The study showed coal potentially reaching its peak before 2020.  (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File) Fossil fuels in for a downward spiral, report says Posted in the Washington Examiner By JOHN SICILIANO • 10/10/16 2:31 PM Coal and oil are headed for a downward spiral in the next 20 years, when energy demand is projected to […]

The Opinion Pages | OP-ED CONTRIBUTORS The New York Times Why Obama Is Right on Clean Energy By WILLIAM D. RUCKELSHAUS and WILLIAM K. REILLY SEPT. 25, 2016 Graphic Credit:  Harry Campbell Last year, President Obama took aim at the nation’s largest source of carbon dioxide pollution, announcing a plan that would reduce these climate-changing […]

 Military bases to install ground-source heat pumps Air Conditioning and Refrigeration News July 12, 2000 U.S. military bases soon will add ground source heat pumps to an arsenal of energy savers, according to Oklahoma State University professor Jim Bose. The federal Energy Department recently selected five companies, all affiliated with the International Ground Source Heat […]

Don’t let ghosts of Enron haunt us again Sacramento Bee 9-25-16 BY BILL JULIAN Special to The Bee     Remember Enron, rolling blackouts and double-digit electricity rate increases? How could we forget so soon. California embarked on a momentous and catastrophic experiment to deregulate its electrical system 20 years ago this month. We are […]

 Climate Credits Announced by California Public Utilities Commission [sent in a Pacific Gas & Electric Customer’s Billing] This month* your utility bill will include a credit identified as the “California Climate Credit.” Your household and millions of others throughout the state will receive this credit on your utility bills. This payment comes from a California […]

Call the graphic at left “The Blossom of Sustainability.”  There’s nothing but benefits with the deployment of millions more geothermal heat pumps (GHPs).  They separate society from the use of fossil fuels for occupied buildings.  GHPs connect with thermal energy underground like a battery.  That’s access to a sustainable renewable resource. Sustainability GHPs are long-lived.  Some in residential use […]

The image at left may cause you to think this is an inactive air conditioning condenser in winter months.  It is not.  This is an air-source heat pump (ASHP) struggling in the heating mode.  It’s a vertical discharge unit that normally pulls air in from the sides and discharges it vertically. RESTRICTED BY SNOW As […]

One of the biggest hurdles to clear when talking to others about geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) is to erase the common misperception that this equipment is somehow connected to hot rocks and steam generation of electricity from deep under the earth.  That’s not it!  GHPs leverage electricity to efficiently work with the earth’s thermal battery. […]

Residential energy use called out by function in a pie chart matters very much.  This is because such information can point us toward that next best goal to reduce consumption and save money. Not every home will consume the same proportions by function of the pie chart at left, but the variance will be least among the […]

The temperature of the outside air is what affects the comfort of indoor spaces in all buildings.  Unlike shallow earth temperatures,  outdoor air displays a great range from day-to-night, and across the seasons.  This results in heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment always opposing the influence of outdoor air during extreme temperature swings. HEATING—COOLING […]