February 20, 2015 Working natural gas in storage has surpassed five-year average levels for the first time in more than a year. At 2,157 billion cubic feet (Bcf) as of February 13, stocks are 58 Bcf greater than the five-year average. Recent extremely cold weather may result in high stock withdrawals for the week ending February 20, which could again push stocks below their five-year average. However, natural gas production in February and March that is forecast to average 5 Bcf/day above the year-ago level is likely to contribute to healthy inventories and moderate prices as the nation moves from winter into spring. At no point during 2014 did inventories surpass their five-year average; the most recent excess was on November 22, 2013. Inventories ended the 2013-14 winter withdrawal season last March at a 10-year record low of 837 Bcf . After a record injection season in 2014 (April-October), weekly working...

Steve Dunn with the Energy Department’s Building Technologies Office , Better Buildings Residential Program gives us the “411” on a new loan program – available through May 4 – that helps homeowners finance energy efficiency upgrades. What are the benefits of financing and making energy efficiency upgrades? DUNN: For starters, increasing your home’s energy efficiency can improve indoor comfort and lower electricity costs. A visit by a certified energy auditor, through programs such as Home Performance with ENERGY STAR , the Building Performance Institute , or Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET)  is a preferred method to diagnose air leaks and evaluate how well a room is insulated. This analysis can help determine why one part of your house seems hot, while another part seems cold. Several factors affect a room’s ability to maintain a comfortable room temperature.  Fixing these problematic areas can also improve indoor air quality. The key to saving...

Installing small, distributed wind energy systems can help homeowners and businesses save money on their energy bills.  Now that tax filing season is here, there are even more ways to financially benefit from this sustainable source of energy. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently published a notice establishing certification requirements that small wind turbine owners must meet to qualify for the 30% investment tax credit (ITC). For wind turbine owners to qualify for this tax credit under the new ITC performance and quality guidance, wind turbines rated at 100 kilowatts of capacity or less must meet certain certification standards, which are defined by the American Wind Energy Association or the International Electrotechnical Commission. The IRS certification guidance applies to qualifying small wind energy systems that are purchased or operational after January 26, 2015. These product certification and quality assurance requirements establish a high set of standards for the distributed wind...

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 February 25: Live Webinar on Models for Tribal Energy Development Organizations Webinar Sponsors: Office of Indian Energy , Western Area Power Administration The Energy Department's Office of Indian Energy and the Western Area Power Administration will present a live webinar titled "Models for Tribal Energy Development Organizations" on Wednesday, February 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.  The webinar is part of the Energy Department's Tribal Renewable Energy Webinar Series. Presenters will discuss the benefits of developing new organizations to support energy project development, including organizations with the ability to effectively manage and implement projects...

Gary Doer, the Canadian ambassador, takes issue with an editorial. Original link

A reality check on coal trends in China and their implications for the climate. Original link Original author: ANDREW

The Energy Department today announced the twelve collegiate teams that have been selected to participate in the Department's second Collegiate Wind Competition . The Collegiate Wind Competition challenges teams of undergraduate students to design and build a model wind turbine based on market research and siting considerations, develop a business plan to market their products, and test their turbines against a set of rigorous performance criteria. Bringing together the next generation of wind energy pioneers with today's industry leaders, the 2016 Collegiate Wind Competition will take place at the annual American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, from May 23 to 26, 2016. The Collegiate Wind Competition combines the expertise of students from a variety of engineering, business, communications, and social science programs, and challenges them to utilize their individual skills to develop state-of-the-art wind energy solutions as a team. Intertwining academic coursework with tangible,...

February 18, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Drivers of Household Energy Consumption The growth in residential energy use has slowed to below the rate of household growth, meaning that per-household energy consumption has decreased. Analysis of EIA's Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) conducted since 1980 shows how improvements in energy efficiency reduced energy intensity enough to offset more than 70% of the growth in both the number of households and the size of dwellings. Between 1980 and 2009 (the most recent survey year), delivered energy used by U.S. households increased from 9.3 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) to 10.2 quads, an average growth of 0.3% per year. The change in delivered energy during this period can be broken into component factors, including number of households, structural changes (the mix of housing types, the geographic distribution of households, and changes in average floor area), weather, and energy intensity (measured...

February 17, 2015 Republished February 17, 2015, 9:35 a.m. to clarify those involved in legal challenges to the standards. Following a court challenge that caused a previous proposal to be sent back for further analysis, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a new proposed rulemaking to increase the minimum efficiency standards for gas furnaces, which are mostly fueled by natural gas but also include propane furnaces. Gas furnaces are one of the largest energy consumers in the residential sector, accounting for about one-fifth of the energy delivered to homes and apartments in the United States. The proposed standard would increase the minimum efficiency standard for these furnaces for the first time since 1992. As discussed in a previous Today in Energy article , gas furnaces were one of the first products covered by federal appliance standards. The first standard, enacted by Congress in 1987 and made effective starting in...

For those opposing the science surrounding the issue, are they “climate change deniers” or merely “skeptics”? And what about “warmistas” versus “lukewarmers”? Original link Original author: JUSTIN