U.S. Oil Demand Hits Five Year High
 The U.S. saw an overall 2.3 percent increase in oil demand in 2004—the strongest rise in five years, according to the American Petroleum Institute’s year-end report. They attribute some of it to the jump in highway diesel usage and trucks shipping more products across the country, a byproduct of the economy’s upswing. Report Also: the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that total petroleum demand will grow at an average annual rate of 1.5 percent. Check the Alliance's Energy Counter.
People
Alliance Board Member William Keese
Resigns from CEC
 William Keese |
Alliance Board Member William Keese recently announced his intention to resign in March as chair of the California Energy Commission (CEC). Said Keese, "My eight years as chairman have been personally fulfilling, and it’s my intention to remain active in the energy policy arena. . . . I look forward to promoting Gov. Schwarzenegger’s goal of developing 30,000 megawatts of clean generation in the West. I will also complete my responsibilities in developing the Alliance to Save Energy’s Vision 2010 report to Congress and the Bush Administration."
More than 470,000 People Have Taken the ColdWater Challenge—Have You?
See how many people have taken the ColdWater Challenge. |
Since the last e-FFICIENCY NEWS, more than 470,000 people have signed on to the ColdWater Challenge. The Alliance to Save Energy and Alliance Associate Procter & Gamble challenge the nation's consumers to switch to washing clothes in cold water to save both money and energy -- up to $63 a year and as much as 692 kwh, or 6.9 million Btus.
Take the ColdWater Challenge and see how your positive actions and those of your friends create other positive actions across the nationwide map and your personal map—www.coldwaterchallenge.com. Your action will generate:
- Sample from P&G of its new Tide Coldwater detergent.
- No-cost/low-cost money- and energy-saving tips (Español) provided by the Alliance as part of the consumer education focus of the campaign.
- More monies to help needy people in your area pay their energy bills.
Newly Released
Taking Care of Business—Office Depot Turns Green
 Office Depot is turning smart business into green business with its new 2005 Green Book, a catalog of 2,500 eco-friendly office products that would even make Mother Nature smile. In just a few months, Office Depot’s 40,000 B2B customers have already begun making the shift to green, to the tune of $1 million. Office Depot's News Release
New 'Best Practices' Web Site Helps Formulate, Evaluate Energy-Efficiency Programs
A new web site has been launched to disseminate "best practices" for designing, implementing, and evaluating energy-efficiency programs nationwide. Visitors to the site will find executive summaries and full reports on best practices by program area, as well as summary profiles of individual programs. The site is managed by Alliance Associate Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Visit the site.
J.D. Power and Associates: Hybrids Expected to Clinch Only 3 Percent of Market
Despite the long waiting lists and new models, hybrid vehicles are forecasted to hit their peak in 2010 at about 3 percent of the total U.S. market. Read J.D. Power and Associates's study.
Manage Your Alliance Newsletter Account
You can subscribe or unsubscribe to Alliance newsletters and add information that will allow the Alliance to customize the emails you receive. Manage your account. |
Bush Administration Cuts DOE Energy Efficiency
FY '06 Budget $21 Million; Alliance Analyzes Budget
President Bush's proposed DOE budget for Fiscal Year 2006 (FY 2006) is the fourth in as many years to cut energy-efficiency funding from the preceding year's appropriations, despite skyrocketing energy costs. Increases that the Alliance helped secure from Congress in buildings technology and building energy codes would likely be reversed. The following key programs would be cut: Appliance standards by $1.9 million (19 percent), which can only make the major delays even worse; building codes: $1.5 million (21 percent), reversing the gains last year; FEMP: $0.8 million (4 percent). The largest cut is again from Industries of the Future which would get whacked by another $16 million (42 percent). Continue to check the Alliance's Policy site for updated analysis of the Bush administration's FY 2006 budget, including core energy-efficiency R&D programs.
Alliance to President Bush: 'Same Old, Tired,
Failed Energy Bill' Not Good Enough
President Bush delivers his 2005 State of the Union Address. |
Responding to President Bush's State of the Union Address, Alliance President Kateri Callahan stated, “Today’s economic and energy security realities dictate an immediate and fresh look at national energy policy. President Bush and the Congress, together, must do more than rehash the same old, tired energy bill that has failed in not one, but two Congresses. And energy efficiency, which offers the most immediate, cost-effective, and cleanest way to extend our energy supplies, must be the basis of any meaningful domestic energy policy.” More: the Alliance response to the State of the Union Address, the paragraph devoted to energy, and this Reuters article.
Regional
Watts New?—Chicago Residents Shave
20 Percent Off Electricity Bills
 Confounding the notion that customers wouldn't bother monitoring their usage, more than 1,000 Chicago residents are taking control of their electricity bills and buying watts by the hour as part of Commonwealth Edison’s three-year test program with the local Community Energy Cooperative. Participants have saved an average of 20 percent on their bills with the "Energy Smart Pricing Plan" that allows customers to check their wattage costs on the web at any time. More
Communities Prepare for Children-Themed
Earth Day 2005
Official poster for
Earth Day 2005 |
Whether planning Move Some Earth Day in Wisconsin, Earthday Kaua'i in Hawaii, or The Woodlands Earth Day in Texas, communities across the nation and all over the world are preparing to celebrate Earth Day this year, when Earth Day will mark its 35th anniversary with the theme: “Protecting Our Children’s Health and Our Future." On the Earth Day web site, you can check out ideas for projects and then register your own.
Not Gambling with Energy Future, Nevada Gov. Announces New Energy-Efficiency Policies
To Save $5 Billion in 15 Years
New policies for increasing energy efficiency could save Nevada consumers and businesses nearly $5 billion over the next 15 years, announced Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn. Savings estimates are based on the report, “Nevada Energy-Efficiency Strategy," released by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, the Nevada State Office of Energy, and the Nevada Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Task Force. “By increasing energy efficiency in a time of high energy prices, we protect Nevada’s economic vitality.” Gov. Guinn said. News Release. Full report.
Transportation
Fuel Efficiency: 'Driving Force'
In Transportation Policies
Pennsylvania, New York, Wyoming, and Washington join California and Virginia in considering fuel-efficiency measures. |
State legislatures around the country are starting the year off on an efficient note by introducing transportation policies that would make real strides in saving oil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and rewarding consumers for making smart, energy-efficient choices. Pennsylvania, New York, Wyoming, and Washington are on their way to joining the ranks of fuel-efficient transportation pioneers like California and Virginia. More. Also: Check out updated list of pending energy efficiency legislation and recent laws: State Energy Efficiency Policy Bulletin.
A ‘Roman Holiday’—No Cars
Even Italy's famed sports cars were not welcome January 17. |
Italian drivers took the day off January 17. In a symbolic step towards national energy efficiency and air pollution reduction, Italian municipalities imposed a day-long car ban that kept gas guzzlers out of major city centers from Rome to Milan. To keep residents breathing in the fresh air, more bans may be put into place on weekends or alternate Thursdays, reports the Associated Press. Read the story.
Efficiency and. . . Pigs?
Kyoto Protocol Prompts Trading in Pig Poop
 The Kyoto Protocol will finally take effect in February, and many industrialized countries, scrambling to meet their emissions quotas, are looking to a most unlikely source for help—pig manure. Thanks to Kyoto’s approved Clean Development Mechanism, member countries can buy credits from pollution-reducing projects in developing countries, which is why Canada and Japan are paying pork producers in Chile to put a lid on waste pits, which will contain the harmful methane gases. News Release More details.
Energy Hog: Hamming It up for Energy Efficiency
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Maria Ellingson poses as the Energy Hog, who looks taller in real life than on the web site.
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First graders at Cunningham Park Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia, recently learned about energy efficiency from an unlikely teacher: a motorcycle-driving, six-foot tall, profligate pig. During the school’s Career Awareness Week, the Energy Hog— "spokesvillian" and "face of energy waste"— demonstrated to students the importance of saving energy in schools and homes. Students learned about energy use by participating in games and activities and receiving stickers, bookmarks, and mini-home audits. Visit www.energyhog.org. |
