Energy Newsbriefs
Articles for October 1, 2012
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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BUILDING SCIENCE
"Dry-Bulb?
Wet-Bulb? What’s the Difference?" was written by Alex Wilson and
published in the July 2012 issue of Environmental Building News. The
article includes a clear explanation of how heating water gives rise to the
phenomenon of latent heat and why it is so important for that to be taken into
consideration. The author shows how
both wet- and dry-bulb thermometers are used to take the measure of heat – the
dry-bulb thermometer measures sensible heat while the wet-bulb thermometer
measures latent heat.
"ORNL
Roof and Attic Design Proves Efficient in Summer and Winter," by Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, was posted in Energy
on September 10, 2012. It describes
the roof system that accomplishes the unusual feat of efficiency in hot and cold
seasons. An undated, but recent,
28-page slide presentation provides extensive illustrations of the system: "Prototype
Roof Decks Next Generation of Attic Systems," from the Building Envelope
Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, written by Dr. William Miller et al.
at the University of Tennessee and by Billy Ellis of Billy Ellis Roofing.
HVAC/R (HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR
CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION)
"Drive
Your HVAC System to High Performance," by J. Robert Howard, Facility
Manager Administrator, Certified Facility Manager, and LEED AP, was carried in
the August 2012 issue of Buildings. The author elaborates on three
actions that can bring an older HVAC system to a possibly higher level of
efficiency than it met when it was first installed.
LIGHTING
Life-Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environmental Impacts of LED Lighting
Products is a two-part
report from the Building Technologies Program of the Energy Efficiency &
Renewable Energy Office at the U.S. Department of Energy:
Part 1: "Review of the
Life-Cycle Energy Consumption of Incandescent, Compact Fluorescent, and LED
Lamps" was published
February 2012 and updated August 2012.
It is a 54-page document with an Executive Summary on document-pages 1-3
(PDF-pages 9-11).
Part 2: "LED
Manufacturing and Performance" was published
June 2012. It is a 79-page document
with an Executive Summary on document-pages 1-5 (PDF-pages 9-13).
"Seamless
Switches for Lighting Controls," by Janelle Penny, Associate
Editor, Buildings, was published in
the August 2012 issue of that journal.
It lists and discusses eight strategies for the selection of the lighting
control system most appropriate to a specific building.
ROOFING
"Cost-Efficient
Roofing Insulation for the Right Thermal Rating,"
by Christopher Curtland, Assistant Editor of Buildings, appeared in the August
2012 issue of Buildings.
It includes the sidebar "Aspects of
Efficient Roofing Insulation" and a map of the U.S. showing the old and new
thermal ratings for various climate regions.
RESIDENTIAL EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES
"Shopping
for light bulbs? Learning about
Lumens is a Bright Idea" is a two-page fact sheet from
the Federal Trade Commission; it is undated but likely published in 2011. It explains that until fairly
recently, shopping for a light bulb involved knowing how much electricity
(watts) it uses. With very
energy-efficient types of light bulbs, the wattage of each bulb has plummeted. Now, it is necessary to know how
bright the light is that the bulb gives off.
The number of lumens tells how bright the bulb is. The fact sheet includes a helpful
chart that gives the corresponding lumens for commonly known wattage numbers to
help consumers make the conversion as they buy non-traditional bulbs.
TRANSPORTATION
"Smith
Newton Vehicle Performance Evaluation" is a four-page brochure by Adam
Duran, Laurie Ramroth, and Mike Simpson, all of NREL (National Renewable Energy
Laboratory); it was published August 2012.
It shows the performance of electric and plug-in hybrid drive systems
that are being tested in medium-duty trucks.
This is a prelude to the building of 500 all-electric trucks to be
operated around the country.
"Sustainable
Transportation" is a five-page, September 2012,
fact sheet, by David Moore, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from the Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office (EERE) at DOE. It discusses advances is
transportation-related technologies.
WORKFORCE – WIND
"The Impact of Wind Development on
County-Level Income and Employment: A Review of Methods and an Empirical
Analysis" is a
two-page, September 2012, fact sheet from the Wind and Water Power Program
(WWPP), a program of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Office (EERE) of the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The
research was done for 130 counties in 12 states.
Past issues of Energy Newsbriefs are available here.
Generally, subscription information for the journals cited above can be found at the home page of their web sites.
© 2012 Washington State University Extension Energy Program. This publication contains material written and produced for public distribution. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted, provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, and that each is referenced by title with credit to the Washington State University Extension Energy Program. Copying, reprinting or dissemination, electronic or otherwise, for any other use requires prior written permission from the Washington State University Extension Energy Program.