By Allison Webster |
Everyone knows that one way to judge the performance of a car is by its fuel efficiency, and car manufacturers love to crow about cars with high 'miles per gallon' ratings. But, what if there was a way to assess “MPG” for buildings that gave potential owners or renters a sense of how much it would cost to operate their building over time? The idea is gaining traction in cities and states around…
By Samantha Bresler |
In the distance, there is a soft humming of a compressor, the ticking of its meter, and the whirring of the fan. The warm blanket of air envelopes the room. The small metallic grating in the wall glints with polished cleanliness. The faint scent, the very aroma, of money saved in your wallet perfumes the room.
A bit melodramatic?
Yes, well it can’t be helped. When…
By Claire Miziolek |
The Northeast Mid-Atlantic region is a leader in energy efficiency and has achieved substantial energy savings over the last several decades. Innovations in lighting, HVAC, and air sealing have meant homes continue to become more efficient. But why aren’t we seeing electricity bills shrink across the board?
Well, there’s one category of home energy users, namely Business and Consumer…
By Carolyn Goldthwaite |
Back to school? Yes please!
I want to go back to school.
Really I do. I’m not talking about masters' degrees or professional development courses. I want to go back to middle or high school.
Fried lunches are being replaced with fresh vegetables!
I never thought this would be something that would come out of my mouth. Not that school was bad – it’s more that I have had enough algebra…
By Natalie Hildt Treat |
Sweetums seems much less scary now that I’ve met the monster called mold.
When I was a little girl, I was convinced that a monster lived in my basement. I was afraid to go downstairs alone in the morning — this terrifyingly vivid image of the dining room floor opening up, and the Muppets ogre Sweetums climbing out.
Decades later as a first-time homeowner, I’ve learned that monsters are real…
By George Twigg |
George Twigg of Efficiency Vermont
NEEP’s guest-blogger George Twigg, Director of Public Affairs at EfficiencyVermont shares his perspective on stretch code implementation in Vermont and the importance of providing certainty and consistency for arriving at stakeholder consensus.
As noted by NEEP in its July issue of Highlights, Vermont became the latest state to adopt a “stretch code” for…
By Danielle Wilson |
Before reading this.
Around NEEP HQ, we talk a lot about efficiency as it relates to energy, but what about efficiency related to other prevalent areas of our modern lives? This Staff-Hacks post dives down to the bottom of office efficiency where readers will ideally surface with some sand in hand!
I'm a big fan of life hacks, or shortcuts and systems that make life a lot better with less…
By Josh Craft |
Check out our In Focus piece from our July/August edition of Highlights, our public policy newsletter! Natalie has some great discussion about the exciting policy developments in Delaware and Maine.
The end of the legislative session brought cliff hangers for major energy efficiency bills in two states- one a stunning bipartisan rebuke of Maine's Governor LePage with passage of an omnibus…
By Allison Webster |
As of July 9, the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) voted to approve the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE 90.1-2010, with non-weakening amendments. The Board had previously voted for a one year concurrency period where either the 2009 or 2012 IECC can be used. Starting July 2014, 2012 IECC for residential and ASHRAE 90.1-2010…
By Yung Huynh |
Multifamily: A Nut Hard to Crack
Tung Huynh, NEEP's Public Policy Intern
Multifamily housing represents an important sector with large untapped energy savings potential. Cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades can reduce energy use by 15-30% in buildings with five or more residential units, translating to almost $3.4 billion in annual utility bill savings for the multifamily sector…