Jennifer Hermes, Author at Environment + Energy Leader

Energy Star Reporting Is Required?

March 14, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

Did you know that if you operate or own commercial buildings in certain parts of the country you are now or may be soon required to track your building’s energy performance through the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program? In an effort to drive down energy consumption and promote sustainability, many cities, ... Read more »

Ethanol Producers Respond to Market Conditions

March 13, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

Beginning in summer 2012, the prices of ethanol and corn reached levels where production costs at relatively simple ethanol plants exceeded revenue. These simple plants, which are not able to recover corn oil, make up a diminishing portion of the ethanol industry. Reacting to the market conditions, several ethanol plants ... Read more »

Resource Adequacy: Texas Initiatives and NERC Concerns

March 12, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

Resource adequacy has been an increasing concern in many areas of the country. With reserve margin levels anticipated to fall below target levels by 2014, authorities in the Texas region have over the last few years taken steps aimed at addressing this concern. These efforts will serve them well. Gerry ... Read more »

What the Sequester Means for the Clean Energy Workforce

March 11, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

Now that the sequester has officially begun, people are wondering what the impacts will be, both long term and short term. The message from the two sides of the political spectrum could not be more opposite. Republicans are confident that the concern is overstated, and the wasteful federal government needs ... Read more »

Smart Grid Prospects & State of the Business in 2013

March 6, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

Smart Grid sales across the world in the last three years at installed prices have grown by CAGR of approximately 35% and climbed to $36.5 billion in 2012. Given the general economic demise during this period these figures are remarkable. However they include a steady flow of refurbishment business that ... Read more »

Economic Value and Benefits of Landfill Gas as Renewable Energy Strategy

March 5, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

When we talk about renewable energy, our minds tend to immediately evoke images of rooftop solar arrays or endless rows of wind turbines stretching across a rural field. Very rarely do we think of a mountain of garbage piled high in a landfill just outside of town. However, this landfill ... Read more »

4 Steps to Accomplish a Successful Energy Overhaul

March 4, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

Accomplishing an energy overhaul for any business may initially seem daunting. An organizational energy transformation requires multiple skills to gather data, determine the goals and objectives, model the costs and benefits of potential solutions and, finally, select the energy projects that align with the overarching vision. Nonetheless, for large commercial, ... Read more »

Building Audit Identifies Sources of Hidden Energy Waste

February 28, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) is a tax-exempt public charity based in Middlebury, Vermont. The VCF oversees 600 funds and ranks among the top 10% of community foundations in the country. It manages more than $154 million in assets and awards $10.5 million in grants annually. With its eye on the ... Read more »

Measuring & Verifying Your Energy Performance

February 27, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

For different reasons, we are reaching a “perfect storm” of the need for companies to implement a robust program to measure and verify environmental performance. In the environmental sphere, many regulatory agencies have cut back and now expect facilities to rigorously self-monitor and report key compliance indicators. In what can ... Read more »

ISO 50001: INTEGRATION with ISO 14001

February 26, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

A few years ago, I was gathering requirements for ISO 50001 software, and I asked early adopters of EN 16001 the following question: “You already have ISO 14001. Will you have a standalone system for EN 16001?” These companies are all large multinationals in sectors like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food ... Read more »

Lighting Retrofit Cuts Energy Usage by 50%

February 25, 2013August 2, 2019 by Jennifer Hermes

If you’re a tennis player in Wheaton, Illinois, things are looking brighter thanks to an energy efficient lighting retrofit of the four indoor tennis courts at the Wheaton Sport Center. The retrofit increased light levels by about 32% in the courts. The Sport Center is a family owned recreation club ... Read more »

7 Key Selling Points for Energy Projects

February 21, 2013 by Jennifer Hermes

When I began working in the energy management/financing industry, “lack of capital” was the prevailing excuse why a good project (less than a 3 year payback) was not being approved/implemented. When I did my Ph.D. research on this topic, about 35% of projects were postponed/canceled due to “lack of upfront ... Read more »

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