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EPA's GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership

GreenChill's founding food retail partners created baseline measurements of corporate-wide refrigerant emissions in 2007 and set goals to reduce those emissions in 2008. These partners reduced their aggregated total corporate emissions rate from 13 percent to 11.9 percent in 2008, an emissions reduction of 8.5 percent in one year.

Early GreenChill Partners are:
Sprouts Farmers Market, Fresh & Easy, Raley's Family of Fine Stores, Whole Foods, Supervalu, and Hill Phoenix Chill for the Environment

EPA's GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership announced its 2009 partner awards, and among the awardees are: Sprouts Farmers Market, Fresh & Easy, Raley's Family of Fine Stores, Whole Foods, Supervalu (including the Albertsons and Lucky Supermarkets banners), and Hill Phoenix. An EPA cooperative alliance with the supermarket industry, the GreenChill Partnership works with supermarkets to reduce their emissions of ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas refrigerants.

Sprouts Farmers Market, which owns stores across California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas, received a New Partner Award, as did Fresh & Easy and Raley's Family of Fine Stores. Fresh & Easy can be found in Arizona, California and Nevada while Raley's Family of Fine Stores is located in California and Nevada.

"We look forward to a productive and mutually beneficial partnership with our new partners," said Keilly Witman, GreenChill Program Manager. "The public wants to do business with companies that share their environmental values. By joining GreenChill, these supermarkets are proving to consumers that they care about the Earth's ozone layer and climate system."

New partners pledge to go above and beyond regulatory requirements by measuring and tracking refrigerant emissions that affect climate change and the Earth's ozone layer, and then setting reduction targets for these emissions. Partners also agree to use only ozone-friendly alternatives in all new and remodeled stores.

"In Raley's first year as a GreenChill Partner, the company has already taken the lead in the number of GreenChill-certified stores," said Witman. "Raley's Family of Fine Stores has received two gold-level store certification awards and two silver-level store certification awards, proof that Raley's takes the GreenChill mission to protect the ozone layer and fight climate change very seriously."

Whole Foods, a nationwide chain of supermarkets, received the award for Most Improved Emissions Rate. Supervalu, which is the parent company of the Albertsons and Lucky banners, was recognized for achieving its emissions target in 2008/2009.

Refrigeration manufacturer Hill Phoenix also earned a Distinguished Partner Award for its advanced refrigeration technology, including compact chillers and secondary loop systems.

EPA estimates that if every supermarket in the nation joined GreenChill and reduced its emissions to the current GreenChill average, the nation could save the equivalent of 22 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and 240 ozone depleting potential (ODP) tons every year, all the while saving $108 million in refrigerant expenses annually.

GreenChill now has a total of 46 partners, including 37 food retail partners with over 6,500 stores in 47 states. For additional information on the EPA GreenChill Partnership, please visit: www.epa.gov/greenchill.

GOAL:  6 million new green-collar jobs.

Efficiency First is a nonprofit trade association that unites

• Home Performance contractors,
• residential energy consultants,
• building product manufacturers
• and other key members of America's growing green-collar workforce

Efficiency First advocates using the federal Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program as a standard model for efficiency retrofitting, including third-party verification. National contractor and auditor certification and accreditation should be mandated through RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network), BPI (Building Performance Institute) or other qualified accreditation agencies who conduct independent, third-party quality assurance on the work performed.

Together they intend to escalate the fight against global warming. Efficiency First was founded in 2009 to represent its members in public policy discussions at the state and national levels, to promote the benefits of Home Performance retrofitting, and to help our industry grow to meet unprecedented demand for quality home retrofitting services.

Our mission is to collaborate with legislators, government agencies and professional organizations in the advancement of a performance-based market for energy efficiency that will enable rapid growth in our industry while maintaining profitability and quality of service.

"Our goal is to see a steady run rate of
10 million home retrofits per year by 2020."

According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, residential buildings alone generate over 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel consumption in the United States.

Because the vast majority of America's 128 million homes do not operate anywhere near peak efficiency, large-scale retrofitting of existing residential buildings will play a key role in achieving significant greenhouse gas reductions, while lowering residential energy bills, improving indoor air quality and thermal comfort, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating millions of new jobs for American workers.

The home retrofitting industry can achieve a 25% or greater decrease in non-renewable energy consumption by America's housing sector, leading to a 5% decrease in the country's overall carbon emissions - equivalent to taking half of all current passenger cars off the road.

The industry will employ at least 1.25 million American workers directly, and with the inclusion of manufacturing and other supporting industries, will generate up 6 million new green-collar jobs.

If all decorative light strings sold in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, we would save over 2 billion kWh per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to nearly 300,000 cars!

ENERGY STAR qualified decorative light strings -- many which feature LED technology -- consume 75% less energy than conventional incandescent lights strands.

ENERGY STAR Qualified Decorative Light Strings:

• Can last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent strands.
• Are cool to the touch, reducing the risk of fire.
• Do not have moving parts, filaments or glass, so they are much more durable and shock-resistant than other light strings.
• Are available in a variety of colors, shapes and lengths.
• Come with a three-year warranty, meaning fewer light string replacements.
• Are independently tested to meet strict lifetime and electrical requirements.
• Products labeled for outdoor use are subjected to weathering tests.
• Some models deliver features such as dimming or color shifting.

When you start shopping or installing your Christmas or Holiday lighting this year...think ENERGY savings... think...
 

ENERGY STAR rated LED decorative light strings!  You'll save at the same time you brighting your neighborhood!

MaxximaStyle offers a wide range of LED Lighting covering the transportation, interior, industrial, emergency and personal lighting markets.

LED lamps are revolutionizing the lighting market and applications since they emit a very intense glow which is brighter than incandescent lighting.

They consume one-tenth the power consumption of conventional bulbs and due to their long lifetime, rated at 100,000 hours, LED lamps severely cut down on bulb replacement activity resulting in huge power and labor savings.

 LEDs emit negligible amounts of heat -- thus, cutting down on expensive heat shield installations and in the case of interior lighting air conditioning requirements. The incandescent light bulb is on its way to becoming a relic as the gas lanterns it replaced more than a century ago.

www.maxximastyle.com

According to the study, "Does Green Pay Off?," ENERGY STAR rated commercial buildings have sale prices 30% per sq. ft. higher than traditional buildings.

Compared to traditional buildings, owners and managers of ENERGY STAR rated buildings can expect

• $2 per sq. ft. greater rents,
• 2% higher occupancy rates and
• $0.54 per sq. ft. lower energy-related operating costs

Operating expenses from energy costs varied with Energy Star-rated buildings running $1.27 per square foot per year for energy in 2006 and non-Energy Star-rated buildings running $1.81 per square foot.

Survey results are based on findings in a study released last week. Norm Miller, a professor at the University of San Diego, and Jay Spivey and Andy Florance, the research director and CEO respectively with CoStar. They compared 223 ENERGY STAR rated Class A office buildings of at least 200,000 sq. ft. with 2,077 non-ENERGY STAR buildings of the same class and size.

Buildings with the ENERGY STAR label are among the 25% most efficient of similar buildings nationwide.

Technical Specs for Energy Star Qualified Homes

Homes built under 2001 T-24 code had until December 31, 2006 to complete construction.

All homes completed on or after January 1, 2007 must be 15% more energy efficient than the latest T-24 code (2005 T-24). Homes that were enrolled in a utility rebate program by December 31, 2005 had until January 1, 2007 to be qualified using the old ENERGY STAR guidelines. All homes enrolled in a program after January 1, 2006 must be qualified using the new guidelines and have a Thermal Bypass Checklist inspection. However, for the period January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007, homes in this category will not be denied the ENERGY STAR label due to non-compliance with requirements of this additional inspection. As of July 1, 2007, these homes must pass the Thermal Bypass Inspection to earn the ENERGY STAR label.

The current ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes guidelines require that homes be 15% more energy efficient than the code under which they are permitted and be inspected by a CEC certified third party HERS rater. Sampling is allowed and shall follow the CEC HERS protocols.

Energy Star Qualified Homes Guidelines

The ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes guidelines requirements also include:

• Verification of adherence to the EPA ENERGY STAR Thermal Bypass Checklist/CEC Quality Installation Insulation merged protocols.
• All cooling equipment shall be sized according to the latest editions of the ACCA Manuals J and S, ASHRAE 2001 Handbook of Fundamentals, or the equivalent computation procedure.
  • Maximum oversizing of air conditioners is 15%.
  • Equipment oversizing calculations shall use 99.0% and 1.0% outdoor design temperatures as published in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals for most representative city. However, a prevailing outdoor design temperature used by the local HVAC industry that can be documented with available weather data is an acceptable alternative. The Indoor temperature shall be 75ºF for cooling and 70ºF for heating.
  • Infiltration rate shall be selected as tight.
  • Indoor and outdoor coils shall be matched in accordance with ARI standards.
• Ductwork leakage must be less than 6 cfm to outdoors per 100 square feet of conditioned space, though duct leakage tests can be waived if ducts and equipment are located in conditioned space and the home's envelope leakage is less than 0.25 CFM 50 per square foot of building envelope. (Meeting T-24 tight duct standard of 6% or less leakage of total air flow satisfies this requirement.)

Additional requirements bulleted above can be used to achieve the 15% performance margin. EPA also recommends, but does not require, that ductwork be located in conditioned space with a minimum of R-4 insulation to prevent condensation and moisture problems. Updated on February 28, 2007

FURTHER INFORMATION:

California Building Performance Contractors Association

CBPCA trains and certifies contractors for a better approach to energy efficiency, safety, comfort, and value. California Building Performance Association is a non-profit organization supporting energy efficiency and the residential contracting industry.

Utility Company Programs for Energy Star Ratings

Advanced Home Program by Southern California Gas Company

Performance Programs. Projects qualify when they exceed 2005 Title-24 compliance by 15%. California Energy Star® New Homes Program SoCal Gas Company

Advanced Home Program by San Diego Gas & Electric

The California ENERGY STAR® New Homes Program is a performance based program designed to encourage builders to construct single family and multi-family buildings that are energy efficient. San Diego Gas & Electric

SoCal Edison

California Energy Star New Homes Program Recognized as a National Leader in building conservation. SoCal Edison

PG&E ENERGY STAR® Qualified New Homes Program

PG&E works with builders to ensure that ENERGY STAR New Homes exceed California's rigorous energy efficiency PG&E

"Incandescent light bulbs waste 95% of the energy they use as heat. Phasing these out and replacing them with efficient alternatives can help reduce emissions and energy bills.

"We are pleased that UK retailers and energy suppliers are voluntarily phasing out these lamps before European rules are introduced later this year."

Lord Hunt claimed the bulbs contained a smaller amount of the substance than mercury thermometers, which the EU has banned, but the government was looking at safer alternatives such as LED lights, which did not contain any mercury and had a longer life.

The move to low-energy light bulbs is described as "one of the most positive moves the government has made recently".

Palace of Westminster claims to have saved 61% of its energy costs by swapping to low energy bulbs.

Read more at the BBC

Suppliers and Purchasers of Energy Star products now have an on line bulk purchase exhange site.

Energy Star is a trusted name in the energy conservation arena. Appliances and supplies are developed with realistic, yet sustainable goals to help reduce energy use.

ENERGY STAR and the U.S. Department of Energy have developed a new on-line tool that can reduce costs for facilities and operations.

This new on-line tool, found at www.quantityquotes.net, is available to help organizations become more energy-efficient by making it easier to purchase ENERGY STAR qualified products.

This Quantity Quotes tool was designed so that bulk-quantity purchasers can easily request price quotes from a wide variety of suppliers, exclusively of ENERGY STAR qualified products.

What Products Are Available?

• ENERGY STAR qualified light bulbs
• ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures
• ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers
• ENERGY STAR qualified dehumidifiers
• ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers
• ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators
• ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioners

Energy Star Suppliers Can Register

Suppliers can register to receive information requests from purchasers. After corresponding with purchasers and providing requested information, a purchaser can contact a supplier in order to negotiate a contract.

Energy Star Purchasers Can Research Online

Purchasers can register to instantly contact suppliers of ENERGY STAR qualified products. Guidance is provided to assist purchasers in the Request for Information (RFI) process. After corresponding with a supplier and receiving requested information, the purchaser can choose to contact a supplier in order to negotiate a contract.

If technology improves faster than expected, and opening category B prior to completion of a three-year waiting period would be in the public interest, DOE will advance the date for allowing products to qualify under Category B.

DOE's intent, is to substantially increase future performance requirements of LED Luminaires, and to  encourage continued improvement in technology selection and design of luminaires using SSL sources.   Products for a wide range of general illumination applications will be eligible.
 
The minimum luminaire efficacy target given for Category B is intended to rival today's most
efficient lighting systems using traditional light sources. 

T8 Fluorescent Lamp and Electronic Ballast Comparisons

For example, the best commonly  available high-performance T8 fluorescent lamp and electronic ballast systems are rated  around 100 lm/W. High-quality fixtures for these lamp-ballast systems are about 70% efficient, yielding 70 lm/W luminaire efficacy.
 
Based on current commercially available technology, the Category B level of minimum
luminaire efficacy is not achievable for LED luminaires.  However, DOE anticipates  performance will rise rapidly over the coming years due to on-going progress in LED efficacy, LED high temperature tolerance, power supply efficiency improvements, and luminaire design.
 
DOE believes a significant number of general illumination products will be able to achieve 70 lm/W luminaire efficacy within three years after the effective date of these criteria. 

DOE found that LED lighting systems enable big energy savings in supermarket refrigeration and have been getting cheaper every year.

LED system prices dropped 9% in 2008 alone and DOE's Solid State Lighting Research and Development Program projects they will fall by 50% by 2012.

In preliminary analysis released in August 2008, DOE showed that, assuming a 50% decline in LED prices, the highest standards would make sense for all supermarket refrigeration systems and would save purchasers $5 billion in net savings over 30 years.

READ MORE at ACEEE.ORG