By Samantha Caputo |
As 2019 comes to a close and we look towards the start of a new decade, there is a lot on which to reflect. I think about the calendar year turning to 2020 and know that leaves us with just 10 years to drastically reduce our emissions to prevent catastrophic climate impacts. Ten years doesn’t seem like a long time, yet so much can happen in that time. During the last 10 years, I graduated high…
By John Balfe |
When you think of energy efficient buildings, who are the critical market actors that come to mind? Perhaps it’s those that are responsible for the design and construction of buildings – the architects, engineers, and contractors. Or maybe it’s your local utility company that offers some form of a rebate or incentive for installing energy efficient equipment.
The true unsung heroes of the…
By Kai Palmer-Dunning |
A History of Climate Leadership
In 2009, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to adopt an above-code appendix to its “base” building energy code. This appendix was called 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, more colloquially known as the “Stretch Code”. The adoption of the Stretch Code came on the heels of Massachusetts also becoming one of the first states to sign the Global Warming…
By Andrew Winslow |
Welcome to the latest REED Rendering issue, a series of blogs where we bring your attention to interesting trends that we see in the data and the stories behind those trends.
This is an exciting time for the Regional Energy Efficiency Database (REED) team here at NEEP!
In keeping with NEEP’s core mission and practice of collaboration, last month we hosted a stakeholder meeting to…
By Dave Hewitt |
In October, the Bloomberg Philanthropies released the American Cities Climate Challenge Climate Action Playbook, a strategic guide to accelerate and deepen climate action in cities. The Playbook highlights 30 important strategies that are currently being implemented in U.S. cities through the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge that other cities can follow.
American Cities…
By Dave Hewitt |
This article is the last in a series referencing a paper Sue Coakley and I authored for the Electricity Journal. This special edition of the Electricity Journal titled “Energy Optimization is the Key to Affordable, Reliable Decarbonization” was coordinated by the Regulatory Assistance Project. NEEP’s contribution, Transforming our Buildings for a Low-Carbon Era: Five Key Strategies, discusses…
By Dave Hewitt |
This article is the third in a series referencing a paper Sue Coakley and I authored for the Electricity Journal. This special edition of the Electricity Journal titled “Energy Optimization is the Key to Affordable, Reliable Decarbonization” was coordinated by the Regulatory Assistance Project. NEEP’s contribution, Transforming our Buildings for a Low-Carbon Era: Five Key Strategies, discusses…
By Dave Hewitt |
Since 1990, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada has had a climate action plan that has been amended and expanded multiple times. It is one of the leading cities in the world in addressing climate change and has shown creativity in addressing energy issues from a variety of perspectives including bicycle transportation, urban densification, building regulation, and neighborhood heat pump systems…
By Giselle Procaccianti |
As glaciers and ice sheets melt, sea levels rise, and several species like the white rhinoceros are decimated down to their last, I have been reading about Greta Thunberg and her fight to save our future planet. Her passion at times can be both awe-inspiring and guilt-inducing, but her impact is undoubtedly sobering. This 16-year-old started her one-person climate action strike in August 2018,…
By Samantha Caputo |
States throughout the NEEP region recognize the need to address climate change and transform the way we generate and use energy. The global scientific consensus is that we need to decarbonize our economy 45 percent by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050 in order to reduce the chance of exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius. We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change and exceeding 1.5…