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New Venture - DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse
July 2009 -- On April 23, 2009, the Washington State University Extension Energy Program began operating the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Recovery Act Clearinghouse. The new clearinghouse helps increase the availability of information about DOE's "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" activities, and informs DOE about what is learned from interactions with the public.
The Recovery Act Clearinghouse provides initial consultations and, when appropriate, makes referrals to other information sources (e.g., websites, documents, DOE staff). For further information about the clearinghouse or the Recovery Act, visit:
https://recoveryclearinghouse.energy.gov
Building Performance Rating Project Now Complete
June 2009 -- Rich Prill and Rick Kunkle of the Washington State University Extension Energy Program recently completed a market transformation pilot project that created a rating system for scoring the performance of commercial buildings. The rating system addresses factors such as building energy performance, operation and maintenance of roof-top HVAC units, and building occupant satisfaction. Six buildings in Washington State were recruited and used to obtain input from the building owner/manager, occupants, and O&M service providers and to field test the proposed rating system tools. The project’s final report, which includes score cards developed and tested by the project, is available at: http://www.energy.wsu.edu/documents/building/project/Commercial_Bldg_O&M_Rating_System_Prill.pdf
Services Available to Industrial Facilities
May 2009 -- The Washington State University Extension Energy Program is part of a regional team that offers technical support, plant assessments and best-practices trainings at industrial facilities in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. These services, which are aimed at improving energy efficiency, are provided at little or no cost to Northwest facilities. For additional information, visit: http://www.energy.wsu.edu/projects/industrialservices/. For a brochure about these services: http://www.energy.wsu.edu/documents/industrialservices/IndustrialServices.pdf
IAQ News – Indoor Air Quality Information for Schools
April 2009 -- The Washington State University Extension Energy Program publishes a quarterly electronic newsletter for Northwest schools on the topic of indoor air quality (IAQ). IAQ News features articles and tips on improving the indoor air quality of school facilities, along with announcements of resources and events geared toward educators and facility managers. For recent issues, visit: http://www.energy.wsu.edu/pubs/default.cfm#iaq_schools.
New Factsheet -- "Externally Applied Building Insulation"
March 2009 -- The Washington State University Extension Energy Program recently published the factsheet, "Externally Applied Building Insulation." This method of insulating a residential or commercial building consists of applying rigid foam insulation and a weatherproof outer coating or cladding to the building’s exterior. This insulation system saves on energy costs and may reduce the cost of framing by adding enough insulation to a 2x4 frame wall to let it match the insulation level of a modern 2x6 wall. For a copy of the factsheet, visit: http://www.energy.wsu.edu/documents/PTR/WSUEEF-Ext_Applied_Bldg_Insulation-Dec08.pdf.
Tool Tracks Energy Legislation
February 2009 -- Monitoring the status of energy bills during the 2009 Washington State legislative session is easy.
A tool that tracks energy bills is available on the Washington State University Extension Energy Program website, courtesy of the WSU Energy Library. In addition to monitoring the status of a bill, the tool provides links to the full text, amendments, fiscal notes, and more.
To use the tracking tool, visit: http://www.energy.wsu.edu/library/bills/energybilltracking.cfm
Green Jobs in Washington State -- A New Report
February 2009 -- A recent survey of private employers in Washington developed a baseline measure of the number and type of "green economy" sectors as well as current employment in these sectors. This baseline will be used to track industry and job growth in the state’s emerging green economy. The survey was administered by the Washington State Employment Security Department and the report was prepared by the Washington State University Extension Energy Program. The report, 2008 Washington State Green Economy Jobs, is available at: http://energy.wsu.edu/documents/Green_Jobs_Report_2008.pdf.
For a one-page handout "Green Jobs in Washington State," visit: http://energy.wsu.edu/documents/Green-Jobs-WA-Jan09.pdf
Handout Highlights Energy Program Activities
January 2009 -- An updated two-page handout about the Washington State University (WSU) Energy Program features just a few of the wide range of activities in which we're involved and the audiences we reach. Activities highlighted in the handout include bioenergy and rural development, as well as support for public sector Resource Conservation Managers. For a copy of the handout, visit http://www.energy.wsu.edu/documents/WSUEEP-handout-Dec08.pdf.
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