Preparing for a Flood of Energy Efficiency Spending

Preparing for a Flood of Energy Efficiency Spending - NY Times.

Good idea, but the challenge is in the details. Energy efficiency as such a great payoff, but there are implementation issues unfortunately.

One way to fund this would have been indirectly through tax savings, faster write offs, or something for businesses. It seems the direct funding model was used.

How Energy Saving Appliances Should Be Sold

Why is selling an energy savings appliance still in the stone age?

Why when I go to a store do I have to look at a hard copy explaining the energy savings with information that is out of date and hard to figure out?

Why not a computer touch screen. Enter in my old dryer, year and mfg, front load, gas and compare the energy savings on a new one? And with a simple online connection you would get the current energy prices in my area. Or may be enter in my zip code to get them.

If this is so simple to do, why is nobody doing this?

Washers, Refridgerators, Dryers, Water Heaters should all be sold using this! It could show you the energy savings with the different models.

Energy Policy - Russian Opportunity for a new policy!

Russian unfortunately aggression against Georgia, or reprisal gone too far (what ever you call it) gives politicians in the US some great political cover for doing the right thing on energy policy. I hope they use it.

Some Suggestions:

• Offshore drilling, use Russia's action as an excuse to back out of uncomfortable political positions.
• Renew the tax breaks for Solar and Wind. Again use Russia's action.
• Get rid of Ethanol from corn extreme subsidies, focus on non food crops.
• Remove the tariff from Brazilian Ethanol.
• Somehow fund Mexico to fix their oil fields. It can be in the form of a loan.
• Set green standards for buildings - now I am really wishing.
• Tighten the mileage requirements for automobiles even more.
• Set up an X Prize for batteries, fuel efficiency, solar efficiency, solar panel cost, LED cost and electric cars with the award of a Billion Dollars for the winner of each category. The Economic benefit of vast improvements would be huge and I would hope it would speed up the process by years. Batteries is a great example of an area that has not improved much for a long time. May be these are not 100% the right technologies to back, but do something to encourage them.
  
• Require solar water heaters on all new houses in sunny areas of the US.
• Reduce NIMBY for Windmills offshore. Europe can do it, why can't we.
• Create an Interstate DC High Voltage Grid for the entire US. Just as the Eisenhower Interstates did a huge amount for commerce, this would help a huge amount. Especially in using Wind Power.
  

Japan's Energy Saving Technology

Japan Sees a Chance to Promote Its Energy-Frugal Ways from the NY Times. I was curious what other nations were doing on energy saving research when the US stopped funding it largely due to cheap oil. The article outside of steel processing does not have a lot of content.

It would be nice to know what other energy saving technologies are in Japan that are not widely used other places?

I hope these are some of them:

• Appliances that use electricity, even when turned off is one.
  
• Another is efficiency of appliances.
  
• There are so many energy savings that can be done with building design.

Mercury - What's the Danger

Mercury is in Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL's), Smoke from coal burning plants, Fish, Whale Meat, and Dolphin Meat. The NY Times has an article about how high levels in Mercury in Whale and Dolphin Meat has decreased interest in eating that meat in Japan, where protests had no effect.

CFL Mercury
Some manufacturers of CFL's are decreasing the amount of mercury used in them. CFl's are great from an energy conservation point, since they use up to 75% less light, than a regular light bulb. An Urban Legend's page on CFL's (interesting to read). A good idea is have a deposit to you get money for turning the CFL for recycling, instead of dumping it in the trash. Recycling CFL's takes time, and it's easier for most people to throw it away (even if that's illegal in many states). The amount of Mercury used in a CFL is small, about 100 times smaller than was used in Mercury Thermometers (now banned).

Mercury Problems:
The worst accident of mercury poisoning was in Japan. The Mad Hatter in Alice In Wonderland had the symptoms of Mercury poisoning. May types of fish have higher levels of Mercury in them.

Broken Fluorescents - How to Clean it up?
If you do break up a CFL, don't vacuum it (this just speads the dust). How to Clean up a broken fluorescent bulb per the EPALeave the room and air it out for 15 minutes. Using plastic gloves, then scoop up the broken material and put in a sealed plastic bag. Use a wet cloth to pick up any dust. I am not sure what process they used to clean up after using fluorescent tubes as light sabers in the Forty Year Old Virgin.