New direction for that federal agency whose name I can’t remember

By Elisa Wood
November 17, 2011

The US Department of Energy’s reputation is now enshrined as the agency that Republican presidential contender Rick Perry wants to dismantle – if only he could remember its name. But a recent report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences offers a different direction for the federal agency, one that may not make it more memorable, but a bit more people-centered.

The academy tackles a problem that beguiles the energy industry. Now that we have the technology that lets householders take more control of their energy destiny, how do we inspire them to do so?

The question is central to energy efficiency efforts because smart technologies, such as home energy displays and cell-phone controlled thermostats, offer new ways to save energy. A lot of energy – and therefore money – is at stake. Homes account for about 30–40 percent of US energy consumption. So cutting household energy use by just 20 percent would reduce total national energy use 7.5 percent, according to the report.

We can blame the energy industry for our lack of interest in home energy management, or credit the industry, depending on how you look at it. Utilities have done their job too well. Energy flows invisibly into our homes. Or as Steven Koonin, DOE undersecretary for science, says in the report: “One of the great triumphs of modern society is that we’ve hidden the infrastructure. Nobody really understands where electricity, gas, or water come from.”

Now that we want people to be aware, how do we make energy infrastructure visible, at least psychologically?

The academy says it’s time for the energy industry to seek answers within the social sciences, a realm it’s rarely delved into. Drawing from a two-day workshop the academy held in May, the report highlights several places were human nature and energy realities collide.

• People don’t trust government or institutions. In fact, trust in almost every major American institution has declined since the 1960s. But our trust can be re-won, albeit not easily, if we’re invited to participate in the creation of policy and programs.
• Humans are not rational. We make decisions based on incomplete information or the advice of trusted acquaintances who may not know much. Arguments by industry experts won’t win us over, but we may start saving energy if we think it will enhance our social status.
• An energy efficiency paradox exists. Even if people can save money, they may not pursue energy savings. Part of the problem is a perception that energy savings technologies lack quality, as in misconceptions that efficient lighting must be hard on the eyes.
• Making our homes more energy efficient needs to be easy, and is often not. “Poor marketing, delayed incentives, burdensome paperwork, and uncertain product quality” characterize too many home retrofit programs, says the report.
• Even if energy efficiency produces long-term savings, people often will avoid spending the money on retrofits or new appliances if upfront costs are high.

There are no easy answers here. The report recommends that the DOE’s number crunching arm, the Energy Information Administration, begin gathering data that will help social scientists figure out why and how we consume energy. The report acknowledges, though, that any attempt to expand the DOE to do this work may be met with political resistance at this time.

For those interested in the topic of energy and human behavior, look to more information likely to emerge later this month from the annual Behavior, Energy and Climate Changeconference that will be held in Washington, DC.

Elisa Wood is a long-time energy writer whose work can be found at RealEnergyWriters.com.

Energy Star failings: Much ado about something

By Elisa Wood

August 26, 2010

As suspected, Energy Star appliances do not always live up to their energy savings claims, according to preliminary results of laboratory tests reported his week by the US Department of Energy (DOE).

The DOE began testing the appliances after watchdogs raised serious questions about the federal labeling program. The Energy Star seal appears on hundreds of models of refrigerators, air conditioners, clothes washers and other appliances as proof to consumers that the products meet government standards for energy efficiency and performance.

But because manufacturers self-certify their products, the program is “vulnerable to fraud and abuse,” alleged the federal Government Accountability Office in a March 2010 report. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-470/. In response, the DOE, which runs Energy Star with the US Environmental Protection Agency, hired four independent labs to test actual energy savings against manufacturers’ claims.

Richard Karney, program leader in testing and verification for the DOE Buildings Technology Program explained findings from the first round of testing in a webinar Aug. 24.

The DOE purchased the appliances directly from stores, and the labs tested to see if they achieve savings within 5% of their claims. With over 40% of tests complete, the DOE reported failure by 16% of the refrigerators, 18% of clothes washers and 29% of room air conditioners.

To be fair, the tests also revealed that a fair number of appliances exceed Energy Star savings requirements.

So what happens now?

The DOE has informed manufacturers who failed in the first round of testing. Next, the federal agency will purchase additional appliances and retest the failed models. Manufacturers can choose to pull their models from the second round of testing. All appliances that fail a second time, or are pulled from the program by manufacturers, will be reported to the EPA for enforcement action. The EPA may then strip the appliances of the Energy Star label.

The EPA will make public the products that are disqualified. It will not name those that passed the test out of concern they will gain unfair market advantage over those appliances that have yet to be tested, Karney said. The DOE plans to test 20% of Energy Star appliances annually with the goal of evaluating all models over five years.

The initial findings underscore the importance that the efficiency industry establishes best practices to verify energy savings, a task that has haunted it for years. The nation’s new emphasis on green energy places efficiency in the spotlight, a good thing if the industry performs, a bad thing if it stumbles. The DOE is especially concerned about verification for appliances because the federal government has allotted $300 million to states for appliance rebate programs.

Cognizant of the problem, private industry groups are wisely stepping up to measure and verify energy efficiency for products and buildings, most recently the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturershttp://www.aham.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/49947.

Such self-policing is crucial to the industry’s longevity. The green energy movement has enemies who would love to portray it as a fraud. Providing consumers with accurate data is the only way to counter them.

Labs testing Energy Star appliances

• BR Laboratories
• CSA International (Toronto) and CSA OnSpeX (Cleveland)
• Intertek Testing Services
• Springboard Engineering

Elisa Wood is co-author of “Energy Efficiency Incentives for Businesses 2010: Eastern States,” http://www.realwriters.net/rew/rtlnkpr.htm.

There’s a new sheriff in town

DOE takes on enforcement of standards

By Marianne DiMascio

It’s likely that you’ve heard of EnergyStar and seen the recent headlines about USDepartment of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency efforts to ensure that appliances are as energy efficient as the blue EnergyStar label indicates. It’s less likely that you’ve heard of a parallel DOE effort to ensure that minimum energy conservation standards are being met. Because mandatory efficiency standards apply to the manufacture of appliances and therefore are less noticeable to the consumer, standards don’t often make the six o’clock news. However, DOE is actively taking on the enforcement of standards as shown by the recent headlines on the website of the DOE General Counsel:

• “DOE Requests Information to Improve Energy Efficiency Enforcement Process”
• “DOE institutes Enforcement Action against 4 Showerhead Manufacturers for Failure to Certify 116 products”
• “DOE Opens Three Investigations into Alleged Refrigerator Efficiency Violations”

In the latter press release, DOE notes that it: “takes seriously and will respond promptly to all credible information that products do not meet the federal energy efficiency standards.”

The stepped up enforcement is part of the Obama administration’s efforts to significantly increase the certification and enforcement of existing energy conservation standards. On May 4, DOE published a Request for Information asking for public feedback on a number of enforcement related issues. The website notes that DOE wants “to encourage compliance and to prevent manufacturers who break the law from having a competitive advantage over those that adhere to the rules.” According to General Counsel Scott Blake Harris, improvements will “make sure that [DOE] energy efficiency rules are rigorously and fairly enforced in order to save both energy and money for American consumers.”

Suggested improvements include the development of an ongoing program for verification testing of products sold on the market. Called “off-the-shelf” testing, it would involve acquiring products from stores for verification and then testing them at independent laboratories to verify that they meet conservation standards.

While the standards program is thought to have a generally good record of compliance, the lack of rigorous enforcement to date undermines confidence in national appliance standards.

“Given the magnitude of energy savings, we are pleased that DOE has taken steps to maintain the integrity of DOE’s appliance standards program” said Andrew deLaski, the executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. DOE’s website notes that “since President Obama came to office, DOE has issued or codified new efficiency standards for more than twenty different products, which will save consumers between $250 and $300 billion on their energy bills through 2030.”

One low-income advocate applauds DOE’s renewed commitment to enforcement. “Standards are one of the easiest, cheapest, and quickest ways to decrease energy use, save consumers money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” notes Charlie Harak of the National Consumer Law Center. “Enforcement of this incredibly cost effective energy strategy is not only what the law requires – it’s the smart thing to do.”

For more information on enforcement of standards, see the DOE website and the General Counsel Enforcement page.

Marianne DiMascio of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project is a guest blogger for Energy Efficiency Markets. Visit www.realenergywriters.com to pick up a free Energy Efficiency Markets podcast and newsletter.

Federal stimulus: Pork or real energy policy?

By Elisa Wood

February 5, 2009

Two recent gestures by President Obama indicate that he is serious about clean energy and will pursue it differently than any of his predecessors.

First, he made history in using his inaugural speech to promote renewable energy – something never done before by a US President, according to Department of Energy’s EERE News Network. http://www.eere.energy.gov/

Second, on February 5 Obama drilled down to the nitty-gritty of energy efficiency policy. In a presidential memorandum, he called for the DOE to establish higher standards for common household appliances.

“We’ll save through these simple steps over the next thirty years the amount of energy produced over a two-year period by all the coal-fired power plants in America,” he said in remarks at the DOE.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy says the memorandum marks the first time Obama has made efficiency standards a top priority in his domestic energy policy. Obama seeks legal deadlines to set standards, “an important break from his predecessors who fell behind on updates for some 22 standards,” according to ACEEE. http://www.aceee.org/

Both of these gestures were important, and indicate he will fulfill – or at least try – his energy campaign promises. But the true test of his ability to revamp US energy policy comes as he tries to sell the $50 billion for energy in the federal stimulus package. Critics are slamming some of the provisions, such as plans to upgrade federal buildings and improve the federal transportation fleet.

“They call it pork,” Obama said. “You know the truth. It will not only save the government significant money over time, it will not only create jobs manufacturing those vehicles, it will set a standard for private industry to match. And so when you hear these attacks deriding something of such obvious importance as this, you have to ask yourself – is it any wonder we haven’t had a real energy policy in this country?”

Obama – and the clean energy industry – clearly have an education effort ahead in a world where pork and fuel efficient vehicles are seen as one in the same.

Visit Elisa Wood at www.realenergywriters.com and pick up her free Energy Efficiency Markets podcast and newsletter.