Energy efficiency: great deals and new ideas

The economic premise behind energy efficiency –, it is cheaper, a unit of energy than to make a save - on trapped in the United States has. Energy efficiency issues, and our energy consumption is declining, both per capita and per dollar gross domestic product measured according to the Government.

So it is not surprising, the year several begins energy efficiency with busy in traditional markets, as well as some good suggestions, respond how they moved customers more elusive.

Here are some of the recent deals that came across my desk.

Ameresco, one of the major players in the contracts, energy services was early January with two contracts out of the gate. First contract the Massachusetts-based company a $6.8 million energy performance with a housing authority in Fall River, Massachusetts for more than 1,500 residential units. The work includes CHP, control and monitoring systems, and upgrades to water, temperature and lighting controls, and mechanical space heat and domestic hot water systems. The Housing Authority expects to save $13 million over 20 years. Secondly, the company hit a $5.2 million deal with Austin Energy of the nation eight largest publicly-owned electrical use. Under an energy performance contract, Ameresco installed a new memory system for 24,000 tonne-hour chilled water to the utility district cooling plant, which power consumption hours will layer as energy is less expensive.EnerNOC, which after a live-ticker on its website customers more than $545 million (and counting) has saved provides demand response and energy efficiency for the Denver Public Schools. The project includes 24 school buildings, a total 4.5 million square feet. The deal comes after Denver Mayor Michael Hancock homebuilders, non-profit organizations and President Barack Obama Push for energy savings meet public schools by 20 percent by 2020 over 1.6 billion square feet of Office, industrial, municipal, hospital, University and school in question provided. World energy solutions, a Massachusetts-based energy management services company with $30 billion in energy, request-reply and ecological raw materials transactions, installed the Telkonet EcoInsight thermostats in 187 supported living apartments in the State. The thermostats are the first step towards the introduction of a more complex energy management Systems.American DG Energy began operating two 75 kW power heat power (CHP) plant at the Cumberland County jail in Portland Maine, under a $2.4 million, more than the company uses 15 years dealing with a business model that has the American DG Energy and operates cogeneration units prior to place utility called and the prison pays only for the energy, which he used. American DG Energy guarantees that the prison pay less than what would free the local utilities.
New ideas

Meanwhile came some interesting reports around the first of the year, reaching efficiency opportunities for energy companies offer new or sometimes indifferent.

Washington, D.C.-based market transformation Institute has, for example, consultancy, efficiency to the multifamily housing. The Institute published a report in early January, promoting benchmarking of multifamily housing. Provides benchmarking data of the building energy use, the equivalent of a nutritional label for food. MTI underlines several advantages for the approach: it leads to a better designed programmes and incentives, the owners, to promote updates. Upgrade the tenants energy costs lower, creating a comfortable indoor climate and can give owners better cash flow. Furthermore, in real estate transactions buyers better understand of the building energy profile and can accordingly set the property value. MTI provides $9 billion in savings from America's multifamily building.

"As a rule of thumb, a positive development, the markets work better transparency all around, to help", said Julia Stasch, Vice President of the U.S. programs of the John D. and Catherine t. MacArthur Foundation.

Meanwhile, Northeast the Connecticut Fund for the environment (CFE) and environment published a report here for, to create successful energy efficiency financing programs for private clients.

"A well designed residential energy efficiency financing program can help expand access to capital and pave the way for increased program participation" Roger Reynolds, Senior Attorney for the CFE said. "This report shows that there are a number of program design elements that are necessary for the success of energy efficiency financing products and therefore the programmes as a whole."

And most recently, the clean energy and Bond Finance Initiative (CE + BFI) a financing model that uses bond financing on safe, low-cost capital for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects exhibited.

"How the clean energy industry matures and grows, it needs to be less dependent on federal tax credits as an important source of financing," said Lew Milford, President of the clean energy group.

Industrial development bonds or IDBs called, offering tax-free interest to private borrowers, comply with the specific requirements of the non-profit. Borrower must have or middle small American manufacturers.

The paper on the IDB model is part of a series on the financing of CE + BFI published. It is aimed at the State and local governments. See www.cebfi.org.

ELISA Wood is a long-time energy writer. Subscribe to their free energy RealEnergyWriters.com EfficiencyMarkets newsletter