The phrase “climate change” appears to have less baggage and more acceptance. Here is an interesting article from Scientific American: “On Friday, a new Yale-Associated Press-NORC poll on environmental attitudes reported that just 56 percent of Americans believe global warming is happening. This seems a bit low to me given our UT Energy Poll data…
Author: Kent McDonald
Kent works at RealPage and helps apartment firms reduce operating costs related to utilities. You can connect with Kent at LinkedIn.com/in/kentmcd or Twitter.com/AptsKent.
Several states now encouraging electric vehichles
The West Coast states – not only California but also Washington and Oregon – have been aggressive about its support for electric vehicles (EVs). But did you know that the list of other “states” that offer encouragement for EVs include Maryland, the District of Columbia, Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma,Utah, Hawaii, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee,…
Could the nerds save us money on electricity? Better batteries could be the key
Really smart people are working hard on electricity storage research – in other words, making better batteries. When they succeed, it could reduce the price volatility of electricity for wholesalers and consumers. “Variability in electricity demand highlights potential roles for electricity storage” from the Energy Information Administration Electric power storage section from US Dept of…
Top 8 Things You Didn’t Know About Daylight Saving Time
Expand your energy knowledge through the US Dept of Energy’s series highlighting “Top Things You Didn’t Know.” Coming in at the top of the list for Daylight Savings Time: “This Sunday, people across the country will set their clocks forward an hour, marking the start to Daylight Saving Time….” Read More Kent McDonaldKent works at RealPage and…
EPA Recognizes the First Existing Apartments with ENERGY STAR Certification
In case you missed it: “WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced [Nov 13, 2014] the first existing multifamily housing properties to earn the new ENERGY STAR multifamily certification for superior energy performance. EPA recognized 17 apartment and condo buildings across the country for leading the industry in reducing energy use, increasing affordability,…
A cleaner South?
Relatively recently, Sierra Club published an article in their magazine titled “A Cleaner South” that highlights some of the challenges and opportunities that the southern region of the USA has regarding meeting new EPA mandates to generate cleaner energy. Many UMA members live in or do business in the South. After you read the article,…
Making your (Bench)Mark
In case you missed it, a few months ago Multi Housing News published an article on benchmarking that featured Chris Dorando, who is a member of UMA and on staff with NWP. The article starts: “Most operational tasks at multifamily communities strive to maximize efficiency in order to increase the bottom line. The web-based revolution…
U.S. Teeters at Turning Point for Energy
Cost of energy from solar and oil is dropping. Cost of coal-related electricity generation is headed up. 2015 should be an interesting ride. Here is an interesting article from Scientific American: “Road tripping used to feel like it broke the bank, with gasoline prices in many places hovering above $3.50 per gallon or higher. Today,…
Webinar: Central Water Heating Systems for Multifamily
The US Dept of Energy will present a webinar on January 21, 2015 from 3:00PM to 4:30PM Eastern Time. “This free webinar will focus on the effective use of central heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) and control systems to reduce the energy use in hot water distribution.” Elizabeth Weitzel from Alliance for Residential Building Innovation…
New York bans hydraulic fracturing for natural gas
A recent brief from Utility Dive reported: “New York will ban hydraulic fracturing following the release of a report by the state Department of Health which found significant health risks associated with the process. Environmental activists hailed New York Gov…” Read More By the way, if you have been hearing a lot of fracking, but aren’t…