 Conservation Update — July 1997
U.S. Deparment of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) The report, "Community Franchise Study, An Option for Local Governments Facing the Challenge of Electric Industry Restructuring," reminds officials that local governments are important stakeholders and have significant power and authority to help move the restructuring process forward in a manner to benefit their customers. According to the report, "elected officials, planners and citizens need to develop a thorough understanding of the issues in order to participate in discussions in their states, and to position their communities for whatever markets might be created." Contact: Maggie Downey, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, (508) 362-2511, x353.
Arizona Camp Colton is a stand-alone, solar-powered educational facility. This solar energy laboratory, in the shadows of the San Francisco Peaks, provides a perfect setting for a scholarly retreat. Thirteen Arizona high school students have been awarded scholarships to spend a week, beginning July 20, 1997, at Camp Colton, where they will learn from a variety of professionals in the solar energy field. Contact: Jim Arwood, (602) 280-1402
Conservation/Solar Economic Development Study Commissioned Contact: Stephen Ahearn, (602) 280-1420
California Chosen for this year's awards were the building divisions of the cities of Madera, Morgan Hill, and Pittsburg; building departments for Nevada County and the city of Livermore; the Building and Housing Department of the city of Chula Vista; community development departments in the cities of Dinuba and Irvine; building and safety divisions in the cities of Merced and Simi Valley; the Building and Safety Department in the city of La Quinta; the County of Tuolumne's Department of Building and Safety; the Division of Building and Safety for Ventura County; and the Building Inspection Department in Yuba City. The ACES Awards were presented to building departments this spring and summer at local city councils and county board of supervisors' meetings. Contact: Rob Schlichting, (916) 654-4420
California Energy Companies, Foreign Governments, Network With
On-Line Directory The directory lists nearly 700 California energy companies interested in exporting energy-related goods and services. Each company's products or services are matched with any or all of the following criteria: biomass, electric vehicles, financial services, natural gas, solar thermal, coal, energy efficiency, geothermal, petroleum, wind, cogeneration, environmental, hydroelectric, and photovoltaic. The on-line directory can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.energy.ca.gov/export Contact: Claudia Chandler, (916) 654-4989
Energy Commission Renovates, Updates, State's Building Standards The California Energy Commission has taken action to fine-tune several key provisions of the state's building standards. Residential builders, for example, will receive new energy credits for using good heating and cooling duct construction and high-performance windows. These credits, in turn, allow homebuilders to meet building codes more effectively, offering consumers a better product for their money. The proposed standards also enhance code enforcement and assure energy savings by eliminating credits for water heater blankets because they may not be durable; reducing credits for pull-down roller shades, which are often removed by occupants and typically are not operated in an energy-efficient manner; eliminating calculations for minor amounts of thermal mass, such as tile counter tops inside a structure; and offering an option to the fluorescent bathroom light to provide greater flexibility to builders and homeowners. The Energy Commission also took action to improve the energy efficiency of nonresidential buildings by recognizing recent technologies in lighting. These innovations offer substantial energy savings over the life of a commercial or industrial building, thus boosting a business's bottom line. The proposed standards were developed as a result of a cooperative process to achieve consensus. Participants included the state's building industry, environmentalists, building inspection officials, product manufacturers, energy consultants, and Commission staff. With adoption by the California Energy Commission, the new standards will next be reviewed by the California Building Standards Commission in November, 1997 and are slated to become effective in January of 1999. Contact: Claudia Chandler, (916) 654-4989
Iowa As chairman of the Governor's Ethanol Coalition (GEC), Iowa Governor Terry Branstad strongly supports the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel. The Governor views the expansion of the use of ethanol throughout the Midwest as one of his priorities. Since its inception in 1991, the GEC has succeeded in increasing the awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of ethanol and in developing improved marketing activities for both 10% (E-10) and 85% (E-85) ethanol-blended fuel. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship are valuable partners in Iowa's effort to enhance ethanol use. Both have been aggressive partners in the development of Iowa's E-85 public refueling infrastructure. This promotional effort is an example of how working together can improve our environment while enhancing economic growth. Contact: Matt McGarvey, (515) 281-8094; mncgarv@max.state.ia.us
Kentucky Today, the Division is actively working to help state and local government officials implement energy efficiency programs in their buildings. In addition to creating workshops to train building operators on low-cost/ no-cost energy efficiency measures, the division is planning a workshop to help state and local officials understand the principles of energy savings performance contracting. This form of contracting is a viable way for governments to save energy and money by securing financing for energy-efficiency projects with the savings the projects are guaranteed to produce. The division is co-sponsoring the workshop (which will be offered at three locations throughout the state on October 21, 22, and 23) with the Kentucky League of Cities, the Kentucky Magistrates and Commissioners Association, the Kentucky County Judges Association, and the Kentucky Association of School Administrators. The division has been working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which has developed considerable expertise on energy savings performance contracting as part of U.S. DOE's Energy Fitness Program. Contact: John Stapleton, (502) 564-7192
Massachusetts This funding is for the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), including those fueled by compressed natural gas or electricity. Qualified cities and towns, county governments, state agencies, and authorities in the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) region that have access to an alternative fuel supply are eligible. Funds will cover the difference in price between an alternative-fueled vehicle and a gasoline-powered vehicle of the same make and model. Grantees will also be reimbursed for other related costs, such as mechanic training, manuals, and warranties. Massachusetts has a number of fast-fill CNG fueling stations, and fast recharging for electric vehicles is available at Logan Airport. With the current availability of alternative fuel supply stations, and more refueling stations being planned, these funds will help to encourage public fleet managers to purchase AFVs. By 1999, Massachusetts will introduce AFVs into public and private fleets, and meet new ozone standards established by the federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and the Energy Policy Act of 1992. This Clean Fleets program is led by DOER, MassHighway, and the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, the Massachusetts Port Authority, the Massachusetts Department of Procurement and General Services, and the Federal Highway Administration serve on the program's steering committee. Contact: David Rand, (617) 727-4732, ext. 138
Mississippi Principals, teachers, and other staff served as energy patrol coordinators. Students patrolled their schools, turning off lights in unoccupied areas, closing doors and windows as necessary, reporting needed repairs, citing energy wasters with reminders, and rewarding energy-efficient practices with "thank you" notes. At each school, parents, teachers, and principals reported student behavioral changes as a result of the Energy Patrol Program. Each school plans to enhance its Energy Patrol Program in the upcoming school year by placing energy conservation bulletin boards throughout the schools; offering monthly rewards for classrooms that practice good conservation techniques; sponsoring contests to determine which classrooms are conserving energy on a daily basis; and awarding teachers/classrooms with Energy Conservation Certificates at regularly scheduled teachers' meetings. At the end of the school year, the Energy Division awarded each school and principal with plaques of appreciation, while Energy Patrol Coordinators and Energy Student Patrollers were awarded certificates of appreciation. The Energy Division also provided the Energy Patrollers with a field trip to the Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant and a picnic at the Grand Gulf Memorial Park. Contact: Marietta Devine, (601) 359-6600
Fuel Cell Power Plant Under Its State Energy Program Project objectives include: (a) evaluate overall efficiency and cost effectiveness of fuel cell power plants in agricultural production enterprises; (b) substantiate the durability of the fuel cell power plant, particularly in rural/remote areas; and (c) manifest the effectiveness of propane as a primary fuel in powering fuel cell power plants, particularly in areas not served by natural gas. Other financial resources for the project include U.S. DOE, Climate Change Fuel Cell Program; the Mississippi Agribusiness Council; the Mississippi Propane Education and Research Fund; and Alcorn State University. Contact: Sherry Robinson, (601) 359-6600
Oregon House Bill 3283 requires developers to reduce the overall amount of carbon dioxide emitted from new power plants. They can achieve the net reduction by such means as contributing to energy conservation efforts, developing renewable energy projects, planting trees, and using the steam from the power plant for another purpose. They must achieve a net reduction of at least 17%. The bill stemmed from a recommendation made by a seven-member task force created by the 1997 Legislature. After reviewing the state's 20-year-old energy facility siting laws, the task force concluded that the current process for siting new power plants in Oregon was a good one. But they recommended two major changes. One was to eliminate the requirement that power plant developers prove that the output of any plant that they proposed to build was needed. The task force judged such regulation as unnecessary in a competitive market. The task force also recommended the addition of the carbon dioxide standard for proposed power plants. HB 3283 had the support of various utilities (PGE and PacifiCorp), environmental groups (Northwest Environmental Advocates and Renewables Northwest), and industry groups (Oregon Business Council and the Oregon Building Trades Council). In addition, it received unanimous passage in both houses of the Oregon Legislature. Contact: Steve Sautter, (503) 378-8278
CONSERVATION UPDATE is a free monthly publication prepared by the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, Division of Energy, with funding from the United States Department of Energy, to facilitate the transfer of current State Energy Program (SEP) and technical information among the states and territories. Please submit short articles that describe successful programs, solicit ideas, share reports, studies or evaluations, or announce new publications, personnel changes, office address changes, conferences, seminars and workshops. Submittals are due by the seventh of each month. Please send submittals, address corrections, or name changes to: CONSERVATION UPDATE, Division of Energy, 663 Teton Trail, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, phone (502) 564-7192, facsimile (502) 564-7484, email: landry@nrepc.nr.state.ky.us. Past issues are available upon request. For more information, contact Karen W. Landry, Editor, or John M. Stapleton, Director.
Visit the Division's Web site at www.nr.state.ky.us/nrepc/dnr/energy/dnrdoe.html
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