Setting the Table for Building Decarbonization

Often time, when a blog or discussion is centered on the word “mortgage,” my brain automatically signs off. Let’s face it, mortgages are complex and boring, which is sometimes a recipe for disaster. It's strange, then, that my latest blog is about mortgages. This is no ordinary mortgage blog, though – it’s a blog about energy mortgages.  Most of you reading this may have already…

Get ready – you might never purchase a fuel economy car again. You heard that right; the electric vehicle boom is upon us and here to stay. And I know what you’re thinking: NEEP works on decarbonizing buildings, so why are we talking about transportation? By the end of this blog, the connection will become clear. To begin, I will provide some context on why it is time to focus on electric…

Mittens, where are my mittens - I’m freezing! That might be a familiar refrain during winter months in New England, but this time, it was Memorial Day weekend! I woke up at my parents’ house in New Hampshire to a cool 43 degrees – on May 29! Thankfully, they have air source heat pumps that are keeping the house warm, and I soon forgot about my mittens and focused on a hot cup of tea. Fast…

Refrigerant is the lifeblood of an HVAC system, absorbing and releasing heat to keep our homes and buildings cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This “juice” that runs through the refrigeration cycle comes in many chemical forms, each with particular safety considerations. Throughout history, scientists have chased safer refrigerants. With the invention of modern air conditioning in the…

It’s amazing to think about where we were this time last year – in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. States were scrambling to protect their citizens and mitigate economic damage. Energy discussions were focused on how to keep the lights on and help low-income customers pay for utilities. As the vaccine roll out accelerates and many begin easing back into “normal” life, climate change is back…

Welcome to the first installment of a new blog series called Turning Policy into Performance. In this series, we'll take a look at how states can implement decarbonization and climate goals with energy efficiency programs. State decarbonization goals look to transform the energy system through lowering emissions, relying on new sources of energy (renewable and distributed), and empowering…

As states continue to adopt and pursue decarbonization goals, access to and analysis of energy data will be critical to help chart our path towards a decarbonized grid. Detailed energy data can provide a better understanding of the value of energy efficiency, demand response, and other distributed resources, and it can help with demand side resource program planning, grid planning, and energy…

On Wednesday, May 12, the Montpelier, Vermont City Council voted unanimously to approve a home energy ordinance. The ordinance will require homeowners who are selling their property to disclose, to real estate agents and prospective buyers, their home’s annual energy costs by creating a Vermont Home Energy Profile (VHEP). What is VHEP? The Vermont Home Energy Profile…

Connection(s) are everything. It's true in our professional and personal relationships, and now more than ever, it's true for buildings. We have arrived at a time when we are designing and constructing zero energy buildings (houses, commercial buildings, schools) at cost, with a quicker and more significant return on investment than traditional construction. Indeed, we have a way to go before…

Last year was a year of turmoil, in many ways. Specifically for the buildings sector, COVID-19 gave us a new lens through which to look at our public buildings, schools, and homes. In all the chaos around in-person vs. hybrid vs. remote learning, there was also a collective struggle in the buildings community to figure out how to take care of our schools – how to care for them while they were…