Storage A storage water heater holds a reservoir of hot water and operates by releasing hot water from the top of the tank when you turn on the hot water tap. Cold water fills the bottom of the tank after use. Lasts 10-15 years. Lower purchase cost. Allows for simultaneous, multiples uses of hot water. Standby heat loss can occur, wasting energy even when a hot water tap isn't running. Tankless (a.k.a. Demand) Tankless water heaters, also known as demand-type or instantaneous water heaters, provide hot water only as it is needed, eliminating standby heat loss. Lasts about 20 years. 8%-34% more efficient than storage water heaters. Could save $100 or more annually with an ENERGY STAR qualified tankless water heater. Have lower operating costs. Higher initial cost. Hot water output limited to about 2-5 gallons per minute; multiple heaters may be needed if hot water demand is high. Solar Solar...

EERE offers webinars to the public on a range of subjects, from adopting the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, to training for the clean energy workforce. Webinars are free; however, advanced registration is typically required. You can also watch archived webinars and browse previously aired videos, slides, and transcripts. Upcoming Webinars March 10: Live Webinar on International Hydrogen Infrastructure Challenges Webinar Sponsor: Fuel Cell Technologies Office The Energy Department will present a live webinar titled “2nd International Hydrogen Infrastructure Challenges Webinar” on Tuesday, March 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. This webinar will summarize the second international information exchange on hydrogen refueling infrastructure challenges and potential solutions, supporting the successful global commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. The information exchange took place in May 2014 at Toyota’s Torrance, California, facility as a follow up to the previous June 2013 workshop in Berlin, Germany. Participants...

Mr. McConnell, the Senate majority leader, is from Kentucky, a leading coal-producing state. He has vowed to fight President Obama on climate change issues like regulating coal-fired power plants. Original link Original author: CORAL

The new study, conducted in Southern California, provides evidence that better air quality improved health among children, experts said. Original link Original author: JAN

The Energy Department today announced final rules for a prize competition to make it faster, cheaper, and easier for Americans to install solar energy systems and spur solar deployment nationwide.  The SunShot Prize: Race to 7-Day Solar competition challenges innovators around the country to develop solutions to reduce the time and processes involved in installing solar energy systems, decreasing costs and improving customer experience so more Americans can choose solar energy to meet their electricity needs. The rate of solar energy installations across the U.S. has soared over the past few years, reaching more than 17 gigawatts of installed capacity—enough to power the equivalent of more than 3.5 million average American homes. Despite tremendous gains in deployment and steady cost reductions for solar technologies, the process to install a solar energy system remains time-consuming and complex due to high non-hardware "soft costs," which currently make up more than half the cost...

The Energy Department has awarded the Virginia Polytechnic and State University Advanced Research Institute nearly $2 million to continue research and development of its Building Energy Management Open Source Software (BEMOSS) for small and medium-sized commercial buildings. Currently, small and medium buildings make up over 95% of the floor space and about 50% of the energy consumed by commercial buildings in the U.S. each year. Most commercial buildings in the U.S. are small (less than 5,000 square feet) or medium-sized (between 5,000–50,000 square feet), and fall outside the scope of most commercial buildings automation systems (BAS). The goal of this project is to develop an Open Source Solution (similar to Firefox, OpenOffice, or Ubuntu, for example) as a backbone for improving BAS systems, allowing for major building components to interconnect with each other. This includes HVAC, lighting, water heater, and significant ancillary loads. More interconnection among the systems will lead to...

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Forrestal Building 1000 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20585 Original link

The European Union will most likely fail to meet an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a report has found. Original link Original author: MELISSA

As part of the Energy Department's efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the nation's homes and buildings, lower energy costs, and enhance U.S. competitiveness in manufacturing, the Energy Department today launched the new Buildings Crowdsourcing Community website. Administered by the Department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the new site, buildings.ideascale.com , will help technology innovators collect, share and evaluate input from customers and other stakeholders about next-generation building technologies. Innovators including start-ups, designers, buildings scientists, and students can use the website to share ideas that could develop into new energy efficient technologies for homes and buildings.  Those interested in participating can register through the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community or they can vote on their favorite entries. The best ideas will be recognized during the Energy Department's Building Technologies Office Industry Day hosted at ORNL in September. Starting today, the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community will begin accepting new idea submissions, comments,...

The former mayor of New York suggests that the Obama administration negotiate directly with Canada on a climate pact. Original link Original author: JOE