John Sherwin with the Florida Solar Energy Center, says rooftop systems can deliver real green savings but consumers should be wary of guarantees.
“You want to get multiple quotes. If they’re promising you a zero-energy bill you want to find out where and how they’re getting that information,” Sherwin said.
WFTV9 | January 21, 2021
A new Florida Building Code went into effect on December 31. The 7th Edition Florida Building Code (2020) includes a number of changes to the Energy Conservation code. These changes will impact how new Florida buildings are constructed, lit, and controlled. A summary listing of some of the more impactful changes is provided below. Learn even more about the code changes and earn continuing education credits by attending short, live webinar training courses offered by the University of Central Florida’s FSEC Energy Research Center.
EnergyWhiz—a renewable energy-focused event for students to demonstrate their science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) capabilities through project-based learning activities—will be held virtually on May 3 – 7, 2021.
FSEC Energy Research Center, in partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Energy, is modifying this traditionally in-person event to be in virtual format. New rules will be posted later this month at: https://energyresearch.ucf.edu/education/k-12/energywhiz/
Competitions will be:
One of the biggest changes will be in the Energy Innovations category. Energy Innovations is now open to adults, and it has also expanded to include solar cooking and energy-efficient buildings (and pet houses).
Learn more about EnergyWhiz at: https://energyresearch.ucf.edu/education/k-12/energywhiz/.
FSEC researchers studied a set of test buildings in Cocoa, Fla., extrapolated the data and using building energy simulations, and estimated the benefits of white reflective walls in other locations. “According to the modeling, going from dark walls to white walls could save about 12% on cooling costs in cities like Orlando, Miami, New Orleans, or Houston.”
Builder | October 16, 2020
We love air! But boiling herbs and buying more plants will not improve your indoor air quality. Find out what will. Tanvir Khan, air quality engineer and researcher at FSEC, talks about essential oils.
New York Times | October 5, 2020