This month, Flex Your Power released a new series of Television commercials portraying energy efficiency as a valuable gift - something that will save homeowners money while also helping the environment. The ads are now available on our site for your viewing pleasure, so sit back, relax and watch a couple. You can also view our 2008 commercials, spotlighting global warming.

• View the Flex Your Power TV commercials

P. Wesley Schultz, Ph.D., emphasizes the effectiveness of social messaging (Photo: CSU San Marcos)

When it comes to going green and saving energy, people may be more motivated by peer pressure than by learning that it helps the environment or even saves them money. According to professor Weseley Schultz of CSU San Marcos, individuals tend to base their environmental decisions more on what they think is normal, than on what they think is simply “the right thing to do,” and recent research shows that this is exactly the case.

In one study conducted by Schultz, researchers distributed door hangers to 1,200 households in San Marcos with five messages encouraging residential energy conservation. Four of the messages used traditional ideas such as saving energy saves money, is socially or environmentally responsible, or is easy to do. The fifth message compared the household’s energy use to average use in the neighborhood. Households received the same message over several weeks while researchers monitored electricity use. Researchers found that homes that received the fifth message achieved the greatest reductions in energy use, with high consumers using significantly less electricity after the campaign.

Another study, a pilot program developed by professor Robert Cialdini of Arizona State University, found similar results when researchers presented residents with information comparing their electricity use to their neighbors’ and praising or damning residents with smiley faces (or a lack thereof) and information about how much money they saved or wasted. In Sacramento, the program resulted in a 2% energy reduction over the course of a year, the equivalent of taking 700 of the 35,000 sample homes off the grid.

In short, conservation messages that convey positive social norms can prompt greater response than messages that simply inform or raise awareness. As Schultz explains, “It’s important for us to believe that our conservation efforts are not in vain, that other people value conservation and are doing things to conserve.”

• Read background: “Messaging Beyond Energy Awareness,” California Center for Sustainable Energy newsletter (June 2009)
• Read background: “Greening with Envy,” by Bonnie Tsui (The Atlantic, July/August 2009)

Data center electricity use has doubled in the last 5 years (Photo: Flickr)

Yahoo! recently announced that it will be no longer purchase carbon offsets for its operations, focusing instead on improving the energy efficiency of its data centers. The decision reverses the company’s 2007 plan to invest in carbon-offset projects in order to become carbon neutral.

“We believe creating highly-efficient data centers will have a greater long-term, direct impact on the environment and gives us the best opportunity to play a leadership role in addressing climate change,” explained David Filo, the company’s co-founder.

According to Filo, Yahoo! plans to reduce the carbon intensity of its data centers by at least 40% by 2014 through innovative data center design, improved server utilization, cloud computing, and by choosing data center locations where cleaner energy is available. One of the new data centers, a state-of-the-art building dubbed the Yahoo Computing Coop, is planned for construction in Buffalo, New York. There, the center will take advantage of cool air coming off Lake Erie to supply a natural cooling system, and obviate the need for any chillers.

Yahoo!’s recent move underscores the impact of data center electricity use, which is responsible for more than half the company’s carbon footprint, including its global office operations, employee commuting, and air travel, according to Christina Page, Climate and Energy Strategist for Yahoo!. Yahoo! hopes that its efforts will inspire others to follow, according to Page, who notes that electricity consumption from data centers has doubled over the past five years and is expected to double again.

• Read background, “Yahoo! Abandons Carbon Offsets in Favor of Efficiency,” by GreenerComputing Staff (ClimateBiz 6/30/09)

Over 90% of California’s office space is leased, creating barriers to energy upgrades (Photo: Flickr)

According to a recent report from the California Sustainability Alliance, the largest barrier to greening California’s office space is the fact that 90% of that space is leased. The report, Greening California’s Leased Office Space: Challenges and Opportunities (PDF, 5.5. MB), explains that under many lease agreements, owners are not economically motivated to invest in building retrofits because the benefits of such upgrades flow mostly to the tenants. This split incentive is creating a major barrier to critical green upgrades.

The solution, according to report authors, is to expand the practice of green leasing - the process of integrating environmentally conscious elements into the lease and encouraging tenants and owners to collaborate on cost-effective improvements.

The report further recommends strategies for accelerating green leasing including establishing a consistent, statewide definition of green, documenting and publicizing the costs and benefits of green buildings, and modifying state and local policies to recognize the contrasting needs of landlords and tenants. The Green Leases Toolkit 2.0 is included in the report and is provided to help tenants and building owners develop approaches to minimize energy and water use and reduce waste.

• Download the report, “Greening California’s Leased Office Space: Challenges and Opportunities” (PDF, 5.5 MB)
• Read the full press release
• Learn more about energy efficiency in commercial buildings

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently revealed strict new lighting standards and also announced the release of $346 million in Recovery Act funds to finance energy efficiency improvements in homes and commercial buildings.

The new lighting standards will require products imported into or made in the U.S. to meet higher efficiency thresholds starting in 2012, a change that promises significant savings considering that lighting accounts for 7% of U.S. energy consumption. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that the new rules will save consumers $1 billion to $4 billion annually from 2012 through 2042, while eliminating the need for up to 7.3 gigawatts of new generating capacity by 2042, equivalent to the output of 14 500MW coal-fired power plants.

Meanwhile, the DOE is releasing $346 million in stimulus funds to support building energy efficiency, including smarter technology and better equipment. Currently, the building sector accounts for around 40% of U.S. energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, making it a prime target for upgrades.

“When it comes to saving money and growing our economy, energy efficiency isn’t just low hanging fruit, it’s fruit lying on the ground,” said Secretary Chu. “The most prosperous, competitive economies of the 21st century will be those that use energy efficiently. It’s time for America to lead the way.”

The funds will be allotted in five major areas including Advanced Building Systems Research ($100m), Commercial Buildings Initiative ($53.5m), Buildings and Appliance Market Transformation ($72.5m), Solid State Lighting Research and Development ($50m) and Residential Buildings Development and Deployment ($70m), and promise to help create new jobs while reducing carbon emissions and improving efficiency.

• Read more: “Obama Adminstration Launches New Energy Efficiency Efforts,” from the Department of Energy
• Related: “President Obama’s First 100 Days: Energy and the Environment” (e-Newswire 5/1/09)

Sustainable Spaces offers solar panel installation, but only after thorough efficiency upgrades  (Photo: Sustainable Spaces)

Sustainable Spaces, a San Francisco-based home performance retrofitting contractor, helps improve the health, comfort and energy efficiency of homes. Their retrofits help to save homeowners an average of 40% on their energy bills, adding up to 745,300 kWh and 149,060 Therms saved by Sustainable Spaces in 2008. Their home performance specialists examine both the building envelope, such as windows and insulation, and the major home systems like the furnace and A/C units. They then work with in-house contractors to make energy efficiency updates as needed. Sustainable Spaces’ efforts earned them a Best Overall Award in the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Awards.

• View the winners of the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Awards
• Visit the Sustainable Spaces website