Only two tenths of one percent of the nation’s growing demand for solar energy is being generated within the state of Michigan. The state’s slow adoption of solar energy will hopefully speed up thanks to an innovative program designed to simplify the conversion to renewable energy. The program, ... Read More »
Renewable Energy Benefits Local Economies
“..the total number of jobs in renewables worldwide continue to rise, in stark contrast with depressed labour markets in the broader energy sector.” International Renewable Energy Agency 2016 (IRENA) The launch this year of a renovation project in Michigan highlighted the benefit to local economies ... Read More »
Converting Wasted Energy Into Cash
“Most companies have a large pool of cash they could easily access, and use it to become more energy efficient…if only they realized it was available!” According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average industrial building is wasting 30% of purchased energy. Depending on the ... Read More »
How Do You Fund Energy Efficiency in West Michigan?
The facility supervisor leaned over to me and whispered “energy efficiency is a great goal but how do you pay for it?” He was asking the question during a presentation we were listening to discussing the many approaches for reducing wasted energy in commercial buildings. During a break I attempted ... Read More »
Energy Efficiency – Expensive Luxury or Affordable Necessity?
Curt Monhart, EAGM V.P., was listening to affordable housing developer Jeff Dombrowski last week as he outlined the various opportunities he has to create energy efficient housing in several settings. One is on a college campus and the other is in the downtown area of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the ... Read More »
Government Building Incorporates Sustainability & Energy Efficiency
At a recent conference entitled Sustainably Lighting the World, sponsored by the Global Business Club of Mid-Michigan and hosted by Michigan State University, a smorgasbord of new sustainable lighting research and technology was introduced. One of the most exciting presentations was given by ... Read More »
Renovating a 1920s Detroit Manufacturing Plant
A rebirth is taking place in Detroit, Michigan and, according to Cathleen Francois of Greening Detroit.com, a big focus is on renovating older buildings instead of demolishing them and replacing them with new structures. Renovating results in less waste and maintains iconic structures that are woven ... Read More »
Financing Plan is LEED Architect’s Competitive Advantage
An architect desiring a high LEED rating on every project he’s involved with discussed a growing challenge he would like to overcome. He determined that overcoming the challenge will give him a competitive advantage, allowing him to successfully launch more LEED - qualified projects. LEED stands for ... Read More »
Make the Switch to Energy Efficiency Easy!
In a recent meeting with a group actively involved in advancing sustainability, a question about how Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) supports a reduction in the use of carbon based fuel was asked. I decided to answer using a personal example. “The result is higher efficiency at less ... Read More »
Commercial Real Estate Investment Strategy – PACE Refinancing
The engineer I was sitting next to at the seminar leaned over to me and asked “you can do that?” I assured him it was possible and he whispered back, “I need to know about that”, before he turned to listen to the remainder of the story. We were attending the presentation Keeping PACE with Energy ... Read More »