From info@ase.org Sun Sep 12 19:56:51 2004 Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 12:42:20 -0400 From: Alliance to Save EnergyTo: cestvr@ces.iisc.ernet.in Subject: Exclusive Interview: Franklin Raines / Ice Cream & Efficiency / ASE at Asilomar: e-FFICNECY NEWS [ Part 1, Text/PLAIN 235 lines. ] [ Unable to print this part. ] [e-fn_top_a.jpg] [09_2004_nav.jpg] Alliance Anticipates ^ÑStar^Ò-y December 9 Night [mayor_wynn_award.jpg] Alliance Vice-Chair Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) presents the Charles H Percy Award to Austin Mayor Will Wynn The stars will come out during the Alliance^Òs Gala Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency December 9. The Ronald Reagan International Trade Center (ITC) will again be the glittering venue for the awards dinner. The theme this year is "Celebrating the Season of Energy Efficiency." Award recipients will be announced this month. In 2003, the Alliance's top honor, the Charles H Percy Award, went to the City of Austin, TX. The Star of Energy Efficiency was awarded to the US Department of the Navy, Johnson Controls, and Frito-Lay, Inc. Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) won the Chairman's Award. More Alliance Associates Alliance Welcomes New Associates The Alliance is proud to welcome the Consumer Energy Council of America and the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC) to the 2004 Associates Program. DOE Details How Industrial Plants Can Achieve Maximum Efficiency [doe_logo.jpg] A new "tips sheet" from the DOE Industrial Technologies Program provides quick advice on how to keep industrial systems (compressed air, steam, motors, process heating) humming at maximum efficiency. For a look at the tips, download DOE^Òs new BestPractices Steam Tip Sheet, ^ÓConsider Installing High-Pressure Boilers with Backpressure Turbine Generators^Ô More Publications. Transportation Honda Adds Motorcycles to Hybrid Line-Up [dio_75.jpg] Honda Dio Honda is venturing into totally new territory^×hybrid motorcycles and scooters. The Japanese company announced that its hybrid scooter, presumably akin to the 50cc Dio, will have 37 percent cleaner emissions and be 1.6 times more fuel efficient than the comparable gasoline-powered model. Honda, Toyota, and Ford are the only companies currently offering hybrid vehicles to consumers. More. California Allows 35+ MPG Cars in HOV Lanes; Ford Cries Foul [HOV_lane.jpg] A commuter bus breezes by on this San Francisco HOV Lane. Trying to move energy-efficient vehicles from showrooms to highways, the California legislature voted to change to the rules for High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. Legislation awaiting the governor's signature would open HOV lanes to vehicles that achieve 35 or more miles per gallon (MPG). Ford, whose 2005 Hybrid Escape averages only 31 MPG on the highway, argued that the 35 MPG requirement would discourage people from buying American cars. Honda and Toyota both manufacture cars that meet the 35 MPG requirement. More. Bill history. Also: HOV Use Makes Hybrids Attractive to Buyers What Have American Airlines^Ò Jets Learned from Hybrid Cars? Airline companies have to factor in fuel costs as part of their overhead, and refueling their tanks 75,000 times a month eats up a lot of gas money. But American Airlines has been saving more fuel recently, tapping into technology pioneered by innovative auto manufacturers like Honda. American Airlines polishes its jets, rather than painting them, a technology employed in the Honda Insight Hybrid vehicle. This decreases their weight and drag. Also, just as hybrids use battery power at low speeds, the American Airlines jets now taxi to runways under the power of electric motors (in the guise of tug-trucks) instead relying on over-powered^×gas-guzzling, and inefficient^×jet engines. More from American Airlines Chair and CEO. How do Honda Insights Work? [American_airlines_jet.jpg] American Airlines jets are polished, not painted, for less weight and drag. This image is from the Web Museum of Commercial Aviation. Alliance Board Member & Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines Reveals 'Secret' to Buying More House [frank_raines.jpg] Everyone wants to buy the most house for their money. In an exclusive interview with e-FFICIENCY NEWS, Fanne Mae CEO and Alliance Board Member Franklin Raines explains that one way to increase the "bang-to-buck ratio" is to make sure a home is energy-efficient, through an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM). Fannie Mae, once a government agency and now a private mortgage company, offers numerous mortgage products, including EEMs, to help low-, moderate-, and middle-income Americans surmount barriers to home ownership. Raines talked with e-FFICIENCY NEWS about EEMs and other ways Fannie Mae encourages energy efficiency in homes. e-FFICIENCY NEWS: At Fannie Mae, you have long made energy efficiency a top priority. Can you explain why it makes sense to invest in an energy-efficient home, and how Fannie Mae is helping people make energy efficiency a priority? [fannie_mae.jpg] Franklin Raines: The premise of an Energy Efficient Mortgage is that a home buyer who chooses an energy-efficient home will spend less on energy costs. This energy savings makes more funds available to cover other housing expenses, allowing the homebuyer to qualify for a bigger mortgage. For example, let^Òs say an energy-efficient home will save the owner $100 a month on utilities. That would boost the homeowner^Òs qualifying income another $1,200 annually, allowing him or her to buy a better home at the same income level. The first generation of Energy Efficient Mortgages 20 years ago didn^Òt really catch on. So two years ago, Fannie Mae changed its underwriting guidelines to make it easier to finance an energy-efficient home. Our new Energy Efficient Mortgage allows people to finance 100 percent of the value of the home with only a 3 percent down payment. We also adapted our guidelines for low- to moderate-income families to require even less up front. Qualification also is much quicker and easier. Lenders can use their automated loan underwriting systems to get an immediate decision for Energy Efficient Mortgages just like they do for any other standard mortgage product Fannie Mae offers. We also have helped to promote a network of independent, certified energy raters to reduce the cost of energy ratings and make it easier for consumers to find an energy rater everywhere in the nation. Full Interview. Ice Cream and Energy Efficiency at 7th Annual 'Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Expo' [icecream_efficiency_150.jpg] Burnishing their cutting-edge reputations, companies such as Alliance Associates IBM, 3M, Home Depot, and others joined exhibitors in displaying their energy-efficient products and services at yesterday^Òs 7th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO. The Expo, sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Coalition (SEC) and House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses, drew more than 800 participants who enjoyed free ice cream while learning about energy efficiency on Capitol Hill. Participants also attended two lively panel discussions on topics relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy. More. [MEA%20logo.gif] MD Gov. Ehrlich Goes to Bat For Energy Efficiency Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich (R) has come out "front and center" to back energy efficiency in TV spots produced by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). The governor takes the stage in a number of TV ads, and a 30-minute program showcasing energy-efficient homes, to promote Energy Star new home builders in his state. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is helping to fund print ads for Energy Star new homes in Maryland newspapers to coincide with the TV ads. More. PG&E to Businesses: Trade Profligacy for Profit [PG&E_long.jpg] Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is offering businesses a trade-off^×if businesses agree to curtail or cut their electricity use during official power emergencies, PG&E not only will lower their rates but also will give them access to Internet-based metering software. While other power companies have used such "Demand Response Programs," which proved popular with businesses eager to lower their monthly power bills, PG&E is agressively marketing the programs, and sweetening the deal by offering the advanced metering software which allows businesses to monitor their power consumption minute-by-minute and, thus, maximize efficiency and conservation efforts. PG&E^Òs programs reward business customers for managing their electric loads when shortfalls are predicted. More. Alliance News Green Campus Program Gears Up For 2004 School Year As the California summer waned, six university students had already started their school work. They collected energy data, designed energy-conservation brochures, and formed councils of interested students, faculty, and staff to lay the groundwork for the first year of the Alliance^Òs Green Campus program. The six California students are the first interns for the Green Campuses pilot, which aims to save energy and cut energy waste on university campuses. The program does this by getting students to improve the way they approach using energy, and encouraging them to buy products with an eye to energy efficiency. The program also seeks to build student awareness about energy issues, while strengthening academic learning. More information: Ryan Buckley. Steam Digest: Volume IV Helps Energy Managers Keep Full Head of Steam [OIT.jpg] Innovative, cost-cutting strategies to help industrial facilities boost revenues, enhance productivity, and stay competitive with overseas markets are spotlighted in the Steam Digest: Volume IV. Recently released by the DOE and Alliance, the compendium of 10 articles details ways to help plant managers improve operational performance. The new Digest features authors employed by a variety of manufacturers, national labs, and solution vendors and covers both the technical and managerial aspects of industrial steam facility optimization. Ordering information: (877) EERE-INFO (877-337-3463) Excerpts and chapters BestPractices resources and links Alliance Staff Highlight Advances At ACEEE Summer Study Alliance staff led presentations on a wide range of topics at the 2004 August Summer Study, sponsored by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). A biennial tradition, the Summer Study brings together energy-efficiency professionals from across the world. Alliance presentations delved into consumer attitudes toward energy efficiency, the role states play in setting energy policy, and whether scarce efficiency resources are well spent in K-12 education. Overview of four Alliance presentations. List of Alliance Presentations. Handout from discussion on energy-efficiency educa! tion. Paper: Taking Up Where Congress Left Off: The Ascendancy of the States in a Post-Energy Bill World. Alliance Enriches Staff; Expands Knowledge, Practice Areas As the temperature cools down, Washington is heating up, and the Alliance is getting ready for a hot new year. Part of the simmering excitement comes from new people in the mix at the Alliance. Recent hires include people with long-standing ties to the Alliance, like Swarupa Ganguli, who joins the Green Schools practice area, as well as fresh faces like Gail Hendrickson, who is heading up the Alliance^Òs new Transportation practice area. Rahul Vaswani takes the reins as the Watergy program manager. See all staff. Did You Know: Fast Facts In just two decades U.S. energy consumption will increase by almost 40 percent ^Ö equivalent to the energy used today in California, Texas, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois (Alliance to Save Energy). Looking for fast facts to spice up your articles or speeches? More quick facts. Air Can Make Your Car More Fuel-Efficient It^Òs true: properly inflated tires are safer, last longer, and can boost your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Other gas tips are available as part of DOE's and the Alliance's Powerful $avings campaign. English | español. CA State: First Annual Energy-Efficiency Week: Sept. 12-18 Conferences 9/9 GasNetworks' Fourth Annual Heating Professionals Fall Conference 9/10 Two Distance Learning Seminars for Energy Managers 9/18-19 The Green Festival - DC 9/22-24 World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC) 9/22-23 Electricity Pricing for Rates Cases and Price Responsive Demand 9/25-28 Hydrogen and Fuel Cells 2004 Conference and Trade Show 9/26-29 ICC Annual Conference: 2004 Codes Forum 9/27-28 Midwest Energy Solutions: Efficiency Policy, Programs and Regional Planning 9/28-29 Energizing the Northwest, Today and Tomorrow 9/28-30 NASEO 2004 Annual Meeting 9/28 MEEA's Inspiring Efficiency Awards Ceremony 9/29-30 Peak Load Management Alliance Fall Conference 10/18-19 International Conference for Enhanced Building Operation 2004 10/25-28 Fall ASERTTI Meeting 10/28-29 Energy Ethics 2004 11/6-7 The Green Festival - San Francisco Jobs At the Alliance Development Associate Energy and Water Efficiency Specialist/Program Manager Communications Assistant/Associate Beyond the Alliance Executive Assistant Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance R&D Program Director The Electricity Innovation Institute Transportation Policy Analyst/Scientist/Attorney Natural Resources Defense Council Policy Analyst Environmental Defense Partnership for Climate Action (PCA) Resource Conservation Specialist Willamette Education Service District Director Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florida Washington Representative EPRI All jobs Manage Your Alliance Newsletter Account You can subscribe or unsubscribe to Alliance newsletters and add information that will allow the Alliance to customize the emails you receive. Manage your account. Click here to unsubscribe. 1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC, 20036 [spacer.cfm?tracking_id=97972735_ase]