Towards the tail end of each year, various technology publications generate lists of the top tech buzzwords of the year. (For example, see the list from Tech Crunch). When we think about buzzwords, we tend to think of them as so much hype – and often they are. I was struck, therefore, by how many […]
You want to install a system that improves the operational efficiency of your facility, reduces your energy consumption and provides operational visibility but don’t think you can clear the payback hurdles set by your finance department? Here’s help! You can clear those hurdles with utility rebates, programs that help reduce your upfront investment. Utility rebate […]
Recently, we were deeply honored to learn that we had been included on the Global Cleantech 100 Ones to Watch list. This award is meaningful because according to sponsoring organization Cleantech Group (CTG), we were selected from 9,900 nominated companies from 77 countries. The list was winnowed down and reviewed by a panel of 86 […]
Last Friday, most of the Boston-area Powerhouse Dynamics team did what’s become an annual volunteer activity, spending roughly half the day working at the Greater Boston Food Bank. One of the largest food banks in the U.S., in 2015 GBFB “distributed more than 54 million pounds of nutritious food, enough to provide healthy meals to […]
Powerhouse Dynamics was recently approved as both a Systems and Services provider in NYSERDA’s RTEM (Real-time Energy Management) market. You may be asking what RTEM is and why you should care: if so, read on. RTEM is NYSERDA’s new rebate program that covers all of New York State, minus Long Island (which is covered separately […]
In a world with constrained resources (chiefly time and money), it’s important to have the correct tools and processes in place to identify opportunities that give you the “most bang for your buck”. One of the biggest pieces of value a quality energy management system (EMS) delivers is culling through a sea of data from […]
It’s the operations manager’s nightmare: A vital piece of mission-critical HVAC or restaurant equipment fails in the middle of the busiest season of the year. Suddenly, you’re coordinating an emergency replacement. You need it yesterday, and you’re forced to take what you can get. Known as “run-to-fail”, for better or worse this is the dominant […]
We all remember reading about Benjamin Franklin in grade school, and the kite in the storm with the key attached to the string, and voila…he proved the relationship between lighting and electricity. Ben Franklin was also famous for his many axioms, including “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We all know […]
If you read Powerhouse Dynamics’ advice for getting on the asset and energy management podium, you probably noticed that one key strategy mentioned was developing an “equipment start up/shut down schedule”. If you aspire to winning a medal, then it’s time to enforce that new policy and watch the energy savings and equipment cost reductions […]
We enjoy watching the best in the world compete at the Summer Olympics. But even before the Olympics, the U.S. Olympic trials made us think about the time, energy and hours of training these athletes commit to being the best, which led us to consider what it takes to be the best in asset and […]
By now, we all know that remotely accessed energy, temperature, and other data can reveal deep insight in to equipment performance. Today, I want to explore a few outside-the-box ways that equipment-level energy data, provided by an internet connected Energy Management System like SiteSage, was used to gain insight into human performance: specifically restaurant-level employees […]
Last week, I was in Denver for the first-ever Environmental Leader conference, which turned out to feature an impressive roster of sustainability leaders in a small group setting. I chatted informally with sustainability leaders at Toyota, General Motors, RaceTrac, Caesars Entertainment, PepsiCo, 3M, NREL, and more. As at most conferences, the highlights were conversations held […]
