California
CEES Office Closes: As of August 1, there will no longer be an Energy Extension Service office in California per se. The small business programs, including two loan programs and several eco-management for business projects, will move, along with Bonnie Cornwall, to the Trade and Commerce Agency (TCA). She will also be managing several Small Business Development Centers, particularly those with an environmental focus, and several EPA contracts related to small businesses. The address is the Office of Small Business Development, 801 K Street, Suite 1700, Sacramento, CA 95814. Mitch Culliver, former CEES director, has moved to CalEPA to manage the Green Lights Program. He can be reached at (916) 324-0359 or at CalEPA, 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 235, Sacramento, CA 95814. CEES curriculum materials are now distributed by the California Energy Commission.

Contact: Bonnie Cornwall, (916) 324-5854 or Gwen Walker, (916) 654-4982

Energy and the Economy: Energy and the Economy, the California Energy Commission's latest biennial report, is available. The 76-page document describes California's Energy Policy and provides a blueprint for state government policies in an era of increasingly competitive markets. Topics covered include electricity, fuels, energy efficiency, and technical development. Since 1978, the state's energy policy has been directed by these biennial reports, which are the result of staff analyses, public workshops and hearings. "The theme of the 1994 California Energy Policy is that energy is essential to California's economy," said Energy Commission Vice Chair Sally Rakow, presiding committee member for the report. Single copies are available at no cost from California Energy Commission Publications, MS-13, Sacramento, CA 94244-2950.

Contact: Rob Schlichting, (916) 654-5159

Colorado
Wind Power Potential in Colorado: Wind power is currently one of the best-developed and most cost-effective renewable energy technologies for large-scale utility generation of electricity. Estimates of the wind energy potential across the country rank Colorado as the state with the eighth best wind resource potential in the nation. To take advantage of this resource and the falling costs of wind energy technology, the Governor's Office of Energy Conservation has teamed up with several Colorado utility organizations to conduct a study identifying the best wind energy sites in the state. The goal of the project is to identify up to ten locations in Colorado where wind farm development looks promising. The next step is to monitor these sites to assure that a good wind resource is available. Pending the results of the study now underway, a wind monitoring program could be in place by the end of 1995.

Contact: Marc Roper, (303) 620-4292

Florida
Study to Examine Air Flow in Non-Residential Buildings: A recently completed study by the Florida Solar Energy center (FSEC) revealed the fact that duct leakage is a major energy problem for Florida residences. Infiltration was found to increase approximately 200% in Florida homes when the air handler is turned on. There is also a 30% increase in energy consumption because of duct leakage. Because non-residential buildings are larger and more complex than residences, a contract with FSEC was developed to ascertain the impacts of uncontrolled air flow in non-residential buildings. The amounts of energy, peak demand, building air change rates, related moisture problems, indoor air quality, combustion safety and occupant comfort will be tested. The objective of the project is to develop the expertise to reduce energy use, building degradation and indoor air pollution, and to improve design and engineering practices in the non-residential market.

Contact: Jim Cummings, (407) 783-0300 ext. 115

Hawaii
Public/Private Partnership Saves Energy At Kauai Neighborhood Centers: A unique federal/state/county/private partnership has resulted in the completion of lighting retrofits at Kauai's Kekaha and Kapaa Neighborhood Centers. The retrofit projects were made possible with Federal funds administered by the Energy Division of the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) and matched by the County of Kauai. Technical assistance was also provided by DBEDT. Coordination and project management were provided by the Energy Extension Service in the Kauai County's Office of Economic Development. The labor to complete the retrofits was provided by county electricians at the Kapaa Neighborhood Center and the West Kauai Rotary Club at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center. The two neighborhood center projects consisted of replacing 171 magnetic ballasts with energy- efficient electronic ballasts, changing 450 fluorescent lamps from 40-watt lamps to higher efficiency 34- and 32-watt lamps, and installing 95 watertight, high-efficiency fluorescent light fixtures. The centers' combined electric bills, totaling $10,100 for 1994, are expected to drop significantly. The retrofit at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center cost $3,540 and will yield estimated monthly savings of 830 kilowatt hours (kWh), worth $153.55 monthly or $1,843 annually. Kapaa's retrofit cost $9,484 and will save an estimated 1,333 kWh, worth $246.61 monthly or $2,959 annually. These savings projections are based on Kauai Electric's present rate of 18.5 cents per kWh. Electrical consumption and billings will be monitored during the next year to document savings from the work. A certified hazardous materials firm was contracted to dispose of PCB- containing ballasts.

Contact: Glenn Sato, (808) 241-6390

Illinois
Illinois Energy Programs Transferred: On July 1, 1995, an Executive Order by Governor Jim Edgar transferred the Illinois State Energy Conservation Program, the Institutional Conservation Program, and all energy conservation programs funded by Petroleum Violation Funds to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA). A new office within the department, the Bureau of Energy and Recycling, was created. Dennis Whetstone, Director of the agency, named Mitch Beaver as the Deputy Director in charge of the Bureau. The address of the new Bureau is DCCA, Room 300, 325 West Adams, Springfield, IL 62704.

Contact: Mitch Beaver, (217) 785-2800

Illinois' First Energy Net Training Completed: During the first week of August, 1995, the First Energy Net Summer Seminar was held at the University of Illinois at Champaign. Energy Net, sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Illinois TECH 2000 Coalition, and Ameritech Corp., is designed to introduce students and teachers to resources available through telecommunications by engaging them in real-world energy issues. During the four-day institute, over 100 students and teachers representing 30 schools learned energy use patterns and auditing techniques using databases accessed via telecommunication networks. The students also accessed energy data, conducted lighting audits, and assessed the relative efficiency of their schools' energy- using systems. The students will continue their investigations during the upcoming school year with on-line resources provided by Energy Net. These resources will allow the schools to share information and ideas on-line throughout the school year, and to access an Energy Net curriculum.

Contact: Jan Halford, (217) 785-3412

Iowa
Iowa's Pursuit of Energy Efficiency Conference: The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 1995 Iowa Energy Leadership Awards will be presented at Iowa's "Pursuit of Energy Efficiency" Conference. The DNR is a co-sponsor of the October 17-18, 1995, conference in Davenport, Iowa, and the Iowa Association for Energy Efficiency is presenting it. Concurrent energy efficiency sessions will include Residential, Commercial, Transportation, Policy Issues, and Renewable Resources. For general conference information, please contact Roy Goettig, Conference Chair, at (319) 333-8850.

Contact: Mary Holz-Clause, (515) 386- 8423 or Patti Cale, (515) 281- 8665

Kentucky
Updating State & Local Government Building Energy Codes: The Kentucky Division of Energy (KDOE) recently participated in a unique four- state partnership which successfully applied for a U.S. Department of Energy grant titled "Update State and Local Government Building Energy Codes." Kentucky's share of the approximately half million dollars under the grant will total almost $90,000. Tennessee, Georgia, and the lead state North Carolina are the other participants. Kentucky's share of the grant money will be used by the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction for the development and enforcement of the state's building energy codes. The funds will permit a variety of activities, including: training state and local code enforcement officials; seminars for builders, architects and others in the building community; simplified code enforcement documents; and resources such as a hotline to answer questions about residential and commercial energy codes. KDOE developed the background information and completed the Kentucky part of the grant application as an activity under the "Energy Partnerships" element of its State Energy Conservation Program, which seeks to form alliances to promote SECP goals.

Contact: Greg Guess, (502) 564-7192

Minnesota
New Publication Available: The Minnesota Department of Public Service has published a new Home Builders' Energy Update on preventing damp basements and window condensation. This publication, which is designed for builders, identifies foundation walls and floors as the major sources of moisture problems in new home construction. It describes cost-effective options to reduce moisture gain through basement surfaces. Copies of the Home Builders' Energy Update: Preventing Damp Basements and Excessive Window Condensation, as well as back issues of the Home Energy Builders' Update Series, are available from the Department's Energy Information Center at 1-800- 657-3710.

Contact: Mary Turner, 1-800-657-3710

North Carolina
North Carolina Partnership To Further Industry's Energy Efficiency: In what represents a stronger emphasis on collaborative efforts to underscore the major benefits of energy efficiency and pollution prevention to the North Carolina industrial sector, the Energy Division and the Office of Waste Reduction are launching a Climate Wise program to help at least 50 manufacturers with technical and financial assistance. The program is expected to yield concrete evidence of the dramatic benefits that can improve a manufacturer's economic strength and competitive position when vigorous steps are taken to improve energy efficiency and practice pollution prevention. State officials will gather the short-term data to showcase the benefits that accrue in the industrial sector when manufacturers undertake energy efficiency programs. Under the collaborative Climate Wise project, manufacturers will be able to clearly identify their savings. Through educational workshops in areas such as preventive maintenance and energy audits, they will be able to identify the financial resources saved when energy efficiency is enhanced. Moreover, manufacturers will be able to demonstrate waste minimization savings in financial terms. Along with the short-term results, the Climate Wise grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will enable the two North Carolina agencies to establish a model for collaborative agreements that can be adapted to produce tangible economic and environmental benefits in the future.

Contact: Juan Santos, (919) 733-1922

Oregon
Study Reveals Potential of Duct Sealing in the Northwest: The recently concluded Residential Construction Demonstration Project (RCDP) proved that heating contractors can install much tighter duct systems than the current practice and that weatherization contractors can make major improvements to leaky ductwork in existing homes - - all at a reasonable cost. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) provided funding for the RCDP study through utilities and state energy offices in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. In Oregon, the Eugene Water and Electric Board and the Springfield Utility Board recruited builders,heating contractors and homeowners to participate in the program and assisted with testing. The Oregon Department of Energy and the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Energy Program provided training for contractors and conducted testing. OSU Extension Energy Agent Ted Haskell wrote the final report on the project. The report includes duct leakage test results before and after improvements, and recommendations for utilities designing duct improvement programs. Also covered are house operating pressures, effectiveness of sealing materials and techniques, the balancing of air distribution systems, and comfort issues. You can request the report "RCDP IV Final Report: Improved Air Distribution Systems for Forced-Air-Heating" from the BPA publications request line: 1- 800-622-4520.

Contact: Ted Haskell, (503) 731-4104

Portland to Save $850,000 on Electric Bill and Buy Wind Power for City Facilities: A creative power purchase contract between the City of Portland, Oregon and Portland General Electric (PGE) will save the city about $177,000 in the first year and as much as $850,000 over the next five years. As an added plus, PGE has agreed to purchase or generate approximately 11,250,000 kilowatt-hours of wind-generated electricity during the term of the five-year agreement. "This is a great deal for the City," said Susan Anderson, Director of the Portland Energy Office. "We save a lot of money, we reduce C02 emissions, and enough wind power is generated to run City Hall, Multnomah Arts Center and ten fire stations!" This innovative arrangement - - the first of its kind in the nation - - was suggested to the city by PGE as a way to accomplish two of the city's energy goals: reducing city government energy bills and promoting renewable energy resources. Under a new experimental pricing schedule, annual power purchases of about $2 million will be tied to the wholesale cost of electricity, thereby creating the opportunity for savings. The savings will appear on the bills of industrial-type facilities like the wastewater treatment plants at Columbia Boulevard and Tryon Creek, water pump stations at Washington Park, and the City's flagship office facility, the Portland Building. PGE also agreed that it will purchase or generate wind power in an amount equal to five percent of the energy purchased under the new tariff. The city's renewable wind purchase will be over 2,250,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, an amount equal the output of about 2.5 wind turbines.

Contact: Susan Anderson, 503-823-7223

South Carolina
Demand-Side Activities Report: The South Carolina Energy Office recently completed its third annual report on demand- side activities promoted by the suppliers of electricity and natural gas throughout South Carolina. The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Order 636 stimulated a lot of activities. Although during 1994 there were no recorded reductions in peak demand or annual consumption of natural gas because most activities were focused on load- building programs, by 1999, one percent of the peak gas demand, or 4,300 dekatherms, will be accounted for through demand-side activities. Electric utilities, in contrast, have promoted demand-side activities for years. Demand-side activities reduced the peak electric demand by almost six percent in 1994, compared to the 1993 national average of almost seven percent. Whether this trend continues depends on what effect the introduction of competition will have in the electric utility industry. Competition may result in more emphasis being placed on prices and not services. The future of electric demand-side programs cannot be predicted with certainty with the pending restructuring of the electricity industry.

Contact: Amy Reilly, (803) 737-8030

Virgin Islands
Energy Rebates Available for Virgin Islanders: The Virgin Islands Energy Office (VIEO) announced the reinstatement of the "Energy Efficiency Pay$" (EEP$) Rebate Program on May 22, 1995. The program was closed out for monitoring purposes in March of 1994. The rebate program was established by the Energy Office to promote energy conservation among Virgin Islands residents by offering financial incentives for the purchase of energy-efficient equipment and water-conserving devices. Items for which a rebate is being offered are solar water heaters, 1.5- 3.0 gallon low flush toilets, compact fluorescent bulbs (lamps), occupancy sensors, electronic ballasts, and timers for electric water heaters. In order to qualify for a rebate, the items must be purchased within the Virgin Islands from a VIEO-certified dealer.

Contact: MariaVictoria Gomez, (809) 772-2616

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