I am not a big believer in things that sound too good to be true. But, in the world of energy efficiency and renewable energy,...
There May Be No Such Thing as a Clean Energy Free Lunch – Anymore
by Martin Flusberg | Fri, 08/06/2010 - 16:04I am not a big believer in things that sound too good to be true. But, in the world of energy efficiency and renewable energy, there has been a program that comes as close as anything to a free lunch.
The program is called PACE – or Property Assessed Clean Energy. For those not familiar with it, the idea is that a local community uses a bond issue to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy in the form of loans to homeowners that are paid back through property tax assessments, typically over 20 years. The beauty of this is that, if designed properly, the homeowner’s energy savings more than cover the cost of the assessment – making it free for them. The community gets the money back to repay the bond – resulting in a free lunch all around. This can be an extremely effective way to spur energy savings, not to mention create local jobs.
Consumers, Utilities, and The Smart Grid
by Martin Flusberg | Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:00The establishment of the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) a couple of months back – and the related market research reports on consumer recognition of the term Smart Grid – highlights one of the inherent disconnects between the oft-cited role of consumers in the Smart Grid and the likely reality.
Home Energy Management Systems: Sifting Through the Confusion
by Martin Flusberg | Fri, 01/22/2010 - 12:00The media and analysts covering Clean Tech and the Smart Grid frequently describe the Home Energy Management space as one of the hottest areas, in terms of both new company formation and market opportunity. As the CEO of one of the start-ups in this space, I enjoy this coverage from a certain perspective. However, what I sometimes find frustrating is the blurring of a number of different concepts – admittedly related ones – as if they were all the same (which is not historically uncommon for markets at this stage of development). It has even been suggested that we are already in a bubble, with too many firms chasing the same dream. While I won’t argue that there are probably a lot more companies in this space today than there will be in a few years when the market has begun to mature, what is often lost in these discussions is that different companies are, in fact, addressing different elements of the market.
10 Smart Energy Announcements You Won’t See in 2010
by Martin Flusberg | Wed, 12/30/2009 - 11:59At the annual National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) meeting, a decision was made to order utilities in all 50 states to roll out smart meters to all of their customers within 4 years, while putting the costs in the rate base. As one utility regulator put it: “It’s 2010 for goodness sake. How can we still have meter readers running around all over the place? Besides, those cost-benefit studies take up way too much time, and are so boring.”
Senate Republicans unanimously backed a Cap-and-Trade bill that requires all carbon credits to be auctioned off, starting immediately. One Republican Senator reported: “It’s a free market solution that will actually create jobs in the clean tech sector. What were we thinking?”
Can Energy Monitoring Reduce Energy Usage? Yes, and Here’s How
by Martin Flusberg | Fri, 10/02/2009 - 11:59Marty Flusberg, CEO, Powerhouse Dynamics
As someone involved with energy monitoring, I am often asked why monitoring should have any intrinsic effect on energy reduction. I have found that defensively snapping: “because it does” somehow does not win the argument.
For that reason, when I recently again came across the EPRI study that was released earlier this year entitled Residential Electricity Use Feedback: A Research Synthesis and Economic Framework, I was struck anew by the wealth of insight that the study had to offer. This was caused by a combination of the synthesis of multiple prior studies and the creation of a conceptual framework for the results.
For example, one of the conceptual elements was a topology of feedback mechanisms in order of relative effectiveness, as shown here:
Home Green Home – Where are Home Electronics Integrators Headed?
by Martin Flusberg | Sun, 09/06/2009 - 11:58A recent report suggests that home systems Integrators are beginning to branch into the “Green market” in response to market conditions that are negatively affecting their revenue base. This trend, of course, pre-dates the current recession, with CEDIA leading efforts for several years to promote a green strategy for Integrators.
The report (conducted by Parks Associates jointly with CEDIA) reminded me of an article that appeared in the New York Times last January entitled: ”Smart Home is Still Looking for a Market.” In it, the reporter notes that the Smart Home concept has been around for decades but still remains a dream. He then quotes Tim Woods of Poco Labs as saying, and here I paraphrase, “what is needed is a killer app……. and that killer app will be energy efficiency”. Seems like the industry is hoping to unleash the killer app.
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The establishment of the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) a couple of months back – and the related market research...
The media and analysts covering Clean Tech and the Smart Grid frequently describe the Home Energy Management space as one of the hottest...
At the annual National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) meeting, a decision was made to order utilities in all 50...
Marty Flusberg, CEO, Powerhouse Dynamics
As someone involved with energy monitoring, I am often asked why monitoring should have...
A recent report suggests that home systems Integrators are beginning to branch into the “Green market” in response to market...