Monthly Archives: September 2009

Dan Gibson Wrapping up the Alliance to Save Energy “All Roads to Copenhagen” Summit

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Dan Gibson | Comments Off


Last week we went to the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE)’s “All Roads to Copenhagen” Summit. The word of the day was definitely “efficiency” and was present to some degree in virtually everyone’s remarks.

Secretary Salazar led a strong cast of speakers. I was excited to see a Google (big Google products user) presence in the form of Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Dan talked about Google’s work in developing their smart grid. What caught my ear was that Dan said he had huddled with Jim Rogers, President & CEO, Duke Energy, at the beginning of the event to talk about doing the same thing with natural gas.

Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) took her turn at the podium. Earlier in the day AGA issued a joint statement with NRDC supporting the recommendations of the National Academies that the Department of Energy (DOE) move toward the use of a “full-fuel-cycle” measurement.



There were a ton of other great messages at the event like Chris Chafe, Executive Director, Change to Win on organized labor being ready to work with utilities. Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, did well.

Dave’s session went well, which I’m always pleased to see. I was able to convince him to do a brief video snippet afterward (above) for those that weren’t able to attend. The sound isn’t the greatest (shooting video in the halls of the Senate is like shooting in the middle of an auditorium) but I was able to clean it up some so you can hear him ok.

We’re also including a bunch of pictures from the event. Enjoy and leave thoughts on the event if you were there.

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Lauren Blosse Natural Resources Defense Council Joins AGA to Promote ‘Full-Fuel-Cycle’ Measurements for Appliances

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Lauren Blosse | Comments Off


The esteemed Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), known in Washington and around the country as the most effective environmental action organization, has banded together with AGA for an important cause- to improve the way the “carbon footprints” of our appliances are measured.

The two groups released a joint statement today urging Congress to heed the recommendations of a National Academies study, released in May, which concludes that a “full-fuel-cycle” measurement for appliances will give consumers the most scientifically accurate information about the energy consumption of their purchases.

Currently, the Department of Energy measures efficiency at the “site source” of an appliance – for example, the burner tip on your stovetop.  But that type of measurement doesn’t take into account the amount of energy lost along the way in the production, generation, and distribution of the fuel, i.e., the full-fuel-cycle.

So it’s fair to say that right now, consumers are only getting part of the energy efficiency equation when they purchase an appliance, and the National Academies, AGA and now NRDC have set out to help customers see the true size of their carbon footprint.

Visit this link for more.

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Dan Gibson Alliance to Save Energy “All Roads to Copenhagen” Summit

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Dan Gibson | Comments Off


I’m getting a little pumped about Dave’s panel during the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE)’s “All Roads to Copenhagen” Summit tomorrow. I don’t get a chance to physically get out of the office much so it’ll be a nice opportunity to talk to some people face to face. Plus, I’ll be bringing the video camera and taking some shots while I’m there. And yes to the Alliance, we will be dropping the occasional tweet or two.

The real reason I’m looking forward to the event though is we’re releasing some pretty important news tomorrow and Dave is going to be mentioning it during his panel.

What is it? Well, I can’t say yet. icon smile Alliance to Save Energy All Roads to Copenhagen Summit

Be sure to visit the ASE web site for full info on the event. I’m cutting and pasting the full agenda here to make it easier ( Dave’s session starts at 9:20 a.m.) You’ll of course find me by the pastries beforehand.

In the meantime, why don’t you read about National Academies recommendation that the U.S. Department of Energy change its system of setting appliance energy-efficiency standards to a full-fuel-cycle measurement.

8:30 a.m. Registration (coffee/pastries)
9:00 a.m. Opening and Welcome Remarks

  • Kateri Callahan, President, Alliance to Save Energy
9:05 a.m Keynote Remarks

  • Ken Salazar, Secretary, Deparment of the Interior
9:20 a.m. Utility Perspective Panel

  • Ken Ostrowski, Director, McKinsey & Company
  • Jim Rogers, President & CEO, Duke Energy
  • Tom King, President, National Grid USA
  • Dave Parker, President & CEO, American Gas Association
10:05 a.m. Keynote Remarks

  • Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
10:25 a.m. Business Perspective Panel

  • Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Google
  • John Woodworth, Senior Vice President, Corporate Supply Chain Operations, 3M Company
  • William Archer, Chief Marketing Officer, AT&T
  • Kelly Romano, President, Building Systems and Services Carrier Corporation, UTC
  • Rick Mire, Corporate Environmental Manager, Exxon Mobil
  • Karen Harbert, President & CEO, Institute for 21st Century Energy
11:30 a.m. Coffee & Networking Break
11:45 a.m. Keynote Remarks

  • Suresh Prabhu, Former Member of Parliament and Union Minister for Power, India
12:00 p.m. Labor/Public Interest Perspective (5 min. each then Q&A) – Confirmed Speakers:

  • Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council
  • Chris Chafe, Executive Director, Change to Win
12:25 p.m. Keynote Remarks

  • Victor Borras-Setien, General Director, National Fund for Housing (INFONAVIT), Mexico
  • Evangelina Hirata, Deputy General Director, National Housing Commission (CONAVI), Mexico
12:45 p.m. Closing Comments and Adjourn

  • Kateri Callahan, President, Alliance to Save Energy
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Chris McGill Natural gas market indicators

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Chris McGill | Comments Off


090915.ngmi Natural gas market indicators

Natural gas prices have rebounded slightly from a brief flirtation below the $2 per MMBtu benchmark. So, has the market seen the bottom of Henry Hub price fluctuations? Some analysts believe so, however, others say the minor rally can’t be sustained without nature bringing on a supply disruption.

The current winter heating season outlook for consumer bills is for a decline in winter bills for natural gas customers on average compared to the 2008-2009 winter but clearly such an outlook is dependent on weather and market predictability – something that seems more and more elusive.

Looking at last year’s expectations, the EIA winter fuels outlook (October 2008) pointed to an 18 percent increase in average home heating bills for the 2008-2009 winter. By March 2009, EIA had adjusted that final expectation to only a one percent increase. That isn’t a criticism of EIA – it is a testament to the unpredictable influences on today’s energy market.

Even though lower price projections compared to last year seem very reasonable, it seems just as reasonable to assume that prices will rise with the onslaught of winter heating demand loads and perhaps with increasing industrial demand.

For example, the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index for July reported that the manufacturing sector is expanding again, marking the first time since the recession began. BENTEK Energy’s modeling suggests that the increase in manufacturing activity is translating into higher industrial demand for gas (a 10 percent increase from May to August).

Visit this link to download the full Natural Gas Market Indicator. Topics covered include: Reported Prices, Weather, Working Gas in Underground Storage, Natural Gas Production, Rig Counts, Pipeline Imports and Exports, and LNG Markets.

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