Maybe if the reports came from a city like Paris, we would be more appalled, right? Well, raise your eyebrows and say “Whaaat??” because, that’s right, Paris had a spike in Air Quality Index (AQI) levels and, in late March, was 20 points higher than Beijing’s! To give you an idea about what this means: a good AQI is under 50 and Paris’s AQI reached 185. Yeah. 185. 

Yikes! Paris isn't so pretty this way.
Photo Source: The New York Times

In an attempt to mitigate this, a partial driving ban was imposed for the first time in two decades. What is a partial driving ban, you ask? Well some vehicles, like those carrying three or more people and electric and hybrid cars were not fined or stopped. Hundreds of police officers were authorized to stop and fine vehicles that did not fit those criteria.

The day this article was published, the police were only fining those with even-numbered license plates, but this must have changed day-to-day to persuade people to not drive. Other incentives to not drive around Paris were the reduction of the speed limit to only 20kph (or 12mph) and free public transportation. The city lost over $5.5 Million in transportation revenue each day there is no fee for public transit, but there would have been far bigger costs down the line if the City did not take this action.

Photo Source: The New York Times

The ban ended at midnight Monday, March 17, 2014, as did the free public transportation. It is important to note, however, that the free public transportation probably saved those who need to commute farther than one can walk or bike in a decent amount of time. A partial driving ban in Paris was possible because the public transportation system could handle that – financially, not for an extended time period, but in capacity and density of stations around the City, yes. Free public transportation is an extra incentive, but access to public transportation is always available in this City.

So think about the San Joaquin Valley for a moment. We generally don’t have AQI levels above 100, but they can get close. What if we had a spike like Paris, or we constantly had AQIs above 150 like Beijing? How would we handle a (partial) driving ban??

The good news is that the SJVCEO and other community partners are developing and expanding the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle (ARFV) Technology industry here in the Valley with the Workforce Investment Board Regional Industry Clusters of Opportunity (WIB RICO II) grant from the Energy Commission. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District also has some funding for carpooling services, but how many people will actually take advantage? I hope the answer is all that are eligible. We have such great opportunity here in the Valley. Why not take advantage of it?

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

For those of you who know who Joseph Oldham is you likely are on his email distribution list and receive this update each week.  We are grateful that Joseph has agreed to allow our little blog to re-post his weekly update.  If you have an interest in the happenings of energy efficiency and local government throughout California this is the update for you! If you love the information here, but want more in depth features be sure to check out Joseph's quarterly newsletter, CURRENTS.  


1.     Notice to Request Comments and Public Webinar on HVAC Permit and Code Compliance Market Assessment Draft Research Plan

California Public Utilities Commission staff is seeking comments on the HVAC Permit and Code Compliance Market Assessment draft research plan by Wednesday, February 11 at 5pm.

To help inform comments Commission staff and its consultant DNV-GL will be hosting a webinar to present the draft plan and address questions on February 2nd between 2 and 3:30pm. 

Click here to view the document


How to file comments

The draft plan may be downloaded from  http://www.energydataweb.com/cpuc/ . Select the search tab and then select Portfolio Cycle 2013-2014 and search text ‘HVAC6’ (no quotes). Click the search button and you will see the files for downloading.

Comments should be uploaded to the website by clicking “comment” on the plan by 5pm on February 11, 2015. In order to post comments, you will need to register on the site with an id and password.

Details of the webinar

When: February 2^nd, 2-330 pm.

You are invited to a meeting using Unified Meeting 5. This webinar will be recorded.

To join the meeting, click here:

https://my.intercall.com/5103883996

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Not on the web? Call in on your phone:

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Toll Free: (877) 715-1531

Standard International Dial-In: (706) 679-1947

Conference Code: 5103883996 #

If you are the moderator, enter the Leader PIN.

Tap to join audio on your mobile device:

Mobile

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Are you presenting or using computer audio? Install the desktop client:

https://meet.lobby.mc.iconf.net/gcc/install.do?room=o4k1o9

View international call-in numbers:

https://www.intercallonline.com/portlets/scheduling/viewNumbers/listNumbersByCode.do?confCode=5103883996

Contact Customer Support:

http://www.intercall.com/go

 If you have any questions, please contact Paula Gruendling at paula.gruendling@cpuc.ca.gov or Amber Watkins at amber.watkins@dnvgl.com.

2.     Australia’s Building Industry Gets Dismal Review

In case you are feeling alone in your struggles to sell energy efficiency in your community, check out this report on Australia.  The article is interesting, but the full report is really where the value is.  Well worth the time to read.  http://www.energymanagertoday.com/australias-building-industry-gets-dismal-review-0108503/

 3.   Buildings Represent 40% of US Total Energy Use

This is a short article with good facts on how buildings stack up in terms of national energy use.  Good reminder of how important our work in energy efficiency really is. http://www.energymanagertoday.com/buildings-represent-40-us-total-energy-use-0108331/

That is all for this week!    

Stay Up to Date with SJVCEO: January Update

First off, happy 2015 to all of our partners and followers! The SJVCEO team is excited to see what the new year brings for our organization.

Our project analysts that work with the VIEW Partnership have been working away on ACCESS VIEW! which is previewed in the picture to the right. This project will be the VIEW Partnerships main database for partner energy usage information. City/County partners will be able to log in and access all city energy usage information in real time thanks to SEED (Standard Energy Efficiency Data Platform). This database will help city/county partners to see where their energy is being used and where there is room to improve.View is also looking into incorporating building energy codes for future energy projects. ACCESS VIEW! will be making its debut at the VIEW partnerships monthly partners meeting in February. We all cannot wait to see the finished product! Our project analysts have also been working very hard on data exchange hiccups within ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for our partnering jurisdictions. The Partnership works hard to ensure that we have comprehensive data to better assist our partners in their pursuit of energy efficiency.

The Partnership is also marching ahead when it comes to marketing and outreach. We are out in the communities that we partner with to promote our Kill-A-Watt Krackdown. The Krackdown is a fun and friendly competition designed to save businesses on their operating costs. We are challenging small and medium sized commercial businesses to make measurable and lasting changes in the way they consume energy and improve their operating costs. We hope to have great participation in this energy challenge and crown more energy leaders in our community.If you or your business may be interested click here for more information.

Our project analyst that works with Pacific Gas and Electric on our MUNI grant has been off to a great start in the beginning of 2015 and is a quote on quote benchmarking fool! We are only a few buildings away from completing benchmarking for the City of Reedley and the City of San Joaquin. Once those are completed we will be able to sit down with each City and let them know how their buildings are doing.Our analyst will also be meeting with the City of Fowler and the City of Kingsburg to go over a few building characteristics before going into benchmarking. One fun tidbit that we have learned while going through the benchmarking process is some benchmarking efforts require an understanding of the Public Land Survey System, a method of locating property often used by real estate professionals and land surveyors! Fun fact: SJVCEO's office is located at S15 T13S R20E!

Stay tuned for next months update!

What Innovations Are in the Future of the Car Market?

We have all heard the cheers or jeers over electric and fuel cell vehicles that debut at auto shows around the world, but at this year’s Detroit Auto Show we were able to find more cheers than jeers. This year’s show took on more of a “green” exterior and appeased the environmentalist in all of us.

Many debuts for 2015 were cars that took last year’s model or idea to the next level of conservation. Makers ranging from Hyundai to Mercedes featured electric vehicles. Then makers such as Honda showcased a fuel cell vehicle. Trust me I am not one to complain so you will only hear cheers coming from this direction when I cover some of the top cars.

Charging towards the Future

Chevy was one of the first to shock the onlookers with its Chevrolet Bolt. The Bolt will hit a price point of $30,000 and have a range of 200 miles. Chevy is looking to compete with the Nissan Leaf, since both are in the same price range but the Bolt comes with a larger range. This electric car will truly challenge Tesla Motors on becoming the first to make electric vehicles mainstream.[i] Most gas powered cars get 300 miles to a tank, while electric vehicles get around 100 miles before a charge.[ii] The Chevrolet Bolt makes the consumer happy with a range of 200 miles to a charge. Look for the Bolt to hit your nearest dealership in 2017.

Now we move to a luxury EV, the Mercedes Benz- C350 plug-in hybrid. Many might think that this C350 doesn't carry the same firepower that a normal C350 might, but they would be wrong. This EV is a 208-horsepower four cylinder turbocharged machine that can reach up to 130 miles per hour. [iii] Though this machine is fast it can also get 19 miles on an electric charge. One other item to note regarding this hybrid is the battery can be charged in under two hours using a regular 240-volt outlet.[iv]

Where the Hydrogen Meets the Highway

In 2014 we saw Toyota come out with its first fuel cell vehicle. Now we are seeing almost every major car manufacturer joining the FCV game in 2015. Honda was one of those car manufacturers who joined the game this year. The company debuted a five passenger hydrogen powered car that expands upon their first try at an FCV the Honda Clarity. This sedan has a driving range of 300 miles and can refuel in about 5 minutes. Since many might ask why would I buy an FCV when there aren’t any charging stations near me? Well that may be changing within the State of California. Honda has partnered with FirstElement Fuel to build additional hydrogen fueling stations.[v] And believe it or not California has the most hydrogen fueling stations than any other region in the world. [vi]

Hopefully you are as excited as I am when it comes to the new developments in the auto industry that will help to better our environment. I know I would truly appreciate cleaner air after living in the Central Valley for the past 24 years. And if you are from the Central Valley you know what I may be referring to…smog.

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[i] “Chevy Could Beat Tesla to Building the First Mainstream Electric Car”, Jan., 14, 2015, http://www.wired.com/2015/01/chevrolet-bolt-ev/

[ii] “ Chevrolet unveils $30k Bolt electric car with a 200-mile range!”, Jan., 14, 2015, http://inhabitat.com/chevrolet-unveils-30k-bolt-electric-car-with-a-200-mile-range-photos/

[iii] “Mercedes-Benz C350 Plug-In Hybrid promises 20 miles EV range, 5.9 seconds to 60”, Jan. 14, 2015, http://www.autoblog.com/2015/01/12/mercedes-benz-c350-plug-in-hybrid-detroit-2015/

[iv] “Mercedes-Benz C 350 Plug-in Hybrid debuts at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show”, Jan., 14, 2015, http://inhabitat.com/mercedes-benz-c-350-plug-in-hybrid-debuts-at-the-2015-detroit-auto-show/

[v] Honda FCV fuel-cell concept makes its U.S. debut at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show”, Jan., 16, 2015, http://inhabitat.com/honda-fcv-fuel-cell-concept-makes-its-u-s-debut-at-the-2015-detroit-auto-show/

[vi] Driving for the Future”, Jan., 16, 2015, http://www.fuelcellpartnership.org/toolkits/stations

A Step in the Right Direction: High Speed Rail in the Central Valley

The central valley is certainly starting off the New Year on the right foot. Along with working towards minimizing the use of grocery store plastic bags, Fresno has broken ground on the Nation’s first high speed train. In the words of Kool & the Gang this is “a celebration to last throughout the years”. 

As an avid traveler to the North and South, this is the greatest step for California since the introduction of Windows 95. Metropolitan communities have always been of interest to me so to be able to leave work and then being able to spend the evening in the city highly appeals to me.

Per the Associated Press, California’s first step in the right direction started in 2008 when it approved the bond; furthermore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency supports this endeavor:

Gina McCarthy, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said the all-electric trains, running on renewable energy, will take cars off highways and provide an effective alternative to flying on jet fuel, which pumps far more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. "High speed rail is good for our health, it is good for our climate and it is good for our economy,"

First off, renewable energy? This is the stuff the nation, more specifically, California’s 38 million residents really need. The EPA hit it right on the button. The list of benefits from this keeps growing every day. Lesser cars on the road mean lesser emissions, lesser car accidents and even lesser speeding tickets (now that’s a great day for everyone). California’s economy will get a boost from taxpayers using their dollars for high speed rail transportation -- in oppose to gas -- as well as job creation from rail operations. Breaking ground on high speed rail is so positive; it’s almost as if California cannot not choose to do this.

If we were to discuss relatable benefits of high speed rail, let’s think about how fast it would take to get to Los Angeles or San Francisco. According to the New York Times high speed rail “promises to combat global warming while whisking travelers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in less than three hours.” Currently, if you were driving from Fresno, three hours gets you to either San Francisco or parts of Los Angeles. So imagine taking high speed rail from Fresno to San Francisco (or Los Angeles) and how fast that would be. I absolutely believe that the train would become a daily commuter for a lot of Central Valley residents who yearn for opportunities only available in the metropolitan communities.

So California, I give you 2 thumbs. I support you all the way. 

Just one piece of advice: Don’t desert this project. We started this. We need to finish it.

“California Breaks Ground on Bullet Train as Climate,” New York Times, accessed January 16, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/06/us/ap-us-california-high-speed-rail.html

“California to Begin Work on Nation's First Bullet Train”, New York Times, accessed January 16, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/06/us/ap-us-travel-california-high-speed-rail.html

Image: http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/01/california-high-speed-rail-breaks-ground.jpg

Switch to LED lights, or buy an additional 77 Toyota Corollas every year?

77 Toyota Corollas. Valued at $1.3 million.

Replace 200 streetlights. $10,000 in energy saved per year.

Both achieve the same result.

Sometimes, energy efficiency makes A LOT of sense, like when you see a movie theater full of incandescent light bulbs. But there are also instances where even with such projects with big savings, getting management to agree to a project can be difficult, or nearly impossible.

Take a grocery store for example. Some have marketing expenses, loss leaders, and spoilage issues. Most grocery stores have a low profit margin, around 2%. That means grocery stores don’t take a big cut of the profit,

Equivalent Revenue = Energy Savings / Profit Margin

So let’s say that an LED lighting project, which will not only reduce energy consumption by $10,000 a year, but also make produce look more appetizing, is up for discussion.

$500,000 = $10,000 / 2%

So which is it?  A grocer could create a marketing campaign designed to attract an additional half a million in sales in a year or spend say $10,000 to get the same effect.  Which one is easier?  Which one is more guaranteed to bring in revenue?

Because I work mainly with local governments, let’s use the same formula for cities.  Surprisingly enough, local governments have the lowest profit margin of all, with revenues originating from sales tax and property tax.  Let’s take your typical Fresno County city for example.

How much money do people have to spend for a city to receive one dollar?

• $1.00 to a typical Fresno County city (0.75%).
• $0.13 to the County Zoo Authority (0.10%).
• $0.67 to the Fresno County Transportation Authority (0.50%).
• $0.17 to Fresno County Public Libraries (0.125%).
• $0.33 to County Transportation Funds (0.25%).
• $1.42 to the Local Revenue Fund 2011 (1.0625%).
• $0.67 to the Local Revenue Fund (for Health and Social Service programs) (0.50%).
• $0.33 to the State’s Education Protection Account (0.25%).
• $0.67 to the Local Public Safety Fund (0.50%).
• $0.33 to the State Fiscal Recovery Fund (0.25%).
• $0.33 to the State General Fund (0.25%).
• $4.92 to the State General Fund (3.6875%).

Source: California State Board of Equalization. Breakdown of Sales Taxes.  District Taxes.

All in total, that’s $10.97 in taxes generated, of which the city receives $1.00.  That also means, that if we divide $10.97 by the sales tax rate, 8.225%, we’ll come up with the amount of $133.33.

$133.33 spent for the city to collect just one dollar, or a profit margin of 0.75%.  That’s not a whole lot, so effective spending is essential.  Which leads us (of course) to energy efficiency!

If this city was able to save $10,000 per year on energy, that’s equivalent to an additional $1.3 million being spent in the city.   How else could a city encourage its residents to spend an additional $1.3 million?  Pay-to-sit park benches?

Or how about getting people to buy this whole lot of cars?

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

For those of you who know who Joseph Oldham is you likely are on his email distribution list and receive this update each week.  We are grateful that Joseph has agreed to allow our little blog to re-post his weekly update.  If you have an interest in the happenings of energy efficiency and local government throughout California this is the update for you! If you love the information here, but want more in depth features be sure to check out Joseph's quarterly newsletter, CURRENTS.  

1. ATTENTION!!  R.13-11-005 Commissioner/ALJ Joint Ruling

Parties interested in the 10 year rolling portfolio cycle proceeding at the CPUC should open this link and read the joint ruling!

Commissioner Peterman and Administrative Law Judge Edmister’s Joint Ruling Re Phase II Prehearing Conference Statements.  The full text of this ruling is made available through the link provided below.  The ruling was issued on January 13, 2015.

http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/SearchRes.aspx?docformat=ALL&docid=143990012

In the event of problems with the e-mail or the internet link, please contact Elizabeth Kiss at ek4@cpuc.ca.gov, telephone #(415) 703-2547.

2. Job Announcement: Intermittent Energy Council Program Manager

The Energy Council is hiring an intermittent Program Manager to support the implementation of current programs and development of new funding proposals. This position will work on externally funded projects, including the existing regional multifamily program, innovative financing, and pilot programs in Alameda County. Priority areas for additional funding include water-energy nexus, municipal building operations, and integrated services for small and medium sized businesses.

http://www.stopwaste.org/about/about-stopwaste/jobs/hourly-intermittent-energy-council-program-manager-i

Applications are due on Monday, February 9 at 5 pm. Please forward to anyone you think may be interested!

3.   Smart Building Predictions for 2015

Good article and worth reading.  Discussion of micro-grids is especially interesting.  http://www.energymanagertoday.com/smart-building-predictions-2015-0107977/

4. Quantity Quotes Green Purchasing Tool

Here is a new tool from StopWaste to help purchase energy and water saving equipment more efficiently.  Please contact Stephanie with any questions or feedback.  The description of the tool is as follows:

Quantity Quotes (www.QuantityQuotes.net), an online purchasing tool that makes it easy for organizations around the nation to buy green and resource-efficient products, has expanded its offerings with five new product categories.   Available as a free service, Quantity Quotes offers a one-stop shopping experience to large-quantity buyers – such as utilities, governments, affordable and multifamily housing providers, colleges and universities. Through the site, buyers select the products they want to purchase, then receive competitive bids from multiple vendors.

All products offered on the Quantity Quotes site must meet environmental and energy efficiency criteria, such as ENERGY STAR and WaterSense standards, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Products include:

·         CFL and LED bulbs (new!)

·         Water-efficient toilets, showerheads, and faucets (new!)

·         Water-efficient commercial pre-rinse spray valves (new!)

·         Energy-efficient light fixtures

·         Dehumidifiers

·         Dishwashers and refrigerators

·         Clothes washers

·         Room air conditioners

·         Recycled- content insulation (new!)

Stephanie Stern

Program Manager | StopWaste

1537 Webster St. | Oakland, CA  94612

p: (510) 891-6500 | f: (510) 893-2308

www.StopWaste.org

5.  How to Measure Energy Efficiency Improvements

Those interested in data and measurement of energy savings should find this article interesting and worth reading. http://www.energymanagertoday.com/measure-energy-efficiency-improvements-0108131/

6. Energy Saving Tactics for Restaurants

For Local Government Partnerships that work with restaurants within their communities to help them reduce their energy use, this article is worth reading.  http://www.energymanagertoday.com/energy-saving-tactics-restaurants-0108166/

That is all for this week!    

Water Efficiency and Energy Efficiency in the Central Valley

November of 2014 was Election Day and while this was not a presidential election, there were plenty of issues to vote on and of course, an energy efficiency initiative was on the ballot. For example, we have the water bond, which passed with 66.8% of voters in favor. California has been in a serious drought that's so severe that there were reports earlier this year that East Porterville that water needed to be rationed. Residence only received a 3 week supply of water per person. So it would be more than expected that there be a water reform issue on the ballot. This brings us to Proposition 1 which would improve water infrastructure in California, including watershed protection.

What does the water bond and water itself have to do with energy efficiency? Due to the severity of the drought, more water has to be pumped from underground sources to provide for farmers, businesses and residences. Theses pumps cannot function without electricity and since Fresno has not seen decent rain in what seems like forever, the pumps are working harder and using more energy. Of course this means more taxpayer dollars being spent to pay for the energy used so water can be accessed. Along with working harder for water, the infrastructure of water is, according to the San Francisco Examiner, over 100 years old. So saying that there are leaking pipes across the state of California would be more of a fact than a theory. Currently energy efficiency is not waters strongest suite.

Why should anyone care? Right next to electricity and probably smartphones, mankind is extremely dependent on water; furthermore, if all aspects of clean energy (water, solar, biomass, and wind) were utilized to the fullest of their extent, water could not play a significant role in reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. With apparent climate change developing across the U.S., we would need complete access to clean energy resources to maintain our way of living. What’s equally important is the Central Valley, one of the nation’s largest produce providers must irrigate to grow crops for consumption and this past year was one of the worst droughts California has experienced which left farmers in a difficult spot.

What can we do?

We have already passed Proposition 1 which is a great step. But everyone from your local government to your preschool can help conserve water. Visalia took a step by only allowing 12 watering days a year and the City of Fresno has already mandated that from December 1^st thru March 1^st, there is no outdoor watering as well as no watering between 6AM and 7PM. However, I think for California to truly conserve water, not only would mandates need to come down on a statewide level but homeowners/renters can do their part and have a critical impact on our water supply. For example, I recently learned how much a waste of water and energy bottled water is – apparently more expensive than gas per gallon. You can visit Treehugger to see what ways you can conserve water and energy.

.   .   .Fingers crossed that passing the water bond will have a positive impact on water supply.