The Status of Women In Tennessee

There have been great advances in the economic status of women over the last 50 years. Women have gained greater access to education, career, earnings, and political participation. Women are pursuing goals that generations of women before could never have realized, such as business ownership, leadership roles in their careers, and election to state and federal political offices. However, obstacles still exist in the climb toward equality. Despite the great strides that women have made in the last 50 years, women have yet to achieve true equality with men. Women continue to earn less, to be less educated, to have higher rates of poverty, and to be less represented in political office than men.


Overall, women’s economic status is highest in metropolitan counties surrounding Nashville. Cheatham County ranks in the top ten in six of the thirteen indicators and never appears in the bottom half of any indicator. Women in Wilson and Sumner Counties also fared well, both ranking in the top twenty of ten indicators. 11 of the 13 counties within the Greater Nashville Development District rank in the top third of women’s economic status.

Women’s economic status is lowest in Grundy County, which ranks in the bottom ten in eight of thirteen indicators and only appears in the top half of indicators three times. Hardin County never appears in the top third of any indicator. In the Memphis Area Development District, Lauderdale County women rank 91st while their female counterparts in Shelby, Tipton and Fayette Counties never rank below the top half.

View the entire report, including a county by county break down here.

Despite Opportunities, Tennessee Lags in Combined Heat & Power Implementation

Washington, D.C. (September 28, 2011): The combined heat and power (CHP) market is growing unevenly in different states, and will require more efforts than just supportive policies to achieve greater deployment, according to a new report released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The report, Challenges Facing Combined Heat and Power Today: A State-by-State Assessment, profiles CHP markets in each state and identifies which elements of the market are encouraging or discouraging CHP developers today.

CHP, sometimes known as cogeneration, is an important energy resource that produces electricity and thermal energy at the same time from a single fuel input and provides highly efficient energy by maximizing the energy value of a variety of fuels. CHP can produce energy twice as efficiently as standard centralized energy generation. The Department of Energy reports that CHP has been cleanly and quietly providing over 12% of U.S. electricity generation. Since 2005, over 1700 MW of capacity has been added due to new CHP system deployment, but that deployment has been unevenly distributed around the country.

"CHP markets differ considerably among states," said Anna Chittum, ACEEE Senior Policy Analyst and lead author. "This report shows that building a favorable CHP market requires more than just good policies, such as interconnection standards and tax incentives. The current economic recession and missing access to retail power markets continue to negatively impact CHP markets in many states, and prevent CHP from reaching its full potential around the country."

TENNESSEE: While there are many opportunities for successful CHP applications in Tennessee's industrial sector, the state has seen relatively little traction in this area, with zero new CHP installations occuring between 2005-2010. Tennessee ranks 45th in terms of New CHP Sites and CHP Capacity. However, with funding from the Pathway Lending Energy Efficiency Loan Program and federal and state incentives, the barriers to these programs are lowered. Co-generation projects typically have the quickest repayment periods and will benefit businesses for many years following implementation.

"CHP represents an important energy resource that could meet a significant portion of projected needs for new electricity generation investments over the coming decade," said Dr. Neal Elliott, ACEEE Associate Director for Research and author of the recent white paper Avoiding a Train Wreck: Replacing Old Coal Plants with Energy Efficiency. "This report identifies areas that each state and the country as a whole must work on to better encourage CHP so that we can realize the full benefits of this resource."

To learn more about CHP and your business, contact Pathway Lending @ info@pathwaylending.org or 615-425-7171.

The Kraft Advantage - The U.S. Government’s ‘Limited Time Offer’

From the Kraft Advantage Newsletter. [Sign Up]

Government Grants Make 2011 the Right Time To Invest In Alternative Energy Sources - Kevin Dostaler

...The United States government wants Americans to embrace alternative/renewable energy sources. To encourage us to do that, the government is temporarily subsidizing investments in projects that will help decrease our country's dependency on non-renewable energy sources.

Under Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the United States Department of Treasury makes payments to eligible taxpayers who place in service specified energy property and apply for such payments.

...Generally, the qualified property must be placed in service between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011, to receive Section 1603 payments (grants). The amount of teh grants ranges from 10 percent to 30 percent of the cost basis of the property, depending on the type of property.

For example, if you put solar panels on your roof, you could be eligible to receive a grant amounting to 30 percent of the cost of the solar panels.

Participating in this program can be good for the environment, our country, your civic image (Go Green!) and your bottom line.

Please contact Kevin Dostaler at Kraft CPAs for more information: kdostaler@kraftcpas.com

Or visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency

A Greener & Brighter Future With Energy Efficient Lighting

Manufacturers Industrial Group, LLC now operates a little greener — and brighter — with the aid of a Pathway Lending Energy-Efficiency Loan. The Lexington, TN based manufacturer has enjoyed more than just the energy cost saving benefits of the energy efficient lighting retrofit, and is considering similar upgrades for its other Tennessee facilities.

The process began with a study by the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services that recommended lighting improvements as the best proposal with the quickest payback. The loan will pay for itself in slightly more than two years through reduced energy costs.

While the quick ROI and long-term savings is a serious benefit, other benefits to this type of project should also be considered.

Employee Morale & Productivity: New lighting also provides a better environment for employees and MIG representatives report seeing a boost in morale. With improved light quality and improved worker morale, it is common to see corresponding increases in productivity.

Ease of Installation: While lighting projects typically have the quickest payback, they are also typically the quickest to install. The lighting retrofit at MIG, which has about 234,000 square feet of facilities in Lexington, began about a month ago and took three to four weeks to complete. This was completed during off-shifts and weekends, leaving the company's production unaffected.

Full Scope Audits Identify a Wide Range of Energy Efficiency Projects: The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, as well as other audit providers such as the U.S. DOE Industrial Technology Program, look at more than just lights. They looked at wiring, air hoses, pumps, motors, power outlets and other areas that may yield significant energy cost savings.

Getting Ahead of Escalating Energy Costs: "You're going to get your best return in lighting," said Al Campbell, client manager for Pathway Lending. "There's a lot of folks doing it," Campbell said. "There's also going to be a lot of folks that will be doing it as energy prices rise. That's the long-term trend."

Learn more about the Pathway Lending Energy Efficiency Loan Program at www.PathwayLending.Org

DOE design guide aims to halve commercial building energy consumption

May 16, 2011—The U.S. Department of Energy has released the first in a series of design guides that aim to cut the energy consumption of commercial buildings in half.

The first of the 50% Advanced Energy Design Guides focuses on small and medium-sized office buildings, and is available for free download.

The DOE says the guides provide a practical approach to help architects and engineers design buildings that achieve 50 percent energy savings compared to the commercial building energy code used in many areas of the country.

The guidance also supports President Obama's goal to reduce energy use in commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020, and will help drive demand for energy-saving products made in the United States, the department says.

Remember - Reducing energy consumption by 20% is like boosting sales by 5%.

The guides recommend ways designers can choose energy efficient designs for daylighting, building envelope assemblies, and heating and cooling systems, among other technologies. They also recommend commonly available equipment.

The design guides provide recommendations for energy savings.
DOE says the guides are designed to reduce the time and money that designers would otherwise spend to individually model energy use for high performance buildings. The guides will also inform the development of future commercial building energy codes, the department said.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), American Institute of Architects (AIA), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) are all helping to develop the booklets.

The guide is now available for FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.

Three more guides, on large hospitals, medium to big-box retail buildings and K-12 schools, will be released in coming months.

EnergyStar Challenge Saves Over 2 Trillion BTU in Last Year

One year ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) challenged the manufacturing industry to improve the energy efficiency of their facilities by 10 percent or more within five years. Since that time, 240 manufacturing sites have responded to the Energy Star Challenge for Industry, and 34 sites have improved their energy efficiency by 10 percent or more, reports EPA.

Both small and large manufacturing facilities have met the milestone and have prevented nearly 119,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, demonstrating that efficiency opportunities exist across all sectors of industry including aerospace, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and motor vehicle manufacturing. Many of these sites also report that savings were achieved at low cost by strengthening energy management practices and improving operations with help from EPA's Energy Star program.

Under the challenge, manufacturing sites establish an energy intensity baseline, set a 10 percent energy efficiency improvement goal, implement energy efficiency projects, track energy use, and verify their savings. Hundreds of industrial companies across nearly a dozen manufacturing industries are working with EPA's Energy Star program to develop strong energy management programs, earn the Energy Star for their facilities, and achieve breakthrough improvements in energy efficiency.

The U.S. manufacturing industry is reportedly responsible for nearly 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and spends nearly $100 billion annually on energy. If the energy efficiency of industrial facilities improved by 10 percent, EPA estimates businesses would save nearly $10 billion and prevent greenhouse gases emissions equal to the annual emissions of approximately 12 million vehicles.

Article Link - FM Link May 2011

Pathways To Sustainability, a UNEP Report

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a new ground-breaking report titled "Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication". Chapters pertaining to the Building and Manfuacturing sectors seek to make an economic case for investing in “greening” efforts and aim to provide policymakers with guidance on how to mobilize such investments. The report demonstrates how green investments in these sectors can create jobs and contribute to economic growth, while addressing environmental issues, in a pro-poor and equitable manner.

Buildings: Investing in Energy and Resource Efficiency (Key Messages)

- The Buildings sector of today has an oversized footprint. The buildings sector is the single largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), with approximately one-third of global energy end use taking place within buildings. Further, the construction sector is responsible for more than a third of global resource consumption, including 12% of all fresh water use, and significantly contributes to the generation of solid waste, estimated at 40% of total volume.

- Constructing new green buildings and retrofitting existing energy- and resource-intensive buildings stock can achieve significant savings. Various projections indicate that investments ranging from $300B-$1T (depending on assumptions used) per year to 2050 can achieve savings of about one-third in energy consumption in buildings world-wide and significantly contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions needed to attain the “benchmark” 450 ppm concentration of GHGs. To reduce 3.5 gigatons (Gt) of emissions through increased energy efficiency, the average abatement cost would be negative at -$35 per ton, reflecting energy cost savings, compared to -$10 per ton in the transport sector or positive abatement cost in the power sector of $20 per ton.

- Greening buildings also brings significant health and productivity benefits. Greening buildings can also contribute significantly to health, livability and productivity improvements. The increased productivity of workers in green buildings can yield savings higher than those achieved from energy efficiency, which are themselves considerable.

- Greening the building sector can lead to an increase in jobs. Investments in improved energy efficiency in buildings could generate an additional 3.5 million green jobs in Europe and the USA alone. Various studies point to job creation through different types of activities, for example new construction and retrofitting, production of resource efficient materials and appliances, the expansion of renewable energy sources and services such as recycling and waste management.

Manufacturing: Investing in Energy and Resource Efficiency (Key Messages)

- As currently configured, manufacturing has a large impact on the economy and the environment. Manufacturing is responsible for around 35% of global electricity use, over 20% of CO2 emissions and over a quarter of primary resource extraction. Manufacturing currently accounts for 23% of global employment.

- Key resource scarcities – including limited recoverable oil reserves, metal ores, and water – will challenge the sector. As industries resort to lower-grade ores, more energy is required to extract useful metal content. Improved recovery and recycling will increasingly become a decisive factor for both economic performance and environmental sustainability. The same applies to water use, which is expected to grow to over 20% of total global demand by 2030.

- Key components of a supply-side strategy include remanufacturing and the recycling of heat waste through combined heat and power installations. Closed-cycle manufacturing extends the lifespan of manufactured goods and reduces the need for virgin materials. Repair, reconditioning, remanufacturing and recycling are fairly labor-intensive activities, requiring relatively little capital investment. Remanufacturing operations worldwide save about 10.7 million barrels of oil each year, or an amount of electricity equal to that generated by five nuclear power plants.

- While direct job effects of greening manufacturing may be neutral or small, the indirect effects are significantly higher. Manufacturing has become increasingly automated and efficient, which has been accompanied by job losses. This can be countered by life-cycle approaches and secondary production, for example in the form of recycling, to secure jobs, for which safe and decent working conditions are paramount.

- Green-investment-scenario modeling for manufacturing suggests considerable improvements in energy efficiency can be achieved. By 2050, projections indicate that industry can practically “decouple” energy use from economic growth, particularly in the most energy-intensive industries. Green investment will also increase employment in the sector.

http://hqweb.unep.org/greeneconomy/GreenEconomyReport/tabid/29846/Default.aspx

The Benefits of Greeing Healthcare Facilities

On March 21, 2011 assisted living facilities became eligible to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR recognition, allowing facilities to be among the top 25 percent of the most energy efficient buildings in the US. In addition to the possibility of receiving ENERGY STAR designation, providers will have access to the tools and information necessary to reduce their energy usage. Having access to these tools will help Facilities Managers understand how their buildings use energy and where opportunities for savings exist.

To learn more about the program visit: www.energystar.gov

Energy Efficiency among assisted and senior care facilities has been on the EPA’s agenda since 2008. These facilities, which operate on a 24/7 basis, have high energy needs and high energy bills. Given the profitability of senior care facilities, a dollar saved in energy can go a long way toward the bottom line. For assisted living facilities with a 10% profit margin, every dollar saved in energy is $10 the organization doesn’t have to make in revenue. Moreover, every dollar invested in an energy efficient upgrade can produce between $2 and $3 dollars in increased asset value.

One of the most effective activities that providers can do is retro-commission their facilities to ensure that all systems are functioning as they were intended when the buildings were originally designed. The Lawrence Berkeley National Lab found that proper maintenance can translate into energy savings of 5% to 15%.

Lighting is typically a large percentage of a building’s electrical load, so replacing incandescent lights with complex fluorescent lights, such as T-8 lamps with electronic ballasts, is a good strategy that often has a simple payback of less than three years.

Heating and cooling equipment tends to have longer payback periods. But when these measures are bundled with lighting or with other ENERGY STAR rated products, which cover more than 50 different product categories and produce 25% to 50% savings, organizations find that the bundled items often fall within a company’s hurdle rate.

Bundling projects to reduce overall project payback rates is strongly recommended by Pathway Lending. Our Energy Efficiency Loan Program uses total project energy savings to set monthly payments and amortize the loan. Combining projects with shorter and longer paybacks allows companies to do more projects at one time. And with Pathway Lending’s recently increased loan limit, which is now above $1 million dollars, companies can set their sights on the largest and most energy intensive projects at their facilities. There has never been a better time to start saving green by going green – contact Pathway Lending today at 1.888.5EE.PATH (1.888.533.7284) or at EEInfo@PathwayLending.Org.

The Greening of Tennessee's Economy

Tennessee's economy stands to benefit from a new emphasis on green technology - particularly Electric Vehicles. Leading the way is Nissan North America, which will bring Nissan Leaf production to its Smyrna plant in 2012.

The construction process advances every day and the foundation is already laid, structure being erected and roof being installed. The battery plant will roll out 200,000 batteries per year while the adjacent vehicle assembly plant is scheduled to produce 150,000 electric cars per year. Nissan will invest up to $1.7 billion in the local facility, with $1.4 billion coming in the form of a loan from the US Department of Energy.

This project and the development of a local supply chain, can have tremendous impact on the state's economy and make Tennessee a leader in the green economy.

Check out this interview with Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan.

New Stats About the Average American Small Business

With the New Year, let's look at some new data on what constitutes the average American Business. The online journal, Small Business Trends, analyzed the results of the 2007 Survey of Business Owners. While their findings were not what I had expected this is interesting and certainly worth sharing with all you Small Business Owners out there. [Emphasis in the below article is mine, not the author's.]

What Does the Average American Business Look Like?
Posted By Scott Shane On January 3, 2011 @ 10:58

The Census Bureau recently released the results of the 2007 Survey of Business Owners, the government’s effort to examine American businesses every five years. The survey paints an interesting picture of what the average American business looks like.

The largest share of American companies is in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector, which accounts for 14.0 percent of U.S. companies. Construction accounts for the next highest portion at 12.6 percent. Manufacturing and agriculture, once the mainstays of American business, now account for 2.3 and 1.0 percent of U.S. companies, respectively.

The vast majority (78.8 percent) of U.S. businesses have no employees. And the share of businesses without employees now exceeds 90 percent in agriculture and arts, entertainment and recreation. The only sector of the economy where the majority of businesses has employees is accommodation and food services, in which 61.5 percent of businesses still have workers.

The average business generates over $1.1 million in sales, has more than 4 employees and pays an average compensation of over $41,000. However, when firms without employees, which have an average of only a little more $45,000 in sales and no employees (by definition) are excluded, average sales per firm rises to over $5 million, and average number of employees per business exceeds 20.

Wide industry variation exists in average sales and average employment. Average sales range from a little more than $96,000 in other services to over $25.1 million in utilities. Average employment varies from 0.7 employees per business in agriculture to over 107 in the management of companies.

One final point about the data is worth noting. The difference in economic impact of employer and non-employer firms is extraordinary. The 78.8 percent of businesses without employees only account for 3.2 percent of sales and none of the employment of U.S. companies. Employer firms are clearly much more economically important than non-employer firms.

For more data from this survey, click here.