February 3, 1999

News and Events

• Gore Announces Proposed Funding for Efficiency and Renewables, including Energy $mart Schools
• President's Budget Details Proposed Tax Incentives
• EERE Releases Requested Budget for Fiscal Year 2000
• DOE Secretary Touts Energy $mart Schools in the South
• DOE Kicks Off Energy $mart School Teleconferences
• UC Berkeley Student's Coop Chooses Green Power
• Minnesota PUC Orders 400 MW of New Wind Capacity

Site News

• DOE's Atlanta Regional Support Office
• Alliance to Save Energy

Energy Facts and Tips

• Record-Breaking U.S. Coal Production Expected in 1999
• Choose Efficiency when Replacing Windows

About this Newsletter

News and Events

A new DOE initiative, Energy $mart Schools, sets the theme for this week's newsletter. The initiative draws on private sector partners to help schools save energy. See the Web site.

Gore Announces Proposed Funding for Efficiency and Renewables, including Energy $mart Schools
In a statement by Vice President Gore on January 28th, he discussed the administration's budget proposal for fiscal year 2000. According to Gore, the proposal includes $1.4 billion for research and development on "clean and efficient energy supply and end use technologies to promote advanced renewable energy technologies, ultra-efficient cars, and 'Energy Smart' Schools." Gore also announced a complementary package of tax incentives totaling $3.6 billion over five years.

See Vice President Gore's statement under "This Week's Releases" on the Publications section of the White House Web site.

President's Budget Details Proposed Tax Incentives
President Clinton officially submitted the proposed budget to Congress on February 1st. According to background information on the White House Web site, the budget includes tax credits of between $1,000 and $4,000 for consumers who purchase advanced-technology, highly fuel- efficient vehicles; a 15 percent credit (up to $2,000) for purchases of rooftop solar equipment (to provide incentives for meeting the Million Solar Roofs goal); and a tax credit of up to $2,000 for purchasing energy-efficient new homes. The proposed budget is posted on the White House Web site.

EERE Releases Requested Budget for Fiscal Year 2000
In a related story, DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) released on February 1st the "Budget-in-Brief," which summarizes EERE's budget request for fiscal year 2000. The document requests more than $1.2 billion in funding, which represents a 20% increase over the current fiscal year's budget. It includes funding for several "crosscutting" initiatives, including Energy $mart Schools, a Bioenergy Initiative, a Transmission Reliability and Distributed Power initiative, and International Programs. See the EERE page on the EREN Web site.

DOE Secretary Touts Energy $mart Schools in the South
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson visited Georgia and Florida recently to promote the Energy $mart Schools initiative. In Georgia, Richardson announced that Southern Company has joined the Energy $mart Schools team. Southern Company is the parent company of five electric utilities in the South; its subsidiaries also build power plants and sell energy and energy services worldwide. See the Southern Company Web site.

In Florida, Richardson announced $1 million in funding to assist Florida schools in purchasing and using smart energy technologies, including photovoltaics and other renewable and energy-efficient resources.

See the DOE press releases on Richardson's visits.

DOE Kicks Off Energy $mart School Teleconferences
DOE will host the first of a series of Energy $mart School teleconferences on February 9th. The first teleconference, presented in partnership with the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, will demonstrate how geothermal heat pumps can cut heating and cooling costs in schools. Future teleconferences will focus on the successful financing and execution of school energy efficiency projects. For more information, call 1-800-315-3840 or see the news bulletin.

UC Berkeley Student's Coop Chooses Green Power
In other school news, the University Students' Cooperative Association (UCSA) in Berkeley, Calif., has chosen to purchase 100 percent renewable electricity from Green Mountain Energy Resources. UCSA is a non-profit housing cooperative owned and operated by and for students, primarily those at the University of California at Berkeley. UCSA has 17 houses and three apartment buildings, housing a total of 1,300 students.

See the "In the News" section of Green Mountain Energy Resource's Web site.

Minnesota PUC Orders 400 MW of New Wind Capacity
In renewable energy news, Minnesota's Public Utility Commission (PUC) has ordered Northern States Power to add another 400 megawatts (MW) of wind power by 2012, according to Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ME3), a non-profit organization. This will be in addition to 425 MW planned to be built by 2002, of which 132 MW has already been built. The total wind capacity will be enough to supply power to more than 300,000 homes.

For further information, see ME3's Energy News Web site.

Site News

U.S. Department of Energy Atlanta Regional Support Office
DOE's Atlanta Regional Support Office (ARSO) promotes the use of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and practices in the southeastern United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Browse this Web site for information about ARSO programs and activities, staff, partnerships, and news.

For this and other recent additions see the EREN Web site.

Alliance to Save Energy
The Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) is a nonprofit organization that promotes the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide. The ASE Web site includes information about ASE programs, with special sections for consumers, educators, media, and energy industry professionals. The site currently features the debut issue of ASE's bimonthly newsletter, e-FFICIENCY NEWS.

Energy Facts and Tips

Record-Breaking U.S. Coal Production Expected in 1999
The National Mining Association (NMA) is predicting that the production of coal in the United States will reach a new high of 1.121 billion tons in 1999. If so, 1999 will be the third year in a row of record-breaking U.S. coal production. NMA credits the record production to steadily increasing coal consumption at electric utilities. NMA's report, "1999 Forecast of Coal Markets" is available on their Web site

The Web site also includes statistics about coal mining, such as the fact that the electric utility industry consumes about 83 percent of the coal produced in the United States. Wyoming is the leading coal-producing state, followed by West Virginia and Kentucky.

Choose Efficiency when Replacing Windows
Old windows are often energy losers in two ways: They let outside air leak into buildings, and they insulate poorly against outside temperatures. Modern, efficient windows can provide insulating capabilities nearly equivalent to the surrounding walls while minimizing air leakage. Window replacement is often a cost-effective approach to saving energy in homes, businesses, and schools.

In hot climates, special coatings now available can block the sun's heat while allowing sunlight into the building. These coatings should be avoided, however, in south-facing windows in cold climates. In technical terms, you want a low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) in hot climates and a high SHGC in south-facing windows in cold climates. The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) rates and labels windows according to their insulating ability, air leakage, visible light transmittance, and SHGC.

For more information about how to choose windows, including a detailed explanation of the NFRC label, see the DOE-sponsored Efficient Windows Collaborative's Web site.

The DOE/EPA Energy Star program also labels windows based on their energy efficiency. For more information, see the Energy Star Windows Web site.

About this Newsletter

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