Electical Contractor

Lately, it seems everyone is embracing energy efficiency. It is the weapon of choice in the fight against wasteful electricity, greenhouse gases and global warming. Easy to talk about on loftier levels, it’s maybe not as easy to translate into real world terms.

Construction is scheduled to start early this year on the 250-megawatt (MW) California Valley Solar Ranch Project in San Luis Obispo County.

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes improved slightly in November, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI rose one notch to 16 from a downwardly revised level of 15 in the previous month.

ComEd customers in the Chicagoland area are on their way to saving more than $155 million in annual energy costs by taking advantage of the utility’s Smart Ideas energy--efficiency programs.

Utilities in many parts of the world, and especially in the United States, are experiencing radical operational change as they deploy smart grid upgrades. Many utilities are already seeking consulting and implementation services from vendors to assist with smart grid deployments.

The Obama Administration has pinned much of its economic recovery efforts on an infusion of dollars into a massive campaign to upgrade and overhaul the nation’s energy generation and delivery systems.

The U.S. environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced more rigorous guidelines for new homes that earn the Energy Star label.

Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) president and CEO Rhone Resch touted the vast potential for solar-energy development in the southeastern United States, particularly the untapped state of Georgia.

A new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States shows that the average cost of these systems declined significantly from 1998 to 2007, but remained relatively flat during the last two years of this period.