Vice President Biden Launches DOE Home Energy Scoring Program
On November 9, Vice President Biden launched DOE’s Home Energy Score pilot program, designed to offer homeowners reliable information about their homes’ energy efficiency.
Under the voluntary program, a report provides consumers with a home energy score between 1 and 10, and shows them how their homes compare to others in their region. The report includes customized, cost-effective recommendations that help energy costs while improving comfort.
The Home Energy Score program will empower trained and certified contractors to use a standardized assessment tool developed by DOE and DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. With the tool, contractors can quickly evaluate a home and generate useful, actionable information for homeowners and prospective homebuyers. With only about 40 required inputs, contractors can analyze a home’s energy assets, such as its heating and cooling systems and insulation levels, usually in less than an hour.
A home with excellent energy performance gets a "10"; a home that needs major energy upgrades gets a "1." Along with the score, the homeowner will receive a list of recommended home energy upgrades and specific improvements, as well as the estimated utility bill savings, payback period, and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The Home Energy Score tool initially will be tested with local government, utility, and non-profit partners in 10 pilot communities and states in diverse climates including: Charlottesville, Virginia; Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; Minnesota; Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska; Indiana; Portland, Oregon; South Carolina; Texas; and Eagle County, Colorado.
The pilot ends in late spring 2011. Based on its findings, DOE plans to roll out the program nationally later in 2011. See the DOE press release, the Home Energy Score Web site, and an example of a score and recommendations .
At the same time, DOE released Workforce Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades for workers in the residential energy efficiency industry. The guidelines will help develop and expand the skills of the workforce, ensuring high quality work, while laying the foundation for a more robust worker certification and training program nationwide.
The announcements highlighted the progress that has been made on implementing the recommendations of last year’s Recovery through Retrofit report. See the residential retrofit guidelines Web site including a link for public comment. Also see Recovery Through Retrofit .
7th Large Solar Project on U.S. Public Lands Gets OK
On November 4, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) approved the Genesis Solar Energy Project, a 250 MW solar thermal plant on 1950 acres in California.
The project is expected to power 75,000-187,500 homes and create over 1000 solar jobs at peak construction, along with 50 permanent positions.
Genesis Solar, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, is eligible for grants up to 30% of the $300 million project costs through the Recovery Act’s grants in lieu of tax credits program. See the DOI press release and the Genesis fact sheet .
In October, DOI approved six other large-scale solar projects, which will produce a total of 2,837 MW of electricity – enough to power 851,000 to 2.1 million homes – and creating 3,700 construction jobs and more than 600 permanent plant operations jobs. See the DOI press release.
Officials Back Big Boost for Building Energy Efficiency Code
Local and state building code officials approved revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) that represent the largest single-step efficiency increase in the history of the national energy code, officials said.
New and renovated buildings constructed in jurisdictions that follow the 2012 IECC model will use 30% less energy than those built to current standards.
The improvements are part of a comprehensive proposal submitted jointly by DOE, the nonprofit New Buildings Institute, and the American Institute of Architects. The proposal addresses measures such as cooling, lighting, quality assurance, and renewable energy standards.
The comprehensive proposal is based on NBI’s Core Performance protocol, a direct approach to achieving energy savings in commercial buildings. The 2012 IECC will serve as the baseline standard for the International Green Construction Code currently under development. Additionally, the 2012 IECC contains many first-ever technical features, including a section on commissioning, pathways to use daylighting, and options for the use of on-site renewable energy. It will be published in April 2011 for adoption by state and local agencies. See the AIA press release and the NBI Web site.
DOE and EPA Release 2011 Fuel Economy Guide
DOE and the EPA released the 2011 Fuel Economy Guide which provides information on estimated mileage and fuel costs for model year 2011 vehicles. It includes medium-duty passenger vehicles for the first time, which are generally large SUVs and passenger vans. Additional fuel economy information will be added online as more information about 2011 vehicles, including electric and plug-in hybrid cars, becomes available.
Overall, hybrids are the best fuel economy performers, but the 2011 list also includes clean diesels. Toyota’s Prius leads the midsized category, with a 51 mpg city and 48 mpg highway rating. The newly added SUV category is tied among the Ford Escape Hybrid FWD, the Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD, and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid FW, which get 34 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.
DOE and EPA maintain http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ to help people make informed fuel economy choices when purchasing vehicles and to help them achieve the best fuel economy possible from cars they own. Visitors can enter their local gasoline prices and typical driving habits to receive personalized fuel cost estimates. See the DOE press release, the 2011 Fuel Economy Guide , the leaders within each class, and the fueleconomy.gov Web site.
Voters Approve Over $1 Billion in Transportation Investment
Voters in 13 states-from Hawaii to Rhode Island-approved 22 of 30 transportation improvement measures on November 2, according to the Center for Transportation Excellence. Nearly $500 million in funding will be spent over five years on transportation as a result. So far in 2010, voters approved 43 of 56 measures, supporting more than $1 billion in local infrastructure and services.
For example, two counties in Virginia approved bonds totaling more than $150 million to support the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Capital Improvement Program. In Rhode Island, 70% of voters approved a statewide measure for $4.7 million to purchase and rehabilitate buses for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Property tax increases or renewals were successful in four Michigan jurisdictions, two West Virginia cities, and two counties in Ohio. And, five of seven counties in the San Francisco Bay Area voted to increase vehicle registration fees by $10 to support transportation investments, making vehicle fees a new and noteworthy financing tool.
California voters approved Proposition 22, a constitutional amendment to close loopholes that allowed the state to fill budget gaps with money designated for transportation. And, in Oahu, Hawaii, the electorate decided to create a public transit authority to oversee construction and operation of the city’s $5.5 billion rail transit project. See the Center for Transportation Excellence press release and ballot measures.
Online Retailers Fined for Failure to Post EnergyGuide Information
Three online appliance retailers have agreed to pay over $400,000 in penalties to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that they failed to post EnergyGuide information. The FTC also notified two other online sellers that it would seek $640,000 in fines from them. The FTC used its authority under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to assess civil penalties.
According to the FTC, the online appliance retailers knowingly violated its Appliance Labeling Rule, which requires vendors to provide EnergyGuide information for refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, air conditioners, water heaters, and washing machines. The yellow EnergyGuide information labels provide estimates of the annual cost to operate an appliance, and are designed to help people make energy efficient choices.
Three companies have settled with the agency and agreed to pay the following amounts: P.C. Richard & Son ($180,000); Abt Electronics ($137,500); and Pinnacle Marketing Group ($100,000). Two other companies, Universal Computers and Electronics, Inc. with proposed penalties of $540,000, and Universal Appliances, Kitchens, and Baths, Inc., with $100,000 in penalties, have not agreed to settle the FTC charges. These cases are the first brought against online retailers for Appliance Labeling Rule violations.
Before the FTC may assess civil penalties under the EPCA, it must notify the non-settling companies of the proposed penalty amounts. The companies can then choose to pay the proposed penalty or be sued by the FTC in an administrative proceeding. See the FTC press release and the FTC Web site.
Current Government Policies Inadequate to Address Climate Change
The broad greenhouse gas policy commitments and plans of countries around the world will not be sufficient to avoid significant increases in average global temperatures, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The IEA released its annual World Energy Outlook on November 9, and this year’s report includes a "New Policies Scenario" that includes commitments such as the Copenhagen Accord.
Under that scenario, world energy demand increases 36% between 2008-2035, or 1.2% per year on average, and fossil fuels still dominate the world’s energy mix in 2035. As a result, the concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are projected to stabilize at the equivalent of 650 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide, resulting in a likely long-term temperature rise of more than 3.5°C (6.3°F) above pre-industrial levels.
In contrast, the Copenhagen Accord has a stated goal of limiting the long-term temperature rise to less than 2°C, which is thought to correspond to stabilizing greenhouse gases at the equivalent of 450 ppm of carbon dioxide.
Under the New Policies Scenario, developing countries account for 93% of the projected increase in world energy demand, with China contributing 36% of that. Although fossil fuels lose market share to renewable energy and nuclear power, they still dominate the energy mix, with oil remaining the leading fuel, followed by coal and natural gas. Oil consumption continues to grow, even though prices are expected to reach $113 per barrel in 2035. But of the three fossil fuels, gas consumption grows most rapidly, increasing 44% by 2035. Renewable energy use triples, rising from 7% in 2008 to 14% in 2035 of total energy demand. A key to that growth is a boost in worldwide government support for renewable energy, increasing from an estimated $57 billion in 2009 to $205 billion in 2035.
The IEA also created a "450 Scenario," where the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases stabilizes at the equivalent of 450 ppm of carbon dioxide. Reaching that goal requires meeting the more ambitious targets included in the Copenhagen Accord and rapidly cutting fossil-fuel subsidies, which the IEA estimates at $312 billion in 2009, down from $558 billion in 2008.
The result is a more rapid transformation of the global energy system, causing oil and coal demand to peak before 2020, while natural gas demand peaks before 2030. Renewable energy and nuclear power grow rapidly, doubling their share of global energy use to 38% in 2035. Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles also increase rapidly, reaching 39% of new sales by 2035.
The IEA notes that in the year that’s passed since its last issuance of the World Energy Outlook, the global cost of achieving the 2°C goal has increased by $1 trillion, making it less likely the goal will be achieved. See the IEA press release and the World Energy Outlook Web site, which includes links to a presentation, executive summaries in nine languages, six fact sheets, and nine key graphs.
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
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