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Optimizing Solar PV Systems

Have you ever wondered how solar panels capture energy from the sun to produce electricity? Or perhaps you want to learn how to get the most power output of your own PV array? Read on to learn how solar panels produce electricity, or if you are simply interested in learning how to optimize your solar system skip down to that section.

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Heat Pumps for Space Heating in Cold Climates: Costs + Performance

I’ve lived in frigid climates that have four distinct seasons my whole life. These places, like my hometown of Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, and my college town of Bozeman, Montana, have winter daily average temperatures in the range of 10-30 degrees F, and are certainly what you would call “heating dominated climates.” Air conditioning is often not needed at all. These cold climates deserve special considerations when selecting modern heating systems.

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COVID-19 HVAC System Recommendations

Image: Beyond Efficiency schematic mechanical design for new office building with direct outside air system (DOAS)

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Ensuring Central HPWH System Success

Central heat pump water heating (HPWH) systems are the cutting edge in all-electric multifamily buildings in California. These systems promise to significantly lower carbon emissions of buildings while reducing energy costs and providing the same satisfactory hot water delivery performance as gas systems. Accordingly, the California Energy Commission (CEC) has partnered with consultant Ecotope to create Title 24 prescriptive and performance compliance options enabling further market penetration. The groundwork is set for this to become a mainstream technology!

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COVID-19 Building Industry Survey Results

We are grateful to the more than 120 respondents that took the time to complete our survey in early April and share honest insights on the impact of the global health crisis on themselves. Read on for results, including a selection of written comments from respondents we felt captured the essence of the situation.

Respondent Roles

Our respondents were highly representative of our clients and contacts with building industry professionals comprising over 70%, homeowners about 10%, and others (suppliers, utilities, government, real estate etc) about 20%.

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The Growing Features of Beyond Efficiency's Hot Water Distribution System Models

As I introduced in my previous article, we at Beyond Efficiency are in the process of developing simulation models for hot water distribution systems. We believe that these tools will support industry practitioners ranging from researchers to Title 24 consultants, to building designers, and everybody in between.

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