Decision process for energy efficient building retrofits : the owner\u27s perspective

Energy consumption and conservation is an important consideration for commercial building owners. The commercial building sector consumes a great deal of energy. Energy reduction for commercial buildings can result in operations cost savings and reduction in environmentally harmful emissions. The decision process employed by owners to determine the energy conservation measures for an existing building retrofit requires a repeatable standard. This research investigates decision steps that are currently used. Then it determines what decision steps should be followed, and important aspects and considerations that will improve the process. The research used literature review and case study interviews to collect and analyze qualitative data. The literature review examined published articles, books, and manuals that focused on all aspects of energy conservation of existing buildings. The interviews were conducted with twelve owner organizations involved in building retrofits that include energy conservation measures (ECM). The research used a collective case study design approach where the organizations answered open ended questions. Additionally, the research made observations of the process in action and acquired documents that helped describe criteria for the specific step in the process. The research developed an integrated decision process for building retrofits that include ECMs. The integrated process is as follows: 1) Building Energy Data, 2) ECM Identification and analysis, 3) Assessment, 4) Design and Plan, and 6) Approval. The process must be conducted in an integrated manner. The building energy data stage must review the current energy consumption status and determine a set goal that the retrofit must achieve. The analysis must review the implementation of ECMs by using integrated design techniques. The assessment of the analyzed ECMs must review a set of alternatives to determine the most financial feasible option that meets the energy conservation goals. The design and plan step uses the information determined in the assessment to prepare the project for approval and implementation. The final step of approval entails finalizing funding and procuring construction operations. Organizations can improve their decision process by adopting the integrated process and also by establishing and following a set of goals. The goals must factor in financial and environmental indicators to appropriately prioritize and plan projects. Organizations should have strategies for dealing with issues such as upfront cost, lack of knowledge, low returns on investment, time to implement, and non-energy requirements. The research synthesized literature review and organizational practices to establish a best practice approach for decision makers. It also evaluates how organization can establish ECM goals and overcome common barriers

A summary of the users perspective of LANDSAT-D and reference document of LANDSAT users

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

California Methanol Assessment; Volume II, Technical Report

A joint effort by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering has brought together sponsors from both the public and private sectors for an analysis of the prospects for methanol use as a fuel in California, primarily for the transportation and stationary application sectors. Increasing optimism in 1982 for a slower rise in oil prices and a more realistic understanding of the costs of methanol production have had a negative effect on methanol viability in the near term (before the year 2000). Methanol was determined to have some promise in the transportation sector, but is not forecasted for large-scale use until beyond the year 2000. Similarly, while alternative use of methanol can have a positive effect on air quality (reducing NOx, SOx, and other emissions), a best case estimate is for less than 4% reduction in peak ozone by 2000 at realistic neat methanol vehicle adoption rates. Methanol is not likely to be a viable fuel in the stationary application sector because it cannot compete economically with conventional fuels except in very limited cases. On the production end, it was determined that methanol produced from natural gas will continue to dominate supply options through the year 2000, and the present and planned industry capacity is somewhat in excess of all projected needs. Nonsubsidized coal-based methanol cannot compete with conventional feedstocks using current technology, but coal-based methanol has promise in the long term (after the year 2000), providing that industry is willing to take the technical and market risks and that government agencies will help facilitate the environment for methanol. Given that the prospects for viable major markets (stationary applications and neat fuel in passenger cars) are unlikely in the 1980s and early 1990s, the next steps for methanol are in further experimentation and research of production and utilization technologies, expanded use as an octane enhancer, and selected fleet implementation. In the view of the study, it is not advantageous at this time to establish policies within California that attempt to expand methanol use rapidly as a neat fuel for passenger cars or to induce electric utility use of methanol on a widespread basis

Affordable heat: A whole-buildings efficiency service for Vermont families and businesses

Policy Leadership Initiative Year III Addressing Energy Challenges for Low-income Families in Northern New Englan

State Agencies

Dear Mr. Ellis: At your request we have reviewed the 2013 Ten-Year Site Plans ofthe electric utilities. The Department of Economic Opportunity's review focused on potential sites for future power generation, and the compatibility of those sites with the applicable local comprehensive plan, including the adopted future land use map, adjacent land uses, and natural resources on or adjacent to the potential sites. Our review ofthe 2013 Ten-Year Site Plans addressed ten potential power plant sites identified in the Ten-Year Site Plans ofthe following utilities: Florida Power & Light Company, Gulf Power Company, and Seminole Electric Cooperative. None of the potential sites were found to be incompatible with the applicable local comprehensive plan. Should you have any questions regarding these comments, please call Scott Rogers

Technology utilization program report, 1974

The adaptation of various technological innovations from the NASA space program to industrial and domestic applications is summarized

Second Symposium on Space Industrialization

The policy, legal, and economic aspects of space industrialization are considered along with satellite communications, material processing, remote sensing, and the role of space carriers and a space station in space industrialization

Economics of Electricity Battery Storage

This chapter deals with the challenges and opportunities of energy storage, with a specific focus on the economics of batteries for storing electricity in the framework of the current energy transition. Storage technologies include a variety of solutions that have been used for different grid services, including frequency control, load following, and uninterrupted power supply. A recent interest is being triggered by the increasing grid balance requirements to integrate variable renewable sources and distributed generation. In parallel, lithium-ion batteries are experiencing a strong market expansion driven by an uptake of electric vehicles worldwide, which is leading to a strong decrease of production costs, making Li-ion batteries an attractive solution also for stationary storage applications

Third Earth Resources Technology Satellite Symposium. Volume 2: Summary of results

Summaries are provided of significant results taken from presentations at the symposium along with some typical examples of the applications of ERTS-1 data for solving resources management problems at the national, state, and local levels