Opportunities

Why Should My Organization Hire an Energy Manager?

Jerry Burin

Monday, 10 July 2017

Opportunities Energy Management

Organizations of all types—businesses, K-12 schools, healthcare, higher education, government, and light and heavy industry—are increasingly turning to an energy specialist to help them navigate diverse energy issues. Such specialized knowledge can be gained through an internal hire. But more and more organizations are choosing to engage an external consultant who focuses exclusively on energy matters to serve as their energy manager.

From the customer's perspective, energy has become a commodity that can be actively managed on both sides of the meter. Electricity and natural gas customers in many states have more say over how they use it (demand side of the meter) and how they source and buy it (supply side of the meter). The ability to exercise greater control over energy consumption is especially true for commercial and industrial customers that use large amounts of energy.

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Sieben Energy Associates Joins Smart Energy Analytics Campaign

Sieben Energy Associates

Friday, 16 June 2017

Press Releases Opportunities Company News

Sieben Energy Associates (SEA) has joined the Smart Energy Analytics Campaign, a program led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Better Buildings Alliance and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This campaign "encourages the use of a wide variety of commercially available Energy Management and Information Systems (EMIS) technologies and ongoing monitoring practices to help uncover energy-saving opportunities and improve building performance for the long run."

EMIS technologies are underutilized and, frankly, undervalued in today's marketplace. Through the Smart Energy Analytics Campaign, the key organizers hope to spur the adoption of EMIS in the commercial building sector for energy management processes such as monitoring-based commissioning.

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Five Keys to a Robust Energy Strategy

Dan Bailey

Wednesday, 03 May 2017

Opportunities Energy Management Industry News

Too many organizations of all sizes view energy as a cost to be managed rather than an opportunity to be leveraged. The most successful organizations often have an advanced strategic approach to energy. In the January–February 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review, three authors reveal the five key steps for building a robust energy strategy in their paper "Energy Strategy for the C-Suite."

How do organizations create a competitive advantage? They can either keep costs low (ensuring greater profitability relative to their peers) or differentiate their business (introducing new products, services, or value-added features).

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Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and Energy Efficiency

Jerry Burin

Wednesday, 05 April 2017

Monitoring-Based Commissioning Opportunities Miscellaneous

In a March 22nd article in The New York Times, three science writers—Mike McPhate, Derek Watkins, and Jim Wilson—described how this winter's accumulated snowpack in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range may prove to be an antidote to the state's drought crisis.

High-tech airborne mapping and other specialized instruments, they wrote, have provided scientists with an unprecedented understanding of the amount of water present in the snow, and the rate at which the snow is expected to melt.

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The Best (and Worst) Retro-Commissioning Practices

Jerry Burin

Tuesday, 07 March 2017

Company News Events Opportunities Publications & Presentations Retro-Commissioning

On the afternoon of February 15, I led a presentation in front of 40 members of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA Chicago) about best (and worst) practices relative to successful retro-commissioning projects. First, I set the context for retro-commissioning, including its historical origins and relationship to the commissioning of new buildings. Next, I explained why BOMA Chicago members should care about the ComEd retro-commissioning incentive program.

For almost ten years, all member buildings have been paying into the funding pool for the utility's energy efficiency programs. Participating in retro-commissioning represents an opportunity to get back some of that money. Retro-commissioning also plays an important role in supporting credits for LEED Building Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M) certification or re-certification.