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  Last month (July 2010) Dan Bailey at Sieben Energy Associates created a matrix titled, "Major Energy and Climate Legislation of the 111th Congress" that outlines the various proposed energy and/or climate bills in 2009-2010. This is found at the following link: http://www.siebenenergy.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=2xBuNhlLGvk%3d&tabid=73&mid=676.  Since the time that this document was written, there have been additional attempts to garner the support needed to pass energy/climate legislation in the US Senate. The most recent bill was unveiled on July 28, 2010, which was absent a price on carbon. Instead the July 28th bill focused largely on offshore drilling and to a lesser extent domestic energy efficiency. This bill did not receive the backing needed to pass and was considered shot down within the first week of August. However, a number of articles written within the past two weeks suggest that Senate majority leader Harry Reid is still confident that an energy and/or climate bill will ...

In a recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Chicago, IL, home to the headquarters of Sieben Energy Associates, landed a spot on the organization’s list of leading  “Energy-Smart” Cities. Chicago was applauded for its city-wide sustainability efforts, most notably those in buildings. The report specifically emphasized Chicago’s strides in energy efficiency: “One of Chicago’s top priorities is making its buildings, already known for their architectural history, known for their energy efficiency.” Other notable achievements include a building code that rewards efficiency projects and sustainable building practices, the installation of heat pumps to create a more diversified power grid, and the city’s exceptional green roof efforts. Chicago also leads the U.S. in LEED Certified buildings. Sieben Energy Associates has been at the forefront of energy efficiency and green building in Chicago for twenty years, and we know that there is always energy to be saved. Chicago’s buildings a ...

Data centers—the modern digital warehouses—use massive amounts of energy to both power and cool servers.  As hardware costs continue to fall and energy costs continue to rise, it seems only natural that data center operators are focusing their attention on becoming more energy efficient to reduce operating expenses. The EPA recently expanded its Energy Star rating system to include a scale specifically for data centers. NetApp’s RTP center is the first to achieve the certification.  The North Carolina facility earned 99 out of a possible 100 points (only 75 are required for the Energy Star rating),  aided in part by a unique overhead distribution cooling system and cooling with outside air during two-thirds of the year.  These efficient approaches to cooling help the data center reduce energy costs substantially and cut carbon emissions by 95,000 tons per year.  For more information on Energy Star validation for data centers, visit the EPA’s dedicated website: Energy Star Data C ...