Aug 2009 News roundup
* Updates to the EPA Portfolio Manager
The EPA has announced several changes to their Portfolio Manager tool, detailed here. Some of the changes include an updated rating methodology for warehouses, retail establishments, religious institutions, and facilities that generate their own wind or solar power. Additionally, the Portfolio Manager will now allow you to track Renwable Energy Certificate (REC) purchases at the building level, for all buildings in your portfolio. New regulations take effect August 31, 2009.
Call Great Forest with any questions about these changes to determine eligibility.
* Speculators Manipulate Energy Prices
The Petroleum Marketers Association of America has called for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to set position limits for investors to prevent market manipulation.
“It is abundantly clear that large-scale, institutional investors speculating in the energy markets continue to act as the driving force behind energy prices,” Sean Cota, treasurer of the Arlington, Virginia-based association told the CFTC.
Last year, crude oil futures jumped 52 percent to a record $147.27 a barrel from Jan. 1 to July 11, 2008. They then plunged 77 percent in the following six months to a low of $32.40 a barrel on Dec. 19.
In this fluctuating market, it is essential for large consumers such as building owners and property managers to track their usage demands.
“Our online Metrics system keeps tabs on a building’s or a company’s energy data. This allows us to anticipate usage patterns and make adjustments when energy prices rise or fall,” says Great Forest Energy consultant Michael Sanfilippo. “With one eye tracking usage and the other tracking prices, we help clients use wisely and buy low.
Try the new Great Forest Metrics.