Cost pressures are forcing many towns and cities into saving on public street and walkway lighting. Lighting times are being shortened as an ever-increasing result. To overcome the security issue this may cause, it is now possible in some cities to use the cell-phone to control the light.
Check it out:
Dial4Light
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Come on labels
Come on labels is a project funded by the European Commission with information about energy labeling of household appliances.
You can find the following information:
You can find the following information:
- Overview of the European and selected national legislation related to appliance labelling,
- Description of the system of product testing for ensuring the device features’ compliance with the information on the label,
- Information about known appliance tests undertaken during the duration of the project,
- Overview of how the proper presence of energy labels should be controlled in shops,
- Description of the status of label presence in retailer shops according to visits made by project partners,
- Examples of promotional activities designed to encourage the general public to take into account the information on the energy label in making their purchasing decisions.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Roadmap to a resource efficient Europe
Yesterday the European Commission presented the Roadmap to a resource efficient Europe.
Some highlights:
Some highlights:
Today in the EU, each person consumes 16 tonnes of materials annually, of which 6 tonnes are wasted, with half going to landfill.
The Vision: By 2050 the EU's economy has grown in a way that respects resource constraints and planetary boundaries, thus contributing to global economic transformation. Our economy is competitive, inclusive and provides a high standard of living with much lower environmental impacts. All resources are sustainably managed, from raw materials to energy, water, air, land and soil. Climate change milestones have been reached, while biodiversity and the ecosystem services it underpins have been protected, valued and substantially restored.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Computer energy efficiency doubles every 18 months
An interesting article in Ecogeek states that computer energy efficiency doubles every 18 months. This comes as a indirect consequence of the Moore's law (power doubling every 18 months) because what contributes to the power improvement (reducing component size, capacitance and communication time between them) also increases energy efficiency.
More information A new and improved Moore's law
More information A new and improved Moore's law
Friday, July 1, 2011
Energy efficiency directive
The Commission is proposing a new energy efficiency directive to cut energy consumption by 20% in 2020. With all the measures on EU and national level in place so far the EU only reached 9% of savings.
The measures proposed include:
- Legal obligation to establish energy saving schemes in all Member States: energy distributors or retail energy sales companies will be obliged to save every year 1,5 % of their energy sales, by volume, through the implementation of energy efficiency measures such as improving the efficiency of the heating system, installing double glazed windows or insulating roofs, among final energy customers;
- Public sector to lead by example: public bodies will push for the market uptake of energy efficient products and services through a legal obligation to purchase energy efficient buildings, products and services. They will further have to progressively reduce the energy consumed on their own premises by carrying out every year the required renovation works covering at least 3% of their total floor area;
-Major energy savings for consumers: easy and free-of-charge access to data on real-time and historical energy consumption through more accurate individual metering will now empower consumers to better manage their energy consumption. Billing should be based on the actual consumption well reflecting data from the metering;
- Industry: Incentives for SMEs to undergo energy audits and disseminate best practices while the large companies will have to make an audit of their energy consumption to help them identify the potential for reduced energy consumption;
- Efficiency in energy generation: monitoring of efficiency levels of new energy generation capacities, establishment of national heat and cooling plans as a basis for a sound planning of efficient heating and cooling infrastructures, including recovery of waste heat.
For public buildings, from 2014 onwards, 3% of public buildings should be renovated each year with energy consumption reductions in mind. This percentage is renovated per year, but in only half of the cases efficiency improvements are included. In practice, this could mean that walls are insulated, double glazing windows are installed in kindergardens, schools or townhouses, roofs are redone and inefficient heating boilers replaced.
How can you force government to spend money in times they have to save money?
The renovation of public buildings would to a significant extent pay for itself through the savings on the energy bills and would also help the economic recovery by stimulating business activity and jobs.
However, still there is a need for upfront investment in the implementation of energy efficiency improvements. For this reason, the proposed Directive includes provisions to strengthen the energy services markets. In these markets energy service companies (ESCOs) would pay for the initial investments and get their money back from the savings on the energy bills. In addition to energy savings, this will create business opportunities and new jobs, for example, for construction companies, equipment providers. The energy service market currently accounts for about € 6 billion. The EU potential for such market is estimated at € 25 billion.
In addition to the private funding, Member States can also use their allocations under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to finance the renovation of public buildings. In the period 2007 – 2013, 4.4 billion Euro where available for that purpose.
The measures proposed include:
- Legal obligation to establish energy saving schemes in all Member States: energy distributors or retail energy sales companies will be obliged to save every year 1,5 % of their energy sales, by volume, through the implementation of energy efficiency measures such as improving the efficiency of the heating system, installing double glazed windows or insulating roofs, among final energy customers;
- Public sector to lead by example: public bodies will push for the market uptake of energy efficient products and services through a legal obligation to purchase energy efficient buildings, products and services. They will further have to progressively reduce the energy consumed on their own premises by carrying out every year the required renovation works covering at least 3% of their total floor area;
-Major energy savings for consumers: easy and free-of-charge access to data on real-time and historical energy consumption through more accurate individual metering will now empower consumers to better manage their energy consumption. Billing should be based on the actual consumption well reflecting data from the metering;
- Industry: Incentives for SMEs to undergo energy audits and disseminate best practices while the large companies will have to make an audit of their energy consumption to help them identify the potential for reduced energy consumption;
- Efficiency in energy generation: monitoring of efficiency levels of new energy generation capacities, establishment of national heat and cooling plans as a basis for a sound planning of efficient heating and cooling infrastructures, including recovery of waste heat.
For public buildings, from 2014 onwards, 3% of public buildings should be renovated each year with energy consumption reductions in mind. This percentage is renovated per year, but in only half of the cases efficiency improvements are included. In practice, this could mean that walls are insulated, double glazing windows are installed in kindergardens, schools or townhouses, roofs are redone and inefficient heating boilers replaced.
How can you force government to spend money in times they have to save money?
The renovation of public buildings would to a significant extent pay for itself through the savings on the energy bills and would also help the economic recovery by stimulating business activity and jobs.
However, still there is a need for upfront investment in the implementation of energy efficiency improvements. For this reason, the proposed Directive includes provisions to strengthen the energy services markets. In these markets energy service companies (ESCOs) would pay for the initial investments and get their money back from the savings on the energy bills. In addition to energy savings, this will create business opportunities and new jobs, for example, for construction companies, equipment providers. The energy service market currently accounts for about € 6 billion. The EU potential for such market is estimated at € 25 billion.
In addition to the private funding, Member States can also use their allocations under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to finance the renovation of public buildings. In the period 2007 – 2013, 4.4 billion Euro where available for that purpose.
New measures for increased energy efficiency to reach 20% goal in the EU
Having in mind that the cheapest energy is the one we do not consume, the European Commission proposed a new set of measures for increased Energy Efficiency.
The proposal for this new directive brings forward measures to step up Member States efforts to use energy more efficiently at all stages of the energy chain – from the transformation of energy and its distribution to its final consumption.
More information: Energy Efficiency Directive
The proposal for this new directive brings forward measures to step up Member States efforts to use energy more efficiently at all stages of the energy chain – from the transformation of energy and its distribution to its final consumption.
More information: Energy Efficiency Directive
Sunday, June 26, 2011
EC approves energy efficiency plan, references set-aside
The European Commission finally approval the energy efficiency plan on Wednesday after reaching a resolution of debates about the impact of extended energy efficiency targets on the carbon market. The plan, which pursues a non-binding, EU-wide reduction in energy use of 20 per cent by 2020, now incorporates an explanatory Memorandum which provides for the possible set-aside of carbon allowances in the event that the market is affected. The plan now requires approval from the parliament and council and it remains to be seen whether these provisions will be incorporated into the main text of the Directive or left without legal effect.
Source: Energy Efficiency and Climate Change News: 24 June 2011, IEA
Source: Energy Efficiency and Climate Change News: 24 June 2011, IEA
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