building controls & analytics – California Climate and Energy Collaborative

Lessons from the Sierra Club’s 4-Year Old Zero Net Energy Geothermal Building

August 26, 2016

best practices, building controls & analytics, buildings, energy efficiency, geothermal, renewables/DERs, weekly updates, zero net energy (ZNE)

We heard from several local governments at the SEEC Forum about the importance of not just design, but performance, in zero net energy buildings. (Learn from Berkeley, Santa Monica, SMUD, and San Diego County here). A geothermal zero net energy commercial (more…)

Microgrids Convergence Conference 10/25-26 in San Mateo

August 12, 2016

Sarina Soor

bay area, building controls & analytics, conferences, electric vehicles, energy data, events, microgrid, new technologies, resiliency, weekly updates

The Microgrids Convergence Conference will be held October 25th-26th in San Mateo! The Microgrids Convergence Conference will consist of two, unique, content-rich days: (more…)

2013 Title 24, Part 6 Lighting Alterations Update: New energy code compliance option may reduce lighting controls requirements and project costs, effective immediately for all projects permitted before December 31, 2016

July 21, 2016

Sarina Soor

building controls & analytics, building energy efficiency standards, buildings, CEC, codes and standards, compliance, energy efficiency, lighting, Title 24, weekly updates

The California Energy Commission approved the use of an optional compliance pathway for use in non-residential lighting alterations that trigger Title 24, Part 6. This is in addition to the pre-existing two compliance pathways. This new option may (more…)

CEC Approves $8M for Energy-Efficient Technologies

July 14, 2016

Sarina Soor

affordable housing, bay area, building controls & analytics, CEC, central valley, commercial, cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency, HVAC, multi-family, new technologies, residential, weekly updates, zero net energy (ZNE)

As shared in the California Energy Commission (CEC)’s release: The California Energy Commission approved six grants July 13th focused on energy efficiency with $8 million awarded for technologies and measures designed to achieve zero net (more…)

Nest partners with SolarCity on new ‘Time of Savings’ energy service

July 1, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, building controls & analytics, cost savings, demand response, energy efficiency, HVAC, residential, weekly updates

As reported by Smart Grid News, “A new service from home management product provider Nest Labs, Inc., will help customers automatically use less energy when the prices are highest. “The Nest Thermostat can find the price of energy for customers on Time of Use (TOU) (more…)

City of Huntington Beach, Partnered with UC Irvine, Altura Associates, and NREL, Awarded CEC Funds to Deploy Energy Technologies for Advanced Energy Community

June 9, 2016

Sarina Soor

anaerobic digester gas, best practices, building controls & analytics, CEC, commercial, demand response, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, Energy Management System (EMS), energy storage, funding, Local Governments in Action, new technologies, pilots, renewables/DERs, residential, SCE, SCG, southern california, southern coast, weekly updates, zero net energy (ZNE)

Congratulations to the City of Huntington Beach, who – in partnership with UC Irvine’s Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP), Altura Associates, Inc., and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has been awarded funding from the (more…)

Webinar 6/23: Energy Efficient Pneumatic Retrofits

June 9, 2016

Sarina Soor

building controls & analytics, buildings, energy efficiency, webinars, weekly updates

Event Information: FastCast: Retrofit your pneumatic thermostats to make your building smarter Date and Time: Thursday, June 23, 2016, 10:00AM PDT Description: Pneumatic thermostats waste energy, impact occupant comfort and are (more…)

NYTimes Coverage and Slideshow: Zero Net Energy Test Homes in Fontana, Homeowner Feedback, and Plans for Expansion

June 8, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, building controls & analytics, building envelope, buildings, CPUC, energy efficiency, energy storage, green building, HVAC, inland empire, lighting, renewables/DERs, residential, solar, weekly updates, zero net energy (ZNE)

The development of zero net energy (ZNE) homes in Fontana announced last April got press as the focus of this June 3rd New York Times article: A Suburban Experiment Aims for Free Energy. Visit the New York Times for the full story – (more…)

UC Davis’s TherMOOstat Lets Student Feedback Improve Comfort and Building Energy Efficiency

May 31, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, building controls & analytics, buildings, energy efficiency, measurement & verification, weekly updates

As covered in the California Aggie, a new app for student feedback is letting UC Davis know when everyone wants the A/C turned down: TherMOOstat is a data collection app that can be accessed on smartphones and laptops; (more…)

Case Study and Video: Blue Lake Rancheria Microgrid

May 29, 2016

Sarina Soor

building controls & analytics, CEC, demand response, energy efficiency, energy storage, Local Governments in Action, microgrid, new technologies, northern california, northern coast, renewables/DERs, resiliency, solar, underserved communities, weekly updates

Using a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC)’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC), the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe is working to build a low-carbon community microgrid to power the entire 100-acre (more…)

CEC Launches EPIC Program Interactive Website Showcasing Innovative Projects

May 19, 2016

Sarina Soor

building controls & analytics, energy storage, microgrid, pilots, renewables/DERs, solar, water energy nexus, zero net energy (ZNE)

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has launched a new Energy Innovation Showcase website to communicate and track progress on innovative projects awarded (more…)

From AEE: Learn How Corporate Real Estate (and Others) Uses Energy Data Software to Save Energy and Money

May 19, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, building controls & analytics, commercial, demand response, energy data, energy efficiency

Better knowledge and control over energy use is a business opportunity: it allows building owners and managers to optimize energy use to reduce wastes of energy and money (and (more…)

National Association of Home Builders Survey Shows Home Buyers Willing to Pay More for Energy Efficient Homes

April 15, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, building controls & analytics, building envelope, buildings, energy efficiency, green building, residential

A recent National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) survey shows builders responding to consumer desires for energy efficiency in homes. In a survey to consumers, (more…)

U.S. Department of Energy Releases Energy Data Accelerator Resources Toolkit

April 4, 2016

Sarina Soor

benchmarking, best practices, building controls & analytics, buildings, case study, energy data, USDOE

Announced late last week, the new toolkit is a set of case studies and best practices developed in partnership with cities and utilities nationally. Per DOE’s press release, the toolkit (more…)

The City of Portland’s Green Tenant Improvement Guide

April 2, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, building controls & analytics, buildings, commercial, energy efficiency, HVAC, lighting, publications

There are a number of local governments interested in green leases – to support green leasing, here’s a guide produced through the City of Portland that gives tenants tools to (more…)