The Energy Show

Everyone's asking AI for answers these days. • How big should my heat pump be? • Should I get mini-splits? • Will a heat pump save money? • Can AI actually design a comfortable HVAC system? This week Barry decided to find out. He asked AI a series of common homeowner questions about heat pumps and then brought in heat pump design expert Daniel Rares to see how the answers stacked up in the real wo...

AI is hungry. Very hungry. And it's coming for your electricity. Every ChatGPT prompt, AI image, Google search, streaming video, and cloud application runs inside massive data centers that consume enormous amounts of power. But where will that power come from? And who's going to pay for it? In this episode of The Energy Show, Barry explains why utilities, data centers, and consumers are headed for...

The energy world just changed. Again. For years solar, batteries, EVs and heat pumps were sold as clean alternatives. Now they're simply the least expensive alternatives. In this episode, Barry Cinnamon explains why economics -- not politics — is driving the next phase of the energy transition, and why fossil fuel interests are fighting harder than ever to slow this transition down. In this episod...

Did you know that you can plug solar panels into a WALL outlet! Utility executives are spewing out their morning coffee. Who would have thought a good little solar panel could destroy our wicked trillion dollar business! ???????????? Balcony Solar — AKA Plug-In Solar — is coming and is inevitable. Europeans love Balcony Solar. Renters love Balcony Solar. Utilities…they’d rather come down with Ebol...

Barry’s Heat Pump Promises: 1. Your AC will die on the hottest day of the year 2. PG&E gas rates will keep going up 3. Resistance — to electrification — is futile So… are heat pumps part of the solution, or just part of the precipitate…or problem? This week on The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon sits down with Dana Fischer from Mitsubishi Electric to explore the truths about modern heat pump syste...

Barry' been bashing his head against the wall for over two decades to reduce solar and battery system costs in the U.S. So on his recent “vacation” to Australia, he did a deep dive into solar costs Down Under. As Jigar, Saul and Birchy have observed, solar and battery system costs in Australia are one fourth the price of comparable systems in the U.S. But the REAL reasons for these high costs are...

That’s right, in many California cities you MUST replace a broken air conditioner condenser with a dual-purpose heat pump. These Reach Codes — also known as AC2HP Requirements — are currently in effect in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Menlo Park, Mountain View and Alameda. Barry’s guest on this week’s Energy Show is nationally-known HVAC expert Nate Adams,...

In this episode of The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon talks with Mark Toney, Executive Director of The Utility Reform Network (TURN), about the growing energy affordability crisis in California and across the U.S. Despite increasing costs for homeowners and businesses, utility companies continue to raise rates—while reporting strong profits. So what’s really driving these high electricity bills? This...

When you electrify your home – with a heat pump HVAC system, EV charger, induction cooktop or heat pump water heater – your demand for electricity will go up. Duh. Or as Tim Allen would say: “I need more power.” Incentives as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) help reduce the "upfront" costs of these electrification upgrades. But the only way to reduce the "operating" costs of these new ele...

Yes, definitely. Heat pumps are literally and figuratively cool. And without a doubt, the best time to consider installing a heat pump is when your AC (or furnace) dies. Heat pumps do double duty, providing both heating and cooling. They offer significant savings and improved comfort -- which I confirmed first hand after my old outdoor air conditioner compressor died. Replacing both my old AC and...

Since our worldwide economy depends on a steady supply of fossil fuels — oil, gasoline, natural gas, LNG, jet fuel — even the mere threat of disruption can cause a large and long-term increase in energy costs. Especially energy that is generated from burning hydrocarbon molecules, which have to be physically transported in pipelines and tankers. But not so much for energy that is generated from ph...

In this week’s episode of The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon talks with Sean Gallagher (Senior VP of Policy, SEIA) about the new market reality after recent federal changes. As well as the financing tools, state policies, and grid programs that can help homeowners and installers move forward. In this episode: • How installers are adapting to the end of the residential tax credit with leases, PPAs, an...

After more than four decades in the solar industry, Barry Cinnamon breaks down the most common mistakes made by solar installers and homeowners and how to avoid them to ensure long-term performance, savings, and peace of mind. In this episode of The Energy Show, you’ll learn: • The installation mistakes that can cause leaks or system failures • Why some systems are oversized or undersized • How sh...

In this episode of The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon breaks down the science, economics, and practicality behind the proposed Trillion Trees Act — and asks the big question: Will it actually make a meaningful difference? Trees absolutely help remove carbon from the atmosphere through natural carbon sequestration. But when you look at the numbers — global CO₂ emissions, land requirements, cost, and t...

Consider the poor photons! If your panels are dirty you are causing trillions of premature photonic deaths when they collide with dirt molecules. Please give those photons the chance to knock an electron loose from an eager semi-conductor. Instead of being converted to heat and banished to quantum hell. Save The Photons. Clean Your Solar Panels After just a week, your panels might look slightly du...

Unfortunately, there are a few "quick buck" solar companies that take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners. These ten tips will help you avoid these scam artists -- and get the best solar and battery installation for your home or business. 1. Beware of the word “Free” 2. Beware of TGTBT pricing and financing 3. Don’t sign up on the spot 4. Do not trust quotes generated completely online 5. Beware...

This week on The Energy Show, we’re talking about solar + battery systems not just the equipment, but the customer service and troubleshooting that keeps these systems performing year after year. Traditional “solar-only” systems can be wonderfully simple and reliable. But when you add batteries (plus transfer switches, CTs, load management, apps, and firmware), you also add more moving parts and t...

Rooftop solar, net metering, and clean energy policies are being dismantled across the U.S. From the effective cancellation of the Inflation Reduction Act to broken contracts and financial clawbacks, fossil-fuel interests are pushing hard to regain control of our energy system. This week on The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon is joined by Bernadette Del Chiaro, Senior Vice President at the Environment...

On this week’s episode of The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon is joined by Carl Guardino, a longtime leader in government affairs and public policy, to explain how smart advocacy, trust, and relationships shape the laws and regulations that impact our energy future. Carl has helped guide policy from every angle — from leading the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, to expanding clean-energy markets at Bl...

Nietzsche must have been referring to clean energy. Not even Nostradamus could have predicted this much turmoil in the energy sector in 2025. Nevertheless, Barry predicts steady clean energy progress due to lower solar, battery and heat pump costs. 1) Bad news - expect a record number of clean energy bankruptcies in 2026 2) AC2HP reach codes for homes will take off 3) Utilities will lie every time...

AI and data centers are driving unprecedented demand for power. At the same time, federal clean-energy support is being rolled back, leaving households and businesses exposed to higher costs and grid instability. So where does that leave us? In this episode of The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon is joined by Sachu Constantine, Executive Director of Vote Solar, to break down what’s really happening beh...

In this week’s Energy Show, Barry talks with Panama Bartholomy, Founder and Executive Director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition, about how heat pumps, induction cooktops, better incentive programs, and smart building codes are transforming homes and businesses across the U.S. • Heat pumps are 400% efficient, yes that's thermodynamically possible. • Learn about the new heat pump water heat...

On this week's Energy Show we’re tackling one of the biggest challenges in America’s energy future: powering the exploding growth of AI data centers without causing electric rates to skyrocket even more. And without waiting 5-10 years for utilities to build new power plants and long distance transmission lines. Here’s how: instead of building giant power plants hundreds of miles away, we can insta...

Barry exposes political, corporate, and global climate failures — and explains why solar, wind, and batteries remain our only practical way forward. Episode Highlights: • How Donald Trump’s policies are gutting clean-energy investments and reversing progress on solar and wind. • Why corporate giants are abandoning their sustainability promises. • Why the UN Climate Conferences have become dominate...

This week Barry sits down with Gary Lam, CEO of Franklin WH. A New Jersey native who’s now building batteries in Santa Clara, California, Gary has led Franklin from startup to one of the top-selling whole-home batteries in the U.S. In this episode: • OBBB explained: Why 2026 pricing changes and financing shifts. • Franklin’s edge: The A Power 2 battery, new A Power S (battery + inverter), the Hub...