RMI Outlet

Plug Into New Ideas

Texas Grocer Slashes Energy Use

Which commercial building sector uses more energy per square foot than all but one other and is more than twice as energy-intensive as office buildings and schools? Grocery stores, second only to food service.

My Response to WSJ’s "The Problem With Going Green"

The economic growth Owen decries is boosted not just by energy efficiency but also, and far more, by many other things he doesn't choose to criticize, such as education, public health, capital markets, and technological innovation. He is right that consumption has impact, and that one way to reduce impact is to consume less or differently. But he is dead wrong that using energy more productively has the perverse effect of increasing its use, eliminating or reversing the benefits sought: this has never been observed, and a vast literature shows that actual "rebound" effects, when observable, are small and unimportant.

Looking to the Future for Energy Efficiency

Given the rapid pace of innovation today, it's hard to grasp what the future will be like in five years, let alone 40. Technologies continue to become smaller and faster in ways few thought could be possible.

Hawaii Lab Achieves LEED Platinum

The University of Hawaii's new C-More Hale Laboratory recently won certification as the first LEED Platinum laboratory in Hawaii.