Energy Newsbriefs
Articles for January 17, 2011
ENERGY NEWSBRIEFS is a weekly current awareness service provided by the WSU Extension Energy Program Library and written by Angela Santamaria, WSU Energy Library Manager, to assist users in tracking developments in the energy field. To view past issues or to subscribe to receive an email notification of the publication of a new issue, go to the Energy Newsbriefs home.
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NOTE TO ALL:
For the seventh consecutive year, the WSU Energy Program Library's Energy-Related Bill Tracking Tool for the 2011 Legislative session of Washington State is now available.
APPLIANCES
"Motors Standards Evolve," by Frank Ladonne, Principal Engineer for Rotating Machinery and Overcurrent Protection, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), was published in the November 2010 issue of Appliance Design. It describes the rationale for the changing motor standards under which UL is operating.
CODES
"Next Generation Energy Codes Finalized," by Ron Burton, Vice President for Codes, Standards & Regulatory, was published in the December 2010 issue of Buildings. The author describes the far reaching changes in the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) that are expected to increase energy efficiencies by 25% - 30%.
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
"Energize Your Energy Purchases," by Richard J. Costello, President, Acela Energy Group, was published in the December 2010 issue of Buildings. It lists and discusses six steps to help the facilities manager (not the accounting department) make the best decisions when buying energy whether from utilities or through power marketers.
GREEN BUILDINGS
"Employee-Focused Interiors," by Karen Kroll, Contributing Editor, Building Operating Management, is a three-part article that was published in the December 2010 issue of that journal: Part 1 is Study Links Green Buildings and Employee Productivity. Anecdotal "evidence" aside, there are studies that have been able to show a connection between a sustainable building environment and worker productivity, which includes fewer days absent from work for health-related reasons. Part 2 is Rethinking Office Layouts and Space Planning. More access to more daylight for more employees underlies the current thinking about the design of office space. Part 3 is Daylighting and Acoustics are Concerns in Office Spaces. Full or partial glass for interior glass walls enable daylight to continue through enclosed office spaces and reduce the need for artificial lighting.
HVAC/R (HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION)
"Cool Costs and Hot Savings," by Dan Rafter, is a three-web-page article in the December 2010 issue of Distributed Energy. It describes the successful effort to make a university's chiller system more efficient by using software that accurately and continuously adjusts the running of a chiller station. It saves the university a half million energy dollars a year. "Integrate Your Plans for Energy and Maintenance" was authored by Patrick O'Donnell, President, Enviro Team Group Inc., and was published in the December 2010 issue of Buildings. It shows how to ensure that proper maintenance of HVAC systems not only prolongs the life of the equipment, but, also, saves as many energy dollars as possible. This is a Continuing Education opportunity, but, also, is a valuable article on its own. "Laboratory Expects to Save Six Figures by Installing Wireless Sensors at its Steam Lines," by staff, is a short article that appeared in the December 2010 issue of Appliance Design. It describes the steam efficiency effort by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) that is expected to save several hundred thousand dollars a year. The effort includes replacing poorly-working steam traps as well as installing the sensors.
PLANT MAINTENANCE
"Diagnostic Technologies Drive Smarter Turnarounds," by Wally Vahlstrom, P.E., and Jeff W. Jostad, Emerson Process Management, appeared in the December 2010 issue of Maintenance Technology. It emphasizes the value of using diagnostic technologies to take the guesswork, and wasted maintenance dollars, out of the overhauling or replacement of equipment during planned outages.
WIND
The following two articles were published in the December 2010 issue of Wind Systems:
- "The Critical Nature of Cable Design," was written by Ram Ramachandran, Global Director for End-Use Marketing, Dow Wire & Cable. It explains the importance of good and reliable cable to carry wind power underground or underwater from point of generation to transformer, where it is sent to the grid.
- "Maximizing Wind Energy Yield," by Greg Efthimiou, Duke Energy Corporate Communications, urges wind farm owners to attend to those efforts which ensure overall high-performance rather than spending too much time and money trying to make up for small losses due to variable winds.
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