The Energy Chronicles

Author Archives: Karen Sweeney

The Future of Lighting in the Hospitality Industry

LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting has been widely adopted in commercial buildings throughout the past 10 years, promoting energy savings and improved light outputs. But, what about the hospitality industry where the look and aesthetic are crucial to each restaurant, hotel, and shop? The original LED bulbs were efficient but not attractive. Today, we can have both efficiency and aesthetics with new generation LED bulbs. If you wrote off LED bulbs for your hotel or spa 5 years ago, check again. LED bulbs now come in all-glass “vintage” styles that are made to mimic the aesthetic of old incandescent bulbs. […]

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Everything You Need to Know About the Des Moines Energy and Water Benchmarking Ordinance

The Des Moines city council passed an energy and water benchmarking ordinance on June 3rd. Here’s what that means: Buildings over 25,000 square feet within Des Moines city limits are now required to report their annual energy and water usage to the city once a year starting in 2020. Read on to learn what benchmarking is, if your building is included in this ordinance, how an energy professional can help you, and the answers to some common questions. In this article you’ll learn: Who does this affect? What is energy and water benchmarking? Common Questions Benefits of Energy Professionals Who […]

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Aesthetics & Efficiency

New LED lighting technology has both the beauty of traditional filament bulbs and the efficiency of the latest LEDs.

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6 Things Businesses in Iowa Don’t Realize About Their Energy Use

Businesses need energy to operate. But are the business owners aware how their energy is being used?

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