From Energy Circle:
Space Heaters: Cozy and efficient?
Who knew? Use them the right way—in small spaces, in lieu of heating your whole house—and electric space heaters start to feel pretty toasty. Our short post has given rise to a lively and informative thread in the comments section regarding the relative (in?)efficiency of electricity for heat, the value of short term investments, and the need for more clothes -- feel free to chime in.
Curated Links from the Web:
No joke: Wall Street may want to insulate your house.
GreenTech Media's Michael Kanellos makes the case that while energy efficiency retrofits save homeowners money and give utilities breathing room, new carbon markets mean they may just represent a real financial opportunity. (From GreenTech Media.)
Nearly 1 in 4 Construction Workers is Unemployed. For now.
The proposed Home Star program and other incentives have big potential to get builders back to work—in good, local jobs, working toward energy independence and our carbon reduction goals. Win, win, win. (From Efficiency First.)
Venture capital is loving energy efficiency.
A new report from Ernst & Young reported that cleantech investment in 2009 fell 50% to $2.6 billion, as investors shifted from high-risk, capital-intensive renewable technologies in favor of energy efficiency. (From NYT's Green Inc. Blog.)
Grab your caulk guns: Oil production likely to peak within five years.
That is, if you trust left-wing alarmists like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, the British Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security, and Sir Richard Branson. "Whatever the risk to the climate, scarce and expensive oil would be a threat to established economies," writes the WSJ. Here's to understatement.
On the right to life, liberty, and energy usage data...
A thoughtful post by Sarah Reedy at Connected Planet dishes on the problematic relationship between utilities, customers and third-parties (like Google PowerMeter) as home energy management tools expand, and as utilities move toward smart grids everywhere. (From Connected Planet.)
Electrical contractors to have a Renaissance.
Houston Neal makes a compelling case at Software Advice that the term "electrical contractor" may soon fall short of the mark: the growing green construction market presents an unprecedented opportunity for electrical contractors to grow their business (think electricity monitoring and energy management, renewables, lighting upgrades, electric vehicles). "Energy contractors," Neal argues, may be the more apt title in the foreseeable future. (From Software Advice.)
Australia mandates energy audits for all buildings.
A new law being drafted down under will require property owners to conduct energy audits prior to renting or selling commercial or residential property. One problem: Australia doesn't have enough qualified auditors to meet its new demand, a nice problem to have. (From the Daily Telegraph.)
Add comment