Perpetual Innovation

Category: teleworking

  • Solar-Fit Radio Show: Gallagher and Hall Talk Home is Castle and Solar Fitness

    Elmer Hall on Solar-Fit Radio

    Solar-Fit Renewable Energy Radio Show. June 20, 2020, Live at 10am ET.
    Bill Gallagher, President/CEO of Solar-Fit (and world renown talk-show host) is interviewing Dr Elmer Hall (Strategic Business Planning Company). We’re talking about Perpetual Innovation(tm), Hall and Hinkelman’s book series on intellectual property (Patents) Commercialization. Then talking about about the COVID abnormal (and new-abnormal). And lastly move on to talk about renewable energy as people spend more time in their Castle (living, working, safe-distancing). What does this movement to update and improve the castle mean for Solar???…


    Listen to the archive of this show on Flagler Broadcasting: Dr Elmer Hall on Solar-Fit Rewanable Energy Show June 20 2020.



    Note that SustainZine has pages devoted to the Financial Analysis of Solar System Purchases (both Residential and Commercial). Residential is a good investment; Commercial can be crazy profitable!


    Here is a long SustainZine article from a May 2018 radio show related to Energy Efficiency and Telework.
    (Remember that the Renewable Investment Tax Credit was 30%, then dropped down to 26% in 2020 and will continue with a very rapid phase out over the next couple years.)


    #Solar-Fit #SustainZine #Solar #RenewableEnergy #EnergyEfficiency
    Here is the Solar-Fit radio show station:Solar-Fit Renewable Energy Radio Show
    (We’ll let you know as soon as this show is archived for your redo, review, renew!)

  • Solar 2020 and Sustainability: Looking for the Silver Lining

    Kelly Pickerel, Editor in Chief of Solar Power World
    magazine was cautiously optimistic in January when discussing the impact of US
    Import tariffs on the Solar industry and still solar installations were up 14%
    during 2019. She hoped that an even year, 2020, would bode well for solar.
    She concluded her opening letter by the editor in the January
    2020 Trends in Solar     edition of SPW: “Superstitious or not, I’m crossing my
    fingers for a calm, prosperous year in solar. Knock on wood.”
    Wow! Nobody could have envisioned the coronavirus pandemic
    and its impact on all industries including solar. But, the environment is
    taking a breather: Environment
    Wins with Reduced Human Activity    .
    During the Great Recession, Hall (2010) argued that a
    massive opportunity was lost by not by not focusing on sustainability related
    projects and human capital (education). He argued for spending more on specific
    infrastructure: especially energy efficiency and renewables. He liked projects
    that would pay back for decades while reducing our collective human footprint. Federal
    bailout funding should target, long-term, sustainable projects. The destructive
    innovation associated with recessions should allow industries (and companies)
    to fail if they are not sustainable.
    Make no doubt about it, the COVID Recession will be unlike
    anything we have ever seen before. It’s like putting parts of the economy in a
    self-induced coma, while waiting out the passage of the virus. However, waking
    up exactly where we left off is probably not going to happen. So, what’s the
    best way to move forward, and why not try to leverage this sudden break in the
    world’s business-as-usual routine into more permanent action on becoming more
    sustainable.
    Look for SustainZine blogs and articles on video meetings,
    teleschool, online university and telecommuting. We suddenly have reduced our
    carbon footprint worldwide by what, 20%. Not the way we would have liked to
    launch such a massive initiative, but let’s work with the deflection we are
    given.
    People are now at home more than ever, let’s get them to
    start monitoring their carbon footprint. How much are they saving by working,
    schooling and entertaining at home. Imagine someone reducing their carbon
    footprint by 35% in one week? for several weeks? Wouldn’t it be nice measure
    that savings and celebrate the win!? Wouldn’t it be nice to keep measuring the
    reduction in carbon footprint and continue to make incremental moves?
    The savings associated with remote work are huge. Once
    workers who can work remotely get the chance to do so, the genie will be out of
    the bottle. The savings are massive: employer, employee and environment. The
    reduction in carbon footprint immense. Measuring and monitoring the savings
    will justify the future workforce to frequently work remotely.
    For the homeowner, first would be energy efficiency, like
    insulation. Start with an energy audit.
    Then, with the reduced power usage, most homes should move
    to renewable energy (solar).
    Once we see and visualize the gains, it could become habit
    forming. Let’s keep our collective fingers crossed.
    See upcoming articles by Hall about the crazy profitable
    proposition for businesses to go solar, and for homeowners to feel good and
    save money by going solar.
    Mother Earth is our one and only habitable planet. It’s time
    we started taking better care of her. Maybe the coronavirus pandemic will be a
    wake-up call about how serious we all need to be about the health of our planet?
    References
    Hall, E. (2010). Lessons of
    recessions: Sustainability education and jobs may be the answer. Journal of Sustainability and Green
    Management    . Jacksonville, FL: Academic and Business Research Institute.
    Retrieved from: http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/10659.pdf

  • Solar Fit 052618 by flaglerbroadcasting Elmer Hall with Bill Gallagher EE & Telework

    Solar Fit 052618 by flaglerbroadcasting | Free Listening on SoundCloud:

    Folks,

    Give a listen to my May 26th appearance on the Solar-Fit radio show with host Bill Gallagher, “Solar Fit Renewable Energy Show” on channel 106.3 FM WNZF News Radio. (Elmer Hall on 05/26/18). You can also find the show, and past shows, archived at Solar-Fit:  https://solar-fit.com/solar-fit-renewable-energy-show/
    It is a fun and informative show. I talked about our collective missed opportunities in energy efficiencies (EE) in buildings and telecommuting (Sustainable Remote Work centers). I like the idea of Negawatt, the Watt of electricity that is never used, so it is never produced. A similar idea is the Negagallon of gas, the gallon of gas never used because you avoided driving (like telecommuting).
    There are surprisingly huge savings from both building efficiencies (Negawatts) and teleworking (Negagallons).  These are both win-win-win ideas that Bob Hinkelman – a partner and coauthor (2017, 2018) – and I have worked on and have amazing potential.
    • EE in buildings. Our estimates are that the savings from energy efficiency in buildings
      could save about $300B in the US each year with the “change in your pocket” (things like programable thermostats, LEDs, smart meters, caulk and duct tape), i.e., stuff that has a payback immediately or within one year. (See Alliance to Save Energy for great tips.) For new construction, a greener building can have 80% lower operating costs and be healthier, while costing within 10% of more traditional construction costs.
      EE TIP. Do an energy audit – usually provided by your local power company (frequently for free) – to evaluate current usage and best places
      to start conserving energy.
      EE TIP2. First take your energy use down through energy efficiency, thereby reducing dramatically the energy requirements when evaluating the next steps toward a zero-carbon footprint like solar, wind and geothermal.
    • Remote Work Center for telework. At Strategic Business Planning Company, we have done a lot of work related to the concept of telecommuting and providing workers the easy ability to work from home or from a work-center that is very close to home. Based on Lister and Harnish
      numbers from 2010, we estimate the total savings from just 10% of the commuters who drive along to teleworking would result in about $357B in savings per year (113M x 10% = 11.3M * $31,600 = $357B).  In 3 years, that would be more than $1.1T in savings. Or, with 30% of the drive-alones switching to telecommuting, that would be $1.1T in savings each, and every, year. That is a perpetuity of savings. (At 5% interest, a perpetuity of $1.1T represents $21.4T net
      present value terms ­– more than the entire annual US Gross Domestic Product in 2018.)
      Telework  TIP. Selectively pilot teleworking from home and log the time, distance, and productivity.
    In both building EE and telework, it is important to monitor and measure result. It is especially important to monitor the many benefits of the Negawatt and the Negagallon that don’t immediately show up in dollar savings. Allocating the financial savings is a nice way to fully enjoy the direct savings as well.
    • Smart Savings and disposable Income. Savings of energy, say $100, is worth much more than the equivalent of income. An individual would need 30% to 50% more in salary (say $130 in gross income or $150 dollars for the employer) to equate to the same amount of disposable income. For a business with 10% net income, it would require about $1,000 increase in sales to equate to $100 increase in disposable cash. This is a perpetuity of savings (or a commitment to the increased sales indefinitely).
      $TIP. Log the results and put the savings into a separate account or fund. The $100 per month that would have gone to utilities could, for example, be automatically posted to an IRA account, potentially amplifying it by your tax rate. Or, use the savings to help pay for a Solar PV system.
      $TIP2. The 30% Federal Tax credit for energy efficiency for individuals makes the investment in new energy efficient appliances and renewable energy very attractive, usually with a 3- to 9-year payback (and life-time present value is often double your investment).       
    The remote work center concept we have been working on, we call E3 because of the win-win-win savings to the employer, employee and environment. Many companies already have a telecommuting option for employees who can work from home, but most companies don’t appreciate all the benefits. Many managers still have the mindset that they want to see your smiling face at work at 8am, no matter how many hours in traffic it takes for you to get there. About 50% to 60% of the current
    commuters should be able to telework once a week or more. This utilizes current technology and does not require any government “help”.
    In all cases of efficiency, we want to measure and record the savings. With consolidated reporting, the savings can be reported to the individual company, while aggregated statistics would be provided by city, region and state. Both the estimates of costs savings for reduced travel and CO2 (CO2 equivalent) savings will be gathered. The carbon savings could, potentially, be sold as carbon
    credits (like in California) or utilized by the company for its own internal costing structure in Corporate Social Responsibility reporting.
    The total costs of commuting are 25 to 30 times more than the costs associated with gas. The lost hours, the stress, the likelihood of getting into accidents, etc., make the complete costs more like $35,000 to $40,000 for a single telecommuter. In 2010, based on significant available research, Kate Lister and Tom Harnish (2010) estimated that the cost savings to the employer were about $21,400 for a full-time telecommuter. The big costs are recruiting, hiring and training a replacement worker when the current employee quits because of the commute, or gets disabled from an accident because of the additional hours per week in traffic. Lister estimated only about $8,000 for the employee, including gas; but we believe it is much more – probably $10,000 to $15,000 – because we focus
    on drive-alone commuters (and include costs that are reasonable, but not included in the 2010 Lister study). The environmental savings are less than $2,000 per telecommuter by Lister, but we estimate that number could be much higher, like $5,000 to $10,000, when considering the big externality costs.
    All things considered, the savings from a full-time-equivalent teleworker could be $40,000 to $50,000 per year. The savings to the employer, employee and environment are massive.

    Individually, we are missing big opportunities every day. Put those savings together for everyone, and it makes a world of difference.

    See – well, listen, actually – to my Solar-Fit Renewable Energy radio show: Elmer Hall on 05/26/18. What do you think?
    You will find other great episodes on Solar-Fit Renewable Energy Radio!:-)
    References
    Hall, E. B. & Hinkelman, R. M. (2018). Perpetual Innovation™: A guide to strategic planning, patent commercialization and enduring competitive advantage, Version 4.0. Morrisville, NC: LuLu Press. ISBN: 978-1-387-31010-4 Retrieved from: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SBPlan
    Hall, E. B. & Hinkelman, R. M. (2017). Perpetual Innovation™: Patent primer 4.0:
    Patents, the great equalizer of our time! An overview of intellectual property
    for inventors and entrepreneurs.      Morrisville, NC: LuLu Press.  ISBN:
    978-1-387-07026-8 Retrieved from:     http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SBPlan [Amazon v4.0e  ASIN: B074JJCDHG Retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B074JJCDHG ] 
    Lister, K. & Harnish, T. (2010, May). Workshifting benefits: The bottom line. Retrieved from http://www.workshifting.com

    Specific Radio Show of Elmer Hall: https://soundcloud.com/flaglerbroadcasting/solar-fit-052618
    The radio show archives: https://solar-fit.com/solar-fit-renewable-energy-show/

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  • Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace. – The Washington Post

    Google got it wrong. The open-office trend is destroying the workplace. – The Washington Post:

    This is a great article about the “open air” cubicle farm for workers. Or “fish bowl” for employees.

    Telecommuting would help this work better. If someone has a real deadline and real work that needs to be done, they could work at home. Try to schedule meetings priority days so people who need to meet can all be on campus on specific days of the week (or month).

    Productivity will go up. Huge amounts of savings will occur for everyone, and employees will be a whole lot happier. Wait until we really hit full employment and watch the fish start to migrate to better working conditions. (Economists used to think that 6% was full employment, now 5%. Moving past full employment tends to produce wage inflation as the only available human resources can be obtained by enticing talent from a friendly competitor.)

    Teleworking might save the fishbowl, but it seems likely that the fishbowl has cracks.

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  • PTO 101 worst management Practices. Workers bilked the government of millions by playing hooky, watchdog finds – The Washington Post

    Patent office workers bilked the government of millions by playing hooky, watchdog finds – The Washington Post:

    The USPTO wins, hands down. They have implemented 101 of the all time worst management practices, all at one time.

    It may be worthy of a method patent application since no one has ever considered implementing all know mis-management practices at once in one organization.

    In reading the Washington Post article by Lisa Rein, you move from groan and wonderment, to GROAN and bewilderment, to actual PAIN and anger.

    All processes are broken as designed. It is reasonably hard to manage with a Union. There is no good rationale for unionization within government, really. Combine that with a cozy relationship where there is no accountability and no direct responsibility.

    To accommodate the new technology and new ways possible of working (telework, computer record searches, cloud computing, etc.) they regressed to pre-computer processes, measures and methods.

    People who work at home, don’t have to log in to work. People who come to work have to time-clock in, but never clock out. People who don’t work much during the week, log in huge amounts of overtime and receive big bonuses.

    When you read a report like this, you assume that you are likely reading the worst of the worst. This seems to be so prevasive, however, that it is embedded in the culture and the protocols, i.e., standard operating procedure (SOP, or in this case SOL). It appears that this is only a sample, so the problem is likely approximately a multiple of the problem. That is, the report is not a measure of the problem, but can be used to generate a huge estimate of how BIG the problem really is.

    WHATTTT!

    This is painful to read at so many levels. This is a case study of government failure, management structure decay, and leadership incompetence. It is all the best of bad leadership practices integrated into one office.

    We at SBP love innovation and want to see the USPTO do the best job possible for the world of innovation. We at SBP love telework, and believe telecommuting is one of the easiest, fastest, and bestest ways to start improving our carbon footprint (while savings massive amounts of time and money doing so).

    The only bright spot in the whole report is that poor performers are monitored (read managed) and consequently only 4% of the identifiable problems of fraud come from the poor performers. Good news, poor performers don’t do a very good job, but they also don’t do a spectacular job of cheating taxpayer, either.

    Managers are obviously a huge part of the problem in so many ways and at so many levels. This whole environment is not salvageable; congress needs to kill off everything USPTO related, and rebuild the organization with proper structure and incentives.

    Oh this is ugly…
    Painfully, UGLY!

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