Energy Saving News
October 2009
Canadian businesses recognised for energy-saving measures
Businesses in London, Ontario, are being encouraged to sign up for a new collaborative effort to reduce energy consumption and recognise good sustainable practice. Unveiled by the Mayor's Sustainable Energy Council, the EnergySaver Recognition Programme is designed to encourage and support energy conservation and efficiency in the Canadian city, LondonTopic reports. According ...
Friday 30th October 2009 | Read full article
Green IT 'must stay on the agenda'
The recession should not provide IT departments with an excuse to push energy-saving initiatives off the agenda, it has been claimed. According to silicon.com, green measures have been "dropping down the list of IT priorities" since the onset of the economic downturn, with a recent survey by the website finding that ...
Friday 30th October 2009 | Read full article
Cardiff's Senedd building receives energy rating upgrade
The Senedd building, home of the National Assembly for Wales, is now officially one of the most energy-efficient public structures in the UK. Situated in Cardiff Bay, the building recently had its Display Energy Certificate rating upgraded from a C to a B in recognition of its impressive green credentials. Energy-saving features ...
Friday 30th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy efficiency projects boost business in South Dakota
Various energy-saving projects undertaken in the US state of South Dakota could lead to more jobs being created in the area. That is the opinion of Matt McGovern, South Dakota's director for Repower America, who observed that for every $1 million invested in energy efficiency, 16 jobs are created, the Argus ...
Thursday 29th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-saving business conference to take place in Bahamas
Business leaders and energy experts will meet to discuss energy efficiency solutions for the private sector at an event in the Bahamas next month. Taking place at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort on November 12th and 13th, the Bahamas Energy Conference and Expo is set to feature speeches from government officials, ...
Thursday 29th October 2009 | Read full article
Green buildings 'make financial sense'
A growing number of businesses in Portland, Oregon, are recognising the financial benefits of energy-efficient buildings. This is according to a report from the Oregonian, which reveals that many firms looking to rent office space in the city are now seeking commercial premises with green building certification. One of Portland's most high-profile ...
Thursday 29th October 2009 | Read full article
Homebase switches off lights for energy-saving initiative
UK hardware chain Homebase has adopted a simple approach to saving energy - turning off store lights whenever the sun comes out. According to the Daily Telegraph, the firm's owner Home Retail Group launched the 'switch if off' campaign 12 months ago and is asking outlets to help reduce its carbon ...
Wednesday 28th October 2009 | Read full article
New Haven building commended for energy efficiency
The Long Wharf Maritime Center in New Haven, Connecticut, has received the Energy Star award for commercial buildings. According to a statement from New Haven mayor John DeStefano's office, the 15-storey structure is now rated in the top 15 per cent of buildings in the US in terms of energy efficiency. Recent ...
Wednesday 28th October 2009 | Read full article
Football stadium plans feature energy-saving commitment
Tottenham Hotspur have pledged to deliver a 40 per cent reduction in carbon emissions when the football club's new stadium is built in north London. A planning application for the 56,000-capacity arena was submitted to Haringey Council this week, with the stadium forming the centrepiece of a scheme known as the ...
Wednesday 28th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-efficiency funding granted in South Carolina
The city of Charleston in South Carolina is set to roll out a series of energy-saving measures after being awarded $1.1 million (£673,164) in federal stimulus funding. According to the Post and Courier, some of the money will be used to set up a new organisation known as the Charleston Energy ...
Tuesday 27th October 2009 | Read full article
San Diego building 'set standard for energy efficiency'
Ongoing attempts to make commercial structures in San Diego, California, more energy efficient are inspired by the pioneering efforts of the city's Ridgehaven Building. This is according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, which describes the three-storey, 73,000 sq ft office building as "a showcase for energy efficiency". In 1999, the Ridgehaven Building ...
Monday 26th October 2009 | Read full article
Government departments receive £20m to cut emissions
The UK government will invest £20 million in reducing the carbon emissions and energy bills of its central departments, it has emerged. Energy and climate change minister Joan Ruddock said that the money will be used to help government departments make financial savings, as well becoming more environmentally friendly. The £20 million ...
Monday 26th October 2009 | Read full article
Petrol station 'making a difference' with green measures
The owner of a filling station in Illinois has revealed how a new energy-saving project is cutting his utility bills and reducing his carbon footprint. David Welch told the Chicago Tribune that his electricity and water bills have fallen by about 20 per cent since he rolled out a number of ...
Friday 23rd October 2009 | Read full article
Frito-Lay building recognised for energy-saving achievements
Snack food company Frito-Lay has been commended by the US Green Building Council for the energy-saving performance of its headquarters in Texas. The building received a Gold certificate under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) scheme, which recognises high standards in green design and construction. Frito-Lay, which is a division ...
Friday 23rd October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-efficiency is the key, says retrofitter
Simple energy-efficiency measures are sometimes ignored in favour of high-profile renewable power sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, it has been claimed. Stephen Freskos, a contractor currently working on an energy-saving retrofit project at San Jose State University, told the Spartan Daily that reducing energy consumption can often be ...
Thursday 22nd October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-efficiency project helps 'green' grocers save money
A new energy-saving initiative is enabling grocery stores in the state of Wisconsin to boost their earnings. According to the Journal Sentinel, the Green Grocer Program is a voluntary certification scheme devised by Better Environmental Solutions and a local utility company. To encourage businesses to adopt a greener approach, the project gives ...
Wednesday 21st October 2009 | Read full article
UK councils make switch to energy-saving lighting
Local authorities in the West Midlands region of the UK are reducing their energy use by embracing new technology, it has emerged. The Express & Star reports that councils in Wolverhampton and Dudley have opted to set a green example by replacing outmoded street lights with energy-saving alternatives. In Wolverhampton, 10,000 street ...
Wednesday 21st October 2009 | Read full article
British pub owners receive energy-saving advice
Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises (S&NPE) has urged its members to cut expenditure with the use of green lighting solutions. The public house operator, which runs over 2,000 licensed premises in partnership with business individuals throughout the UK, said that pubs currently waste between £1,500 and £5,000 a year due to ...
Tuesday 20th October 2009 | Read full article
Florida office puts energy-saving technology on display
An engineering consultancy based in Tallahassee, Florida, has turned its headquarters into a showcase for the latest energy-saving innovations. The H2Engineering office building is the first structure in the area to be awarded Gold status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) scheme, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Following a $1.62 ...
Monday 19th October 2009 | Read full article
ICT 'can make businesses more energy efficient'
Businesses should view information and communications technology (ICT) as a vital tool in the energy efficiency process. This is according to Clark MacFarlane, managing director of Siemens IT Solutions and Services, who told the Daily Telegraph that ICT has the potential to make a major impact on energy-saving projects in the ...
Monday 19th October 2009 | Read full article
IT firm saves money with energy-saving measures
The owner of a small IT consulting firm based in Maryland has revealed how a simple energy-saving initiative helped him to trim overhead costs and avoid making redundancies. Steve Kolbe, president and founder of Analysys, told the Wall Street Journal that installing energy-saving equipment to the company's central IT system has ...
Friday 16th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy efficiency movement 'growing in the US'
Energy efficiency is growing in stature as a method of cutting carbon emissions in the US, although some states are still lagging behind when it comes to saving power. This is according to the environmental news service Grist, which claims that there is still a "wide variation in energy efficiency among ...
Friday 16th October 2009 | Read full article
Michigan businesses continue with energy-saving plan
A group of firms based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, have entered the second year of an energy-saving initiative designed to cut business costs. Overseen by Ann Arbor's Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the programme involves about 50 local businesses which together account for approximately 560,000 sq ft of office space in the ...
Thursday 15th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-efficient lighting installed in Connecticut health centres
Two University of Connecticut health centres will use stimulus funding to install energy-saving lighting systems, it has been announced. According to state governor M Jodi Rell, $420,000 (£259,252) will be spent on replacing outmoded light fixtures in the buildings at Farmington and West Hartford with energy-efficient fixtures and occupancy sensors. She unveiled ...
Thursday 15th October 2009 | Read full article
US schools save money with energy-efficiency measures
A school district in Minnesota has reduced its energy use by approximately 12 per cent in just under a year after placing a renewed focus on energy efficiency. Mounds View Public Schools cut $397,209 (£248,561) off its utility bills between July 2008 and June 2009 by working in partnership with the ...
Wednesday 14th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-saving plans unveiled in Colorado
A Colorado city plans to carry out energy audits with a view to retrofitting 1,300 of its older commercial buildings. Using a structure known as the Learning Source building as a model for the project, policymakers in Lakewood hope to slash energy consumption, reduce bills and create new jobs for the ...
Wednesday 14th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-efficient buildings on the way in New Delhi
The government of New Delhi has released details of a new plan to increase the energy-saving performance of large buildings in the Indian capital. An agreement between the local authority and research organisation The Energy and Resources Institute, which is based in the city, will aim to make 100 properties greener ...
Tuesday 13th October 2009 | Read full article
California university aims to cut costs with energy-saving measures
Three projects aimed at reducing costs through innovative energy-saving measures are now underway at San Diego State University (SDSU). According to the Daily Aztec, the university's Aztec Recreation Center (ARC) expects to save approximately $50,000 (£31,792) a year following the installation of energy-saving light fixtures. The California institution's official newspaper also reveals ...
Tuesday 13th October 2009 | Read full article
IT sector gets energy-efficiency targets in Europe
Plans for Europe's information and communications technology (ICT) industry to become more energy efficient have been unveiled by the European Commission. The commission wants the ICT sector to become 20 per cent more energy efficient by 2015 and has recommended that ambitious targets for energy-saving are implemented by 2011. According to official ...
Monday 12th October 2009 | Read full article
EU reveals energy-saving building target
The European Commission has stated that energy efficiency improvements made to buildings will "pay for themselves in energy savings". A report from the commission also emphasises the business benefits of energy management in construction and maintenance, claiming that energy-saving measures "make our industry more competitive and our citizens richer". European Union policymakers ...
Monday 12th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-saving bulbs to be distributed in Bangladesh
A pilot project to promote energy saving in homes and offices is set to be launched in Dhaka next year. Residents of the Bangladeshi capital will be encouraged to swap their traditional incandescent bulbs and magnetic ballasts for energy-saving alternatives, Bangladesh newspaper the Daily Star reports. According to the publication, the local ...
Monday 12th October 2009 | Read full article
Hamburg traffic tunnel gets energy-efficient lighting
A new energy-saving lighting system has been installed to regulate traffic flow in Hamburg's Elb-Tunnel. Used to guide vehicles passing through the tunnel into the correct lanes, the system was developed by California-based firm Echelon and harnesses the latest LED technology to reduce energy consumption. According to electric.co.uk, the lighting apparatus should ...
Friday 9th October 2009 | Read full article
Obama wants government to set energy-saving example
Barack Obama wants the US federal government to lead the way on climate change policy by setting new targets for energy efficiency, waste reduction and recycling. Speaking in Washington DC earlier this week, the US president announced that federal agencies would have 90 days to define their targets for cutting greenhouse ...
Friday 9th October 2009 | Read full article
US military bases recognised for energy efficiency
Three US Air Force bases received Department of Energy awards for implementing effective energy-saving measures this week. Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and the Kadena Air Base in Japan were all given the Federal Energy and Water Management Award for achieving major savings in ...
Thursday 8th October 2009 | Read full article
Buildings provide energy-saving opportunities, says real estate expert
A property expert has explained how construction presents major opportunities for the adoption of energy-saving measures. Dan Probst, chairman of energy and sustainability services at real estate specialist Jones Lang LaSalle, said that making certain changes to building structures can lead to significant reductions in energy use. However, he also noted that ...
Thursday 8th October 2009 | Read full article
Street light plan shows energy-saving potential
A town council in north-west England is aiming to show how old-fashioned light fittings can be updated to achieve higher standards of energy efficiency. Bolton Council plans to reduce its energy consumption and save up to £60,000 a year by upgrading the 36,000 street lights in the area. The local authority will ...
Wednesday 7th October 2009 | Read full article
UK government launches energy-efficiency scheme
A major new campaign to encourage large businesses to reduce their carbon emissions was unveiled by the UK government today (October 7th). Starting in April 2010, the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) will target organisations whose annual half-hourly metered electricity use is at least 6,000 megawatt hours. Businesses taking part ...
Wednesday 7th October 2009 | Read full article
Philadelphia bank launches energy-saving lighting initiative
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is aiming to cut its annual lighting bill by $200,000 (£125,420) with an energy-efficient lighting project. With 13,500 light fixtures spread across nine storeys and 800,000 square feet of office space, the building is installing a "daylight management" system that can measure the amount of ...
Tuesday 6th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-saving measures on the agenda at Harvard
The oldest university in the US is attempting to set an example to the rest of the Ivy League with its energy-saving performance. Harvard's Office for Sustainability (OFS) has created a certification system which rates campus buildings according to their use of energy-saving and recycling measures, the Harvard Gazette reports. As the ...
Monday 5th October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-saving initiatives 'help economy to grow'
The deployment of energy-efficiency programmes encourages economic growth, supports new businesses and creates new jobs, as well as helping the environment, a report has stated. Environment Northeast, a non-profit organisation carrying out research into green energy solutions in north-eastern America and eastern Canada, recently published a study into the potential impact ...
Friday 2nd October 2009 | Read full article
Energy-saving IT solutions 'more important than ever'
An increasing number of businesses are focusing their energy-saving efforts on their IT systems, according to an industry expert. Writing for the green technology and business website Greenbang, Jim Hearnden explained that the powering and cooling of computer systems is likely to be the main consumer of energy for office-based companies ...
Friday 2nd October 2009 | Read full article
South Korean city project to embrace energy-saving technology
New Songdo City, the "global business hub" currently being constructed near Incheon in South Korea, will make use of the latest technology to ensure high standards of energy efficiency. Properties in the city are set to be equipped with touchscreen monitors enabling residents to see exactly how much energy they are ...
Thursday 1st October 2009 | Read full article
Scottish politician calls for energy-saving initiatives
Iain Smith, a Liberal Democrat politician in Scotland, has urged the nation's policymakers to place a greater emphasis on energy efficiency. The member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) said that government spending on energy-saving initiatives should be increased by £100 million a year to meet growing financial and environmental challenges. According to the ...
Thursday 1st October 2009 | Read full article
