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GreenTech Week in Review
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June 29, 2013

GreenTech Week in Review

By Cheryl Kaften
TMCnet Contributor

In green technology developments this week, just as the heat reached scorching, record-breaking heights in several parts of the United States, President Barack delivered an address on climate change—and two studies found that sales of home energy systems (HEMs) are up right now, while utility bills are slightly down.


If this is not global warming, it sure feels like it. This weekend, the temperature could rise to 130°F in Death Valley and 117° in Las Vegas. In Albuquerque, N.M., thermostats already hit 105° on June 27. The heat wave is "a huge one," National Weather Service Specialist Stuart Seto told Fox News. "We haven't seen one like this for several years." And across the pond, they are expecting similar weather. Britain is heading for a sizzling two-week slow-burner, with temperatures set to soar into the 90s, forecasters predicted on June 28.

Coinciding with the weather, on June 25, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech intended to single-handedly reboot the nation’s strategy for staving off climate change—outlining a set of executive actions geared to reduce carbon emissions, build stronger and safer infrastructure to withstand extreme weather, and lead international efforts to fight global warming. Although the president assured the nation that “we are more energy secure than at any time in recent history,” he also pointed out that “climate change is no longer a distant threat.” The extreme weather of the past year nationwide—comprising 11 different climate disaster events that each racked up an estimated loss of $1 billion—will make it the second-costliest year on record, according to the Executive Office.  

Reaction to the speech was fairly predictable. Ned Helme, president of the Center for Clean Air Policy commented, “Targeting greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants is a game-changer that shows the United States is serious about addressing climate change.”  According to Politico, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Obama’s climate change push is “absolutely crazy.” And a Senate GOP aide said Sunday, “It’s beyond surprising that the President will try to do something through executive action that he knows a bipartisan majority in Congress does not support. This is another example of a liberal President who can’t get his way going around Congress (and the people they represent) to attempt to enact his liberal Utopia.”

And when you’re hot, you’re hot. That goes for both the population of the United States, as temperatures soar this summer, as well as for home energy management systems (HEMs), which are flying off the shelves as the season begins.  In June, a cohort of 1,000 U.S. adults was polled by Austin, Texas-based Zpryme Smart Grid Insights, which asked, “Over the next 12 months, how likely are you to buy or install a home energy management system (HEMS)?” 

Although most respondents still were not ready to make the purchase, overall the number of those who are interested is growing quickly—and respondents from the U.S. Midwest were more likely to say “yes” to an immediate shopping trip. Specifically, six percent of U.S. adults said they are ‘very likely’ to purchase a HEMS—up by 3.5 percentage points from May. The 18-24 demographic group was most likely to buy or install a HEMS in June. What’s more, the survey reflected that males (7.4 percent) were more likely than females (6 percent) to buy and install a system.

Finally, there’s nothing like a cold, air-conditioned room to take the edge off a summer day—and to take a bite out of a homeowner’s electricity budget. However, this year there will be less reason to get hot under the collar about your utility invoice than usual. The average U.S. residential summer 2013 electric bill is expected to drop to the lowest level it has reached since 2009—down 2.5 percent from 2012, to $395. Both usage and prices are slightly down, yielding an excellent outlook for the three-month period of June through August. America’s Pacific States—Washington, Oregon, and California—will pay the least ($279, down 3.5 percent from last year) during this summer season, while the West Central South states of Texas and Oklahoma will pay the most ($503, up 1.9 percent).

Indeed, according to a report just released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Summer 2013 Outlook for Residential Electric Bills,” slightly higher electricity prices are expected to be offset by a drop in electricity usage to meet lower cooling demand during what is expected to be a milder season, in comparison to last year's hotter-than-normal season.  (But, as the high heat moves in, is it time to reconsider? More news on this soon.)



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