Posts Tagged ‘Energy Efficiency’
Knoxville: “The Sustainable City”
By Nolen Nychay Knoxville, Tenn. ranks second in the nation for growth in green jobs and is one of only a handful of American cities to have fully bounced back from the economic recession, according to a recent Brookings Institute report. Since 2006, the city has reduced carbon emissions by 17 percent, and under Mayor…
Read MoreInnovating with Electric Cooperatives
By Sarah Kellogg An inspiring, forward-thinking businessman, Mike Couick works to distribute affordable electricity to rural homes. “I don’t believe it’s a sustainable business plan to try to sell electricity that a member can’t afford,” Couick says. “The bottom line is their satisfaction and well-being.” Couick is the CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of South…
Read MoreProgress and Setbacks for Appalachia’s Environment
Asheville City Council Approves Clean Energy Resolution In October, the city council of Asheville, N.C., unanimously approved a resolution to phase out the city’s use of coal-fired electricity and increase power generated from cleaner sources and saved through energy efficiency. Led by local citizen groups including the Western North Carolina Alliance and the Asheville Beyond…
Read MoreLEAP’s Guy Caroselli: Take the Energy Efficiency Quiz
{ Editor’s Note } Guy Caroselli is the Local Energy Alliance Program’s senior technical advisor, but is also known as “The House Doctor.” He says he love mysteries and being challenged and shares has thirty-five years of experience in Home Performance and residential energy efficiency. As the Local Energy Alliance Program’s senior technical advisor and…
Read MoreHow the Government Shutdown Effects Rural Energy Efficiency Programs
While many rural electric cooperatives are waiting eagerly for the government to get back to work, others are moving forward on energy efficiency. While some rural electric cooperatives are large and have the ability to provide valuable services to their customers, others are smaller, cash-strapped, and face administrative and financial challenges on a daily basis.…
Read MoreEnergy Efficiency Programs Survive the Government Shutdown
Although TVA is a government-owned electric utility, the ongoing government shutdown has not affected its operations. As a result, businesses across the Southeast are able to continue saving money and energy thanks to TVA’s Energy Right Solutions for Industry program. For instance, on Oct. 8, TVA representatives and Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant handed a $2…
Read MoreGateway to Sustainability
By Kimber Ray For Patrick Ironwood, the point where the Sweet Gum Gateway home ends and the wild lands of the Cumberland Plateau begin is blurred, with the sweeping porch and edible landscape of Sweet Gum elegantly blending with the natural environment. Sweet Gum is just one of many such exemplary homes at the Sequatchie…
Read MoreMajor Efficiency Bill Stalled in the Senate
By Brian Sewell Since being introduced to the Senate in July, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, also known as Shaheen-Portman (S. 1392), promised to be the first major energy bill passed by the Senate in more than six years. Hours after debate began on the bill, however, that possibility diminished with the addition…
Read MoreA Pressing Matter: Facing the Utility Death Spiral
The most recent issue of The Appalachian Voice includes a story about distributed energy generation, especially rooftop solar, and the ways communities, nonprofits and entrepreneurs are helping each other democratize the grid. But as they do, we’re seeing just how much old-school utilities are entrenched in old-school models that, while a bit dated, are still…
Read MoreTenn Tuesday! Spotlight on Shaheen-Portman Energy Savings Act
Making 120 Energy Efficiency Amendments SEXY… We’re going to do something a little different today by focusing on a specific piece of federal legislation currently before the U.S. Senate called the “Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act” (S 1392). This bipartisan bill, sponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) is the first…
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