March 08, 2010

Money is tight. But not necessarily for projects involved with increasing energy efficiency. Some innovative financing techniques are emerging to allow customers to make improvements without incurring initial out-of-pocket costs.

Energy efficiency has emerged as the most palpable and least controversial way to make environmental changes. And even though time to earn a return-on-investment is often short, such projects are often sidelined until homeowners or companies figure out ways to pay for them. Policymakers and businesses are therefore joining forces so as to enable the cost-effective implementation of energy-saving techniques.

March 05, 2010

The economic rebound should correlate with that of the electricity sector and particularly the unregulated component of it. But despite months of uncertainty, those "merchant" utilities played it smart by locking in longer-term contracts prior to the downturn.

That's according to Standard & Poor's Rating Service, which took a detailed look at the nation's merchant generators that are unable to pass along their costs to ratepayers but which are able to charge customers based on market rates. The result of such a strategy is that those companies generally have "stable outlooks."

Below are a few letters received at EnergyBiz Insider on topics that appeared in the past few weeks. They capture the essence of how many readers say they feel.

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March 03, 2010

"Public awareness is always the first step in winning a political battle in the United States," said Theodore Roosevelt in his gubernatorial efforts to promote conservation to the largely indifferent citizenry of New York State.

To move smart grid initiatives forward in the Northeast United States, keeping the public aware of what a more intelligent utility can mean to their lives is critical. The benefits of a smarter, more robust grid and the consequences of not having one must be clearly communicated to garner broad public support.

March 01, 2010

When you think of the southeast United States, you don't usually think of renewables. NC GreenPower is working to change that, specifically in North Carolina.

NC GreenPower focuses on engaging the consumer and even supporting economic development in the renewables arena. Despite its renewables focus, NC GreenPower's approach could serve as a model for organizations tasked with engaging consumers in smart grid efforts and developing a more robust workforce to support smarter technologies. The group also shows that consumer engagement with energy doesn't always have to come from a utility.