The Energy Department today released a new resource, the Better Buildings Residential Program Solution Center , to share proven methods for reducing energy waste and carbon emissions in U.S. buildings. A result of the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program , the Solution Center shows how to design, implement, and evaluate efficiency programs to improve the energy efficiency of communities across the nation. It profiles solutions used to improve the efficiency of many homes and other buildings by 20% or more. Now available online, the Solution Center—a one-stop shop for residential energy efficiency program administrators and home performance professionals—highlights proven strategies that Better Buildings Neighborhood Program partners used to make energy efficiency more accessible to homes and businesses. During the past four years, the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program worked with more than 40 communities across the country to develop sustainable energy efficiency programs. The program helped to facilitate more than 100,000 energy-saving upgrades...

Sources & Uses Petroleum & Other LiquidsCrude oil, gasoline, heating oil, diesel, propane, and other liquids including biofuels and natural gas liquids. Natural GasExploration and reserves, storage, imports and exports, production, prices, sales. ElectricitySales, revenue and prices, power plants, fuel use, stocks, generation, trade, demand & emissions. Consumption & EfficiencyEnergy use in homes, commercial buildings, manufacturing, and transportation. CoalReserves, production, prices, employ- ment and productivity, distribution, stocks, imports and exports. Renewable & Alternative FuelsIncludes hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and ethanol. Nuclear & UraniumUranium fuel, nuclear reactors, generation, spent fuel.   Total EnergyComprehensive data summaries, comparisons, analysis, and projections integrated across all energy sources. Highlights This Week in Petroleum › Weekly Petroleum Status Report › Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report › Natural Gas Weekly Update › Electric Power Monthly › Quarterly Coal Report › Monthly Energy Review › Residential...

The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) today announced nine topics and 26 new subtopics under its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Technology Transfer (STTR) programs that will help small businesses develop and deliver market-driven clean energy technologies. This year, EERE's areas of interest range from energy-saving buildings and manufacturing to sustainable transportation and renewable electricity generation. Today’s announcement includes a new type of subtopic—the technology transfer opportunity—which aims to have small businesses commercialize intellectual property from Energy Department-funded labs and universities. Small businesses that are selected for any EERE SBIR/STTR funding keep the rights to new technologies they develop, and are encouraged to transfer these technologies to the marketplace. SBIR grant applications must respond to a specific EERE subtopic, which include: Carbon fiber production processesSolid-liquid separations for algal systemsIntegrated storage and distributed generation for buildingsTechnology transfer opportunity for fuel cell quality control devicesTechnology transfer opportunity...

October 27, 2014 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review EIA has adjusted its estimates of the energy content of retail motor gasoline in the Monthly Energy Review (MER) to reflect its changing composition. Ethanol and other oxygenates, which have lower energy content than petroleum-based gasoline components, have seen their share of total gasoline volumes increase from 2% in 1993 to nearly 10% in 2013. As a result, EIA's estimate of motor gasoline's average energy content per gallon has declined by about 3% over this 20-year period. The adjustment in EIA's estimate of the average energy content per gallon of motor gasoline reflects changes in response to 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations that split the U.S. gasoline market into three segments: conventional, oxygenated, and reformulated . Oxygenated and reformulated gasoline was required to be blended with compounds that contained oxygen, such as MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) or...

October 24, 2014 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Investment by U.S. investor-owned utilities in the electricity distribution system has increased over the past two decades. While down from a peak of $20 billion in 2012, 2013 levels remain higher than spending in the 1990s and early 2000s. Increased investment in the electricity distribution system has occurred even as U.S. electricity sales have decreased . Electricity distribution systems differ from transmission systems, which have also experienced increased investment over the past two decades . Transmission systems consist of the infrastructure necessary to deliver electricity from power plants to substations located near demand centers. Components of the transmission system are rated for higher voltages than the distribution system that delivers electricity to end users. The electricity distribution system consists of lines, substations, and transformers that lower the voltage to levels required for customers such as...

As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to double energy productivity by 2030 and reduce carbon emissions in commercial buildings, the Energy Department today announced $9 million to encourage investments in energy-saving technologies that can be tested and deployed in offices, shops, restaurants, hospitals, hotels and other types of commercial buildings. The funding will facilitate the implementation of market-ready solutions across the U.S. to improve commercial building energy efficiency, with a goal of demonstrating 20 percent savings or more across a variety of approaches. Last year, commercial buildings accounted for approximately 20 percent of total U.S. energy use, equivalent to about 18 quadrillion British thermal units of energy. Owners and occupants could cut energy waste, saving an estimated tens of billions of dollars annually, if they operated their buildings more efficiently and invested in energy-saving technologies. Additionally, accelerating investment in efficiency upgrades could also lead to greater demand for new building...

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 October 23: Live Webinar on High Performance Space Conditioning Systems: Part I Webinar Sponsor: Building Technologies Office The Energy Department will present a webinar titled "High Performance Space Conditioning Systems: Part I" on Thursday, October 23, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The webinar is part of a monthly series offered by the Building Technologies Office's Building America program, featuring the latest advances in residential building technologies and practices developed by the Building America research teams and national laboratory experts. This month's webinar features Andrew Poerschke of IBACOS, presenting information on HVAC for low-load homes...