As Quarter 1 of 2024 closes, energy usage reports are highlighting why it is important for our clients to be informed about their energy consumption and procurement options. At The Stone House Group, we will empower your energy strategy using the latest insights to make the best choice for your facilities. As industry experts, we understand the challenges faced by diverse sectors, including education, finance, and governance, in managing energy needs efficiently. Let's delve into key updates and trends shaping the energy market for Quarter 1 of 2024, offering invaluable insights for your energy strategy.

Several factors have combined to create an imbalance between natural gas supply and demand, which has driven natural gas costs to double this year. Organizations that developed energy procurement strategies well in advance of this year likely locked in long-term natural gas and electric supply contracts in 2019/20 and will be protected from current market pricing increases for now. However, organizations that do not have supply contracts through the winter of 2021-22 will be exposed to natural gas pricing above $6 per one million British Thermal Units (MMBTU), which is the highest pricing seen since February 2014 during the polar vortex.

New York, May 4, 2021 — The winners of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality.

Georgetown University is boosting its conservation and utility management efforts through a partnership with ENGIE North America. Together, these efforts will improve energy efficiency, help the university achieve ambitious sustainability goals, and positively impact students, faculty, and the community.

When my kids were younger, they seemed to pick up a cold almost weekly, most of the time catching it from their schoolmates, nothing major. We’d see it coming from the obvious signs: sniffles, feeling achy, acting sluggish. Sometimes we’d call the pediatrician, who would immediately ask us, “What’s your son’s temperature?”, which was a friendly reminder to just take out the thermometer and keep track of their temperatures, as their temperature would usually tell us how they were holding up and what care was appropriate.  

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, energy and facilities engineers are familiar with ASHRAE's guidelines for mitigating the risk of infection spread. These can be broken down as filtration, mitigation, and dilution. Dilution, or adding additional fresh air, is the best "bang for the buck", especially in facilities that feature a modern Building Automation System. There are a few different sequences of operation that can be implemented by your BAS contractor to dilute the air of recycled air in your facility.

What comes to mind when you hear the term "energy audit"? If you're like most facilities managers, nothing good. The idea of closely examining your building's energy needs and operating efficiency seems bound to stir up trouble, especially if things are going smoothly as-is.