ReCircle: LED Lighting On the Rise, Air Conditioning Worse Than We Thought, Net Zero Catching On, and more!

From Energy Circle:

LED Lights: Massive Opportunity, Getting Bigger.

A new report from The Climate Group documents the impact that LED adoption has had in municipalities worldwide, and the dropping costs and increased efficiency that are making them a more attractive investment by the day.

Curated Links from the Web:

Energy Efficiency is Still Our Largest Energy Resource.

Oil and gas production are on the rise in the United States, but the massive opportunity of energy efficiency still renders it the most valuable, largest energy resource we have. (From ACEEE)

Why Air Conditioning is Worse Than We Thought.

Refrigerants have 2,100 times the global warming effect as CO2. So in addition to using energy, and creating pollution via the fossil fuels burned to create that energy, air conditioners have an even larger global warming impact. (From Treehugger)

Technology, Dropping Costs Fueling the Spread of Net Zero Buildings.

Net Zero buildings, not long ago considered something of an extreme in the world of traditional construction, are becoming increasingly prevalent as technological advances and dropping material costs render them more and more affordable. (From Pike Research)

Gmail vs. Yahoo Mail: Who’s More Energy Efficient?

A recent report from Opower found that Yahoo Mail users use 11% more electricity than Gmail users, on average. While this appears to have less to do with the mail providers and more to do with the users (Yahoo Mail users tend to live in larger residences, Gmail users tend to live in cities), I’d say it qualifies as a fun fact for us energy nerds. (From Cleantechnica)

Another Energy Related Blog We Love:

Energy Outlook.

Written by Geoffrey Styles, Managing Director of GSW Strategy Group, LLC, Energy Outlook covers a variety of energy topics from the perspective of a seasoned industry insider. With an emphasis on policy, it’s a no-bs blog that’s a good read for anyone interested in following high-level energy topics.