Efficiency First

http://energy.gov/news/10363.htm June 13, 2011 DOE and The Appraisal Foundation Announce New Partnership to Focus on Energy Performance and Building Appraisals WASHINGTON, DC – As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to improve commercial building efficiency 20 percent by 2020, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced a partnership with The Appraisal Foundation that will help [...]

The FHA PowerSaver Loan Webinar Recording is now available! Click here to watch the recording and download the PDF. (Efficiency First member login required) Lender Information: During the Webinar we promised to publish a list of contact information for lenders. As lenders were recently choosen by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the information [...]

The Home Performance Resource Center is going to be releasing four case studies on multi-family home programs across the country.  The case studies cover programs in New York, Texas, California and Maine. They take a deeper look into programs that have been successful and give an insight about what it takes for a multi-family home [...]

At ACI, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Dr. Kathleen Hogan, gave a presentation detailing the Department of Energy’s (DOE) energy efficient priorities and the state of the industry. Dr. Kathleen Hogan has been involved in the industry for years and has been a key leader in creating programs and moving energy [...]

Do you think than a national energy efficiency evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) standard should be implemented? The Department of Energy is taking steps to develop a nation standard for energy efficiency and the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) recently did a study in collaboration with the Schiller Consulting and Itron, titled:”National Energy Efficiency Evaluation, [...]

A White House fact sheet issued today in support of a speech by President Obama on the topic of energy security reiterates the administration’s support for the proposed HOME STAR incentive program. Under the heading “Innovating Our Way to a Clean Energy Future,” the fact sheet states that: Our homes, businesses and factories consume over [...]

Efficiency First Policy Chair Matt Golden was interviewed for a recent article in Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration NEWS that analyzes the past, present and future of the proposed HOME STAR energy retrofit program. After summarizing the history of HOME STAR legislation debated last year in Congress, the article explains how Capitol Hill politics and [...]

On Friday March 11 President Obama held a press conference where he discussed the rising gas prices.  The issue of rising gas prices has been on many American’s minds, especially with loss of production from Libya and the turmoil going on in the Middle East. Gas prices affect everyone, whether it be directly or indirectly and with [...]

President Obama’s budget proposal emphasizes the Administration’s commitment to energy efficiency and the role it will play in building a clean energy economy. Citing efficiency as often the lowest cost option for reducing energy use, the Administration’s budget has significantly increased funding levels for promoting and implementing efficiency in buildings, vehicles, and industrial energy use [...]