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Event: Energy Efficiency - Why is the Low Hanging Fruit so High?

By Chris Williams
June 18, 2010 | 5 Comments

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Everyone who has ever read a book on renewable energy knows that the best investment, and what should be done first is energy efficiency. Business owners know it, property owners knows it, and the state governments know it. Massachusetts is putting more then $600 million into energy efficiency in the short terms, that more then 3 TIMES the amount that will go into renewable energy incentives.

If everyone knows efficiency is the biggest bang for your buck, then why is it not happening?

This is a question that I kept asking myself but couldn't find an answer. So, I decided to gather a group of the smartest experts in Boston working on the issue to have them to tell me, and you too of course, the event will be public and it will take place on July 22nd at 6pm in downtown Boston at the NEXUS Green Building Resource Center.

If you'll be in Boston on July 22nd register for Energy Efficiency - Why is the Low Hanging Fruit so High?

We have some amazing speakers that are going to be talking about what they're working on and how we can increase the adoption of efficiency, here they are:

Alex Patriquin - Founder, CEO at Wattzy

Martin Flusberg - Founder, CEO at Powerhouse Dynamics

Lilah Glick - Director, Community Outreach at Cambridge Energy Alliance

Brenden Endicott - Senior Manager, Energy Markets at EnerNOC

Geoff Chapin - Founder, CEO at Next Step Living

I can't wait to see you there. Don't worry if you can't make it, we're going to record the event and publish it. Here is the video from our first event Clean Energy Adoption in New England.

Chris

Chris Williams is part of the The Green Light Distrikt, a community of 11 young, Boston clean tech professionals that covers all things Bostons + Clean Tech + Innovation. Come check out what's happening in Boston.The Green Light Distrikt is howing an event on July 22nd called "Energy Efficiency - Why is the Low Hanging Fruit so High" that is open to the public.

Energy Efficiency

The information and views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of RenewableEnergyWorld.com or the companies that advertise on this Web site and other publications. This blog was posted directly by the author and was not reviewed for accuracy, spelling or grammar.

5 Reader Comments

Comment
1 of 5

daniel-simon-33441

June 18, 2010

"If everyone knows efficiency is the biggest bang for your buck, then why is it not happening?"

a) because efficiency requires some action with upfront costs (maybe this counts as 2 reasons)

b) because the person that benefits is not always the person that needs to act/pay (landlord/tenant)

c) because efficiency requires a certain degree of awareness and "shop-attention"--meaning you have to know that alternatives exist and seek out and compare prices of said alternatives (switching costs)

d) because of the "special interest" problem (i.e. the benefits of public efficiency programs are diffuse with everyone saving a little, but the costs are concentrated--generally the utility or product manufacturer [or both!] see almost all of the cost)

e) in most cases an investment in efficiency is NOT VISIBLE

Comment
2 of 5

ElisaWood

June 19, 2010

Sounds like a great forum you have planned. I'm not sure I'd agree with the premise that energy efficiency is not happening. To the contrary, this has been a banner few years for the efficiency industry and the next few years look even better. A recent report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Association of Energy Service Companies found that the energy service company industry grew by about 7% per year from 2006 to 2008 and forecasts an annual growth rate of 26% per year between 2009 and 2011.

It is fair to say that energy efficiency is happening more in certain areas than in others. For example, a report out of New York found that despite the availability of financial incentives, small businesses in New York City have been slow to adopt energy efficiency.

Comment
3 of 5

batticdoor

June 19, 2010

How To Reduce Your Energy Bills / Energy Conservation Begins at Home

Imagine leaving a window open all winter long -- the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

These often overlooked sources of energy loss and air leakage can cause heat and AC to pour out and the outside air to rush in -- costing you higher energy bills.

But what can you do about the four largest "holes" in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer?

To learn more visit www.batticdoor.com

Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover and an attic access door. Battic Door is the US distributor of the fireplace plug.

Comment
4 of 5

william-fitch-22587

June 19, 2010

Hi:

"If everyone knows efficiency is the biggest bang for your buck, then why is it not happening?"

A KWH saved is the same as a KWH generated, BUT a dollar saved is not the same as a dollar made.
It all comes down to who is MAKING the money and how concentrated those entities can be. Lotteries pay out millions of dollars to one individual. The odds of winning are next to nothing. The winners are BIG news. However if instead, tens of thousands of winners were rewarded a few hundred dollars, the effect and the lure would be quite different, even though the amount dispersed could be the same for a given amount gambled...
DS: I fail to see your points as such... I mean "a" through "e" are fine, but I can basically say those same arguments about the generation side.... with maybe "e" as the exception...

.....Bill

Comment
5 of 5

FreeAsTheWind

June 19, 2010

I think that part of the problem is that people equate "energy efficiency" with "energy conservation" and they don't realize that with "energy efficiency" you don't have to really give up anything (yes, the initial cost of the higher efficiency appliance, but that is made back in the long run).

I do think that incentives to improve the efficiency of rental properties should be considered because the way that it is now nobody has an incentive to improve the energy efficiency of the properties; the landlord doesn't because he's not paying the electric or gas bill and the tenant because of the up front costs involved.

Bob "Free As The Wind" Mitchell

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