Tag Archives: Department of Energy

Green Button Initiative

green buttonLast month the White House called for power companies to help people in the United States better manage their energy usage.   So your electricity bill may be expanding with new support from the private sector and government agencies.

Nine new utilities and electricity suppliers have answered the White House’s call and now more than 15 million Americans are able to view their electricity usage electronically via the Green Button initiative.  These suppliers will make their customers’ energy-usage information available on their websites so people can quickly make informed decisions about how to better use their power. Essentially you will be able to click a green button on a website to view your energy usage information.

The feds modeled Green Button after a similar initiative called Blue Button that lets people click a button online to view their personal health data and share it with healthcare providers and other trusted health partners.

On April 5th the Department of Energy will launch it Apps for Energy challenge on the Challenge.gov website. Sponsored by PG&E and Itron, this challenge will offer a $100,000 grand prize to the best application that leverages open energy data to help people use electricity and other power utilities more effectively.

This data also is spawning new Web and smartphone applications from the private sector that help people perform a number of energy efficiency-related actions, such as choose the most economical rate plan for their usage patterns; choose the correct size for and finance rooftop solar panels; and create a more energy-efficient lifestyle.

As a leader in building automation, Advanced Control Corporation is delighted to the see White House’s effort to help people manage electricity usage. Advanced Control Corporation can help you manage your buildings energy usage and provides smartphone applications with tenant override technology that is personally tailored to fit your building automation needs. The smartphone based override module allows tenants the capability to override HVAC, lighting, and temperature controls.  Advanced Control Corporation implements a proven strategy for superior energy management with tools and resources to help each step of the way. If you are interested and finding out more information about energy management contact Advanced Control Corporation at 954.491.6660 today!

 

The Department of Energy Grants $76 Million for Energy-Efficient Building Technologies

On June 17, 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy announced more than $76 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support advanced energy-efficient building technology projects and training programs.

The funding will be given to selected projects that will help make the nation’s buildings more energy efficient and cost-effective. “These projects will help the United States lead the world in advancing energy-efficient technologies,” says U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, “Energy-efficient commercial buildings will help our country cut its carbon emissions and energy costs while the training programs will upgrade the skills of the current workforce and attract the next generation to careers in the emerging clean-energy economy.”

Since the nation’s 114 million households and 74 million square feet of commercial space account for 40% of U.S. energy consumption, advanced energy-efficient projects will certainly reduce the demand.

So who is getting the money? Projects were selected in five different categories:

  • Advanced Building Control Strategies, Communications and Information Technologies for Net-Zero Energy Buildings – $22.5 million given to 12 projects to focus on transforming the design, operation and maintenance of both new and existing buildings. Organizations include: University of California in Berkeley, Honeywell, Siemens, Johnson Controls and more.
  • Analysis, Design and Technical Tools – $6 million given to 5 projects for improving building elements such as internal heat gains, lighting power, HVAC equipment, controls, thermal and visual comfort and energy costs. Organizations to receive money are: University of Central Florida, Cornell University, Syracuse University, University of Washington and Eaton Corporation.
  • Building Envelope and Windows – $22.8 million given to 14 projects for improving the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings. Dow Chemical Company, Syntroleum Corporation and Quanta Technologies are just to name a few.
  • Residential and Commercial Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Crosscutting Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Research – $11.1 million given to 10 projects for dramatically increasing the efficiency of HVAC systems. Organizations include: University of Central Florida, Purdue University, General Electric, Chemtura Corporation and more.
  • Water Heating, Residential, Commercial Appliances and Miscellaneous Electric Loads – $6 million given to 4 projects for increasing the efficiency of water heating equipment. The money will be divided among TIAX, Whirlpool, Porticos and Stone Mountain Technologies.

See the DOE website for the full list of fund recipients. An additional $7.6 million will be given to develop training programs because the United States is in need of building experts who know how to properly run and tune building heating and cooling systems. With over twenty years of experience, Advanced Control Corporation is the industry leader in building automation, energy management, system integration, access control and CCTV solutions. As the finest controls company in South Florida, Advanced Control provides innovative building systems, cost-effective energy management, expert system integration and other comprehensive services.