Energy
Market News
March 2008
NATIONAL ENERGY MARKET NEWS…
1. Green Is the Theme at the IBS Show - The International Builders’ Show
is shaping up to be heavy on the “green,” with numerous references to the hot
eco-friendly market segment. The National Association of Home Builders heavily
promoted its new National Green Building Program, launched officially on Feb.
14 in what the group designated as “Green Day” at IBS. The program is meant to
link several state and local green building programs with a universal online
certification tool, national registry of green homes and green builders, and a
collection of educational tools for home builders and home buyers, according to
the NAHB. The show also included the NAHB “New American Home,” which this year
featured an Energy Star-rated and certified green home, following standards
designated by the Florida Green Building Coalition, as well as the
aforementioned National Green Building Program standards. 02/15 HCN
2. Wal-Mart Masters Energy Markets - Wal-Mart has embarked on a full scale
global sustainability initiative. Our environmental goals are simple and straightforward: to be
supplied 100 percent by renewable energy; to
create zero waste; and to sell products that
sustain our resources and our environment. Beginning in November 2004, Texas Retail Energy, a wholly owned Wal-Mart entity, started
purchasing wholesale electricity and
delivering it to Wal-Mart’s facilities
within the ERCOT region. Our direct involvement at
the wholesale level gives us better visibility of the energy marketplace, makes
market pricing transparent, and allows us to
manage our load much like an investment
portfolio with a variety of suppliers, structures, and terms. 10/’06 EnergyBiz
3. Just Published:
State of Green Business 2008 - In this landmark report, Joel Makower and the editors of GreenBiz.com
answer the question: How are U.S. businesses doing in their quest to be more
environmentally responsible? It introduces the GreenBiz Index, 20 indicators of
progress, tracking the resource use, emissions, and business practices of U.S.
companies: carbon, materials, energy, and toxics intensity, clean-tech
investments, e-waste recovery, paper use, employee commuting, and more. Download
free: http://www.greenbiz.com/
4. Association of Energy Engineers to Explore Business Opportunities in
India - In August, a group from the Association of Energy Engineers will go to
India to explore possible business opportunities. Energy is an enormous issue
in India, especially since the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,
which promotes the export of clean, efficient technology to India. A previous excursion to China and Southeast Asia was a huge success.http://www.aeecenter.org/StudyMission/2008India.pdf
5. Special
Light Bulb Initiatives -
http://www.onebillionbulbs.com/ One Billion Bulbs is part of a more comprehensive home
energy initiative called the Energy Trek. Energy Trek has a broad scope, covering not only
lighting, but appliances, heating/cooling, wind/solar, and transportation. But
the first and easiest "energy trek" you can start is the
"lighting trek" - conserving energy by changing your light bulbs! The
Energy Trek roadmap on lighting can help
"lighting trekker" in their home. One Billion Bulbs is a community
initiative where we can track our collective progress, both in the US and around
the world, on our “trek” toward changing one billion bulbs.
6. Rebates Fueling Green Movement
- Rebate programs are alive and
well in 2008 and are helping to fuel a surge of new interest in energy
conservation. Federal energy
legislation, concerns over fuel prices and energy-efficient building standards
are also helping to build a new energy consciousness in the United States. 02/08
Electrical Marketing
7. Wal-Mart
Partners with the National Governors Association to “Green” State Capitols - Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. http://www.walmartfacts.com/articles/5687.aspx
and the National Governors
Association (NGA) www.nga.org announced the
formation of the “Greening State Capitols” partnership. The unique
public-private partnership between NGA and Wal-Mart will offer energy audits of
capitol complexes and provide recommendations on efficiency improvements and
estimates of how much energy and money each state can save. During a
two-day auditing process, Wal-Mart will send a team of engineering experts to
survey the state capitol facilities and suggest energy efficiency improvements
based on technologies Wal-Mart has successfully deployed in many stores, clubs
and other facilities around the world. The areas covered by the audit will
include:
R Lighting
R Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning
systems (HVAC)
R Refrigeration and other equipment
R Technologies such as programmable
thermostats
R Building structure, including
insulation and windows.
8. Highest Foreclosure Rates - Foreclosure filings — default notices, auction sales notices and bank
repossessions — were reported on 233,001 properties during January, an increase
of 8 percent from the previous month. The new figure is an increase of nearly
57 percent from January 2007, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace
for foreclosed property. Nevada continued to document the highest foreclosure
rate among the 50 states. California’s January foreclosure rate ranked second
highest among the states, and Florida’s January foreclosure rate ranked third
highest. Other states with foreclosure rates ranking among the top 10 were
Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Georgia, Connecticut, Ohio and Michigan. 03/01 MoneyNews.com
9. FSG Buys LBS - Austin, Texas-headquartered
Facility Solutions Group (FSG), which not too long ago acquired O.K. Electric
Supply in Perth Amboy, N.J., has acquired Denver-headquartered Light Bulb
Supply (LBS). With the addition of LBS’s distribution centers in Colorado and
New Mexico, FSG now has 28 branch locations. 02/28 TED
10. Increasing the Efficiency of Energy: UCSB Institute Invents
Better Methods for Usage - UC Santa Barbara research could lead to more efficient lights in your
home, better refrigeration, less expensive solar cells and improved
power-generation turbines. To advance such ideas to make more efficient use of
energy, the university this week is unveiling its Institute of Energy
Efficiency. Perhaps
closest to market is work at the university's Solid State Lighting and Energy
Center on light-emitting diodes, which could equate to huge savings in
electricity. Lighting and information
displays account for 22 percent of U.S. domestic energy consumption, according
to the institute. Incandescent bulbs are 4
percent efficient. Fluorescent lighting is 25 percent efficient. LEDs are more
than 50 percent efficient and have the potential to become even more so. UCSB scientists have developed a LED
white light that, if scaled up to replace significantly less efficient current
bulbs, could create savings of $115 billion in the U.S. by 2025. The next step is commercialization.
Already, the Solid State Lighting and Energy Center is working with businesses
on moving its technologies forward. http://www.engineering.ucsb.edu/energyefficiency
11. 
New
E-Mon D-Mon Green Class Meters - E-Mon's new Green Class Meters offer environmental &
energy-conscious users the ability to monitor and record the impact of energy
conservation efforts. The meter provides
a scrolling display of energy usage in kWh & dollars and estimated CO2
emissions. For details contact E-Mon at (800) 334-3666 or www.emon.com/ecm12.asp
12. Pieter de Haan Appointed to CEO of Advance - Advance
announces the appointment of Pieter de Haan as CEO of Advance, effective
January 1st, 2008. De Haan succeeds retiring CEO Brian Dundon. De Haan brings an extensive background in the
lighting arena to the position of CEO at Advance. Since first joining the
Philips Lighting organization in 1982, de Haan has held successive roles
throughout Philips Lighting in Europe and Asia and has amassed over 25 years of
experience in manufacturing, supply, marketing, sales, and general management.
Prior to his appointment to CEO of Advance, de Haan served as CEO of Philips
Lighting East Asia, based in Shanghai. www.advancetransformer.com
13. Hi-Bay
Lighting Upgrades - Probe-start metal halide fixtures
are being replaced by fluorescent in existing and by fluorescent and
pulse-start metal halide in new hi-bay applications. The Lighting Controls Association's
"Hi-Bay Lighting Upgrades," the latest course added to its online
Education Express program, describes and compares the options.
Registered/accredited with NCQLP, AEE and NALMCO. www.aboutlightingcontrols.org
14. Get On Green - Not to be missed is the February issue of Electrical
Wholesaling magazine. “After rolling
along empty for decades, it seems everyone wants to climb aboard the green
bandwagon. There are still some open
seats for distributors.” Features:
R Getting Green
R Search for Gold in Green
Buildings
R 2008 Rebate Resource
R Look for the Energy Star Label
R Code Changes in 2008
R The Safety Standards
Opportunity
R Jim Lucy’s editorial: Paradise
Lost…or Found?
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15. 
Sustainable
Facility is the information source for
high-performance buildings and optimal energy and resource management in
commercial, institutional and industrial facilities.
Sustainable
Facility supports the facility manager, owner,
engineer and service provider to enhance, maintain and measure the
sustainability and conservation of new and existing buildings. Sustainable Facility, combined with sister publications Environmental Design + Construction
and Sustainable Home.
http://www.sustainablefacility.com
/
16.
GE Plugs Into Electric Car
Investments - General
Electric Co. said Wednesday it invested over $24 million in an electric-car
maker and its battery supplier as part of an effort to push the technology
toward the mainstream. 03/05 AP
STATE ENERGY
NEWS…
17.
NJ Governor Corzine
Nominates BPU Chief for Another Term - Jeanne Fox, president of the NJ Board of Public Utilities
when it had stored more than $80 million in a private bank account outside
Treasury Department purview, has been nominated for another six-year term by
Gov. Jon S. Corzine. Under Fox's watch,
the board set up a ratepayer-funded account in a private bank without the
Treasury's knowledge or consent. A scathing draft audit, kept secret for years,
found the Clean Energy account had terrible records, no controls and was
plagued by cronyism. Fox is married to
Steve DeMicco, a prominent Democratic political strategist who has managed
campaigns for Corzine, former Gov. James E. McGreevey and U.S. Sen. Robert
Menendez. She earns $141,000 for the cabinet-level position. 02/28 NJBiz
18. BPU Gets a
Few Wind Offers - Newark's PSEG
and Winergy Power Holdings said today they have submitted a proposal to
the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to build a 350 megawatt wind
farm about 16 miles off the coast of Cape May and Atlantic counties. Also
making BPU bids were Fishermen's Energy of New Jersey, a group representing
fishing vessel companies and waterfront dock owners in South Jersey, and Blue
Water Wind NJ Energy, which has proposed a 348 megawatt wind farm comprised of
116 turbines off the coast of Atlantic City.
In October 2007, the BPU's Office of Clean Energy approved a grant of up
to $19 million to fund a wind project off the coast of New Jersey that would
power roughly 125,000 homes. The BPU is not obligated to award the money. 03/04 The Star-Ledger.
19. Honeywell
to be Dropped from Dow Jones Industrial Average - Morris Township, NJ-based Honeywell International, Inc. will be dropped from the Dow Jones
Industrial Average on Feb. 19, according to an announcement today by Dow Jones
& Co., the New York City provider of business news and information that
administers the 30-company stock index. Dow Jones says Bank of America Corp.
and Chevron Corp. will replace both Honeywell International, Inc., and the
Altria Group, Inc., in the 111-year-old stock index, which is considered to be
a proxy, or measure of the broad U.S. stock market. 02/11NJBiz
20. New
York Launches Clean Energy Workforce Training Initiative - The New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA) unveiled a $6-million clean energy workforce training
initiative on Monday. NYSERDA will invest more than $4 million in a range of
clean energy sectors including solar photovoltaic systems, small wind turbines,
and biogas energy systems. An additional $2 million is included in the
Governor's Executive Budget for developing the solar workforce through programs
at community colleges across New York State. The intent of the new efforts is
to help develop a workforce that can design, install, and maintain renewable
energy systems to ensure the successful implementation and promotion of
renewable energy technologies in New York State. 02/27 EERE
21. Energy-Efficiency
Home Improvements More Affordable Than Ever - Con Edison
residential customers will save energy and money with new financial incentives
for energy-efficiency home improvements through the NYSERDA's Home Performance
with ENERGY STAR® Program. http://www.getenergysmart.org/ Customers save
on the initial costs of home improvements with special financing as low as 1.99
percent or up to 25 percent cash back. The improvements through Home
Performance with ENERGY STAR will allow customers to save for years to come
through energy bills that can be reduced up to 40 percent.
02/29 PRNewswire
22. Con Edison to Initiate Energy Demand Reduction Programs in Lower
Manhattan and Middle of Staten Island - Con Edison www.conEd.com/EnergyNY is targeting both Lower Manhattan and the
middle part of Staten Island with demand reduction programs designed to reduce
customer electric demand, even as the company is concurrently embarking on its
most aggressive substation building program in 30 years. Public Energy Solutions of Englewood, N.J., a
subsidiary of Comverge Inc., will work with customers in Lower Manhattan to
reduce electric consumption by 67 megawatts by 2012, while Free Lighting Corporation
of Houston, Texas will work in Staten Island's mid-Island area to reduce energy
demand by one megawatt, also by 2012. A single megawatt can power approximately
1,000 homes. The program encourages customers to reduce electric demand by
installing energy efficient lighting, air conditioning and refrigeration; and
both residential and commercial customers may qualify for financial incentives
that are available, in some instances, to offset installation costs. 03/05 Market Wire
23. Georgia
Power Reaches Out to Seniors Through Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Giveaways -
Georgia Power and Senior Connections in
DeKalb County will team up to provide free compact fluorescent light bulbs
(CFLs) and energy efficiency information to seniors during visits to several
neighborhood senior centers. Georgia Power's energy services team
in DeKalb County will visit Senior Connections' five centers and Lou Walter
Senior Center to distribute 1,000 CFLs to seniors participating in the events.
While there, the team will also discuss the benefits and cost savings
associated with switching from standard light bulbs to CFLs and get
participants to take the ENERGY STAR Change A Light pledge. 02/26 PRNewswire
24. Orange
County, Florida Will Speed Up Permitting for Energy-Conscious Projects - Orange County
developers who go green could avoid regulatory red tape. Commissioners decided
Tuesday to streamline the construction permit process for projects that embrace
eco-friendly and energy-saving designs. 03/05 The Orlando Sentinel
25.
Standard Lumber Opens ‘Green’
Yard - Standard Supply and Lumber, a 12-unit chain of
lumberyards and showrooms in western Michigan, has announced the opening of a
location devoted exclusively to FSC-certified wood products and eco-friendly
kitchen and bath products. Located in Grand Valley/Standale, the combination
lumberyard/showroom will provide a place where architects, builders, homeowners
and others interested in green building projects can source all their products
in a single place. “We are committing our company to the goals of the LEED
green building rating system,” said Tim Rottschafer, president of Standard
Lumber and grandson of the company founder. 02/21 HCN
26.
OG&E Files Plan to Cut
Electrical Demand - Oklahoma
Gas and Electric Co. on Wednesday became the second of the state's major
utilities to file proposals intended to reduce customers' electricity demands. OG&E's filing proposed initial
"Quick Start" plans to reduce demands for power. Plans
include a program that would provide incentives through third-party lighting
contractors to reduce how much power lights in commercial buildings use, and a
rebate program for residential customers who buy compact fluorescent lights to
replace old incandescent bulbs. 02/28
The Daily Oklahoman
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27.
Just Don’t Call Them Green - Parr Lumber, a 39-unit chain of western lumberyards,
components plants and cabinet outlets in five western states, has started a new
initiative that combines sustainable building materials, energy efficiency and
installed sales. The pro-dealer’s “High Performance Homes” program is an
innovative shade of green. But don’t call it that. High Performance Homes is being marketed as a building envelope that controls heat,
air and moisture. Parr Lumber will design, build and deliver the shell, which
will meet or exceed the criteria set by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED criteria. 02/21 HCN
28.
Arizona to Become 'Persian Gulf' of
Solar Energy - Abengoa Solar is
planning to take 3 square miles of desert southwest of Phoenix and turn them
into one of the largest solar power plants in the world. The Spanish company which has plants in Spain,
northern Africa and other parts of the U.S., could begin construction as early
as next year on the 280-megawatt plant in Gila Bend -- a small, dusty town 50
miles southeast of Phoenix and could be producing solar energy by 2011. Abengoa would build, own and operate the $1
billion plant, named the Solana Generating Station. Solana will be enough to supply up to
70,000 homes at full capacity. 02/23 AP
29. New
Mexico Act Requires Utilities to Save Energy - New Mexico Governor
Bill Richardson signed a bill last week that requires the state's electric and
natural gas utilities to provide their customers with cost-effective energy
efficiency resources. By 2014, the state's electric utilities must achieve
energy efficiency gains equal to 5% of their total sales in 2005, increasing to
10% of their 2005 sales by 2020. The utilities could achieve these gains
through such efforts as a rebate program for energy efficient appliances, home
weatherization programs, or programs to
give away or discount compact fluorescent light bulbs. 03/03 EERE
30. Premium Lighting Equals Premium Results -
Improving your existing lighting
system provides many benefits to your business as well as your employees. New
energy efficient lighting technologies help your bottom-line by saving money on
your energy costs. New lighting technologies enhance employee comfort,
productivity and efficiency. Our lighting incentives can help you make real
improvements. Cash incentives are paid upon project completion, which reduces
your overall installation costs and helps the lighting fixtures pay for
themselves over time. Investments that pay back in a relatively short time are
good for Oregon businesses! The documents listed below define the
specifications for high performance T8 Lighting Systems and list the qualifying
equipment that meets or exceeds these specifications:
High-Performance T8 Lighting
System Specification
List of Qualifying High-Performance
4' T8 Lamps
Program
Information Sheet 190L - Lighting Incentives (PDF)
http://www.energytrust.org/buildingefficiency/standard.html
31. Pacific
Gas and Electric Company Partners With U.S. GSA to Offer Major Energy
Efficiency Rebates for Federal Building Facilities – PG&E was proud to
present the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) with a celebratory
energy savings rebate check for two of its facilities, the San Francisco
Federal Building and the Robert E. Coyle Federal Courthouse in Fresno. Energy
efficiency was an essential design aspect of the facilities and now earned the
federal government a $300,000 rebate check. The rebate is an incentive from one
of PG&E's industry-leading energy efficiency programs which have helped its
customers save more than $20 billion in energy costs over the past three
decades. 03/06 PRNewswire
MONTHLY
FEATURE…Some Lamp and Ballast Sales
Results from 2007:
THINK GREEN!
