Public Power - September 2008 - (Page 39)

LADWP Rebate Encourages Higher Standard When faced with a choice between (a) a tinted or reflective window that blocks both heat and visible light, and (b) a “spectrally selective” window that blocks slightly less heat but transmits much more light, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s rebate program rewards the latter. The rebate is based on the luminous efficacy constant of glass or film (a measurement of the ability to block heat and transmit light simultaneously). This rebate program recognizes the kind of advancements in glass technology that are driving revisions to the Energy Star glass performance standards. Because most consumers and many businesses turn first to their electric utility regarding information on energy conservation, utilities should: • Consider expanding rebates beyond stand-alone appliances to new construction and retrofit building materials. Lobby the relevant federal and state agencies to increase available funding to do so. For example, PG&E, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, and Florida Power & Light have all offered rebates on energy-efficient windows and window film. • Involve local retailers and contractors in joint information dissemination and promotion of energy-saving building components and appliances. Customers want energy conservation information they can use, which means “where can I get it locally?” • Actively seek opinions from residential and business customers about the effectiveness of your energy conservation education and promotion programs. Invite feedback from vendors of energy conservation products. Consider conducting customer and Web site visitor focus groups for additional input. Engage outside consultants to manage the feedback if in-house resources are limited. ❚ John Meade is sales manager for Architectural and Automotive Products, the Americas, at Southwall Technologies, Inc., in Palo Alto, Calif. He can be reached at jmeade@southwall.com. cient components is certainly less expensive than building new power plants. Rebate programs help customers design new buildings and retrofit thousands of inefficient buildings with energy-efficient building components. As part of demand-side management programs, rebates reduce the cost of energy for commercial and residential properties, while cutting back on customer demand. A few public power utilities have programs that recognize this advantage. Turlock Irrigation District in California provides rebates as an incentive to builders to incorporate energy efficiency measures into new residential construction. CPS Energy in San Antonio offers rebates of up to $50,000 to commercial and industrial customers who upgrade lighting, heating and cooling systems. To encourage the widespread adoption of high performance glass, utilities should consider establishing a tiered customer incentive program based on higher rewards for higher performing appliances and building components. Of course, the most generous incentive/rebate programs will not succeed if utilities do not educate customers about the availability of rebates, the emergence of new energy-saving technologies and the pressing need for their adoption. www.APPAnet.org Our unique, self-framing metal building system is attractive, durable and maintenance free. The world’s largest electrical companies trust us to protect their most valuable equipment. Let us protect yours too. 1.800.786.4855 www.parkline.com Parkline quality you can trust! SEPTEMBER 2008 39 http://www.parkline.com http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - September 2008

Public Power - September 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions What’s Good About RTOs? Capturing Coal’s Carbon Carbon Safety Valves Greater Glass, Greater Savings Getting Customers to Embrace Compact Fluorescent Lights LEEDing Green Kansas City Shows How to Build Green For Governing Boards Safety Community Broadband Hometown Connections Parting Shot

Public Power - September 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.