As a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde helping Native American tribes around the region save energy, I have a unique understanding of how energy independence ties into tribal sovereignty and self-determination. By reducing and stabilizing energy costs, tribal governance and business operations are able to redirect capital and diversify investment holdings. I’m Read More >
Last Friday was not a typical day for me. Would this be a wasted day? Would it be rewarding? Would I be able to teach them anything? Well, I learned a lot more than I taught, and saw a glimmer of hope for the future at the end of the day. I had the privilege Read More >
Every industry has a professional association that works to promote and enhance the business of its members. We all need a place to improve our knowledge about the latest happenings that affect our work, and a chance to network with colleagues. The Association of Energy Services Professionals, or AESP, is a great example of such Read More >
Midstream programs are a great and cost-effective method for utilities and energy efficiency organizations to reach new market segments, and provide streamlined programs for your customers and trade allies. Below are some considerations for lighting specific midstream programs. Understand how a midstream offer would fit within your overall program needs. What are the gaps in your Read More >
All businesses strive to satisfy their customers. But how does a business generate great satisfaction when customers expect to receive quality service or product, and notice only when it is not provided? Let’s take two industries recently discussed in J.D. Power reports: Airlines and Utilities. Dare to guess which one has a consistently higher customer Read More >
It’s no secret that small utilities are stretched pretty thin. It isn’t uncommon for utilities in smaller or rural communities to have a lean workforce with many staffers doing double duty across departments. If you work for a small utility, you know what I’m talking about. Energy managers in these utilities know there are solid Read More >
A few months ago, I was introduced to a new friend by a mutual acquaintance. We discussed our shared interests, realized that we have many connections in common, had attended the same functions, but had never met. Although we work in different professions, we shared a deep interest in sustainability and environmental stewardship. We agreed Read More >
The commercial / industrial lighting industry has undergone a major revolution as of late. Manufacturers have saturated the market with a wide variety of versatile, high quality interior and exterior LED products that average >25% energy savings over traditional sources. Their long life ratings show promise of drastically reducing maintenance cycles for significant operations and Read More >
When considering an efficient lighting retrofit, it’s prudent to consider not just luminaire efficiency, but also the overall lighting design in your facility. IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) recommended practices address minimal footcandle requirements for specific space types, while also considering uniformity, background contrast, surface brightness (glare) and weighting factors such as age of occupants and Read More >
High intensity LED lighting is helping to reduce the effects of dirt depreciation in manufacturing environments. These compact light sources have a much lower surface area than fluorescent high-bays, which is keeping them cleaner for longer. Dirt depreciation is a common light loss factor that affects all lighting technologies. Manufacturing facilities typically have dirty environments, Read More >
