Buildings
2020: Watt a Year for Building Electrification!
While 2020 brought a host of challenges to the country, many states and cities still forged ahead with actions to address the climate impacts of a stubborn sector: buildings. Across the United States, local leaders are acknowledging the climate, economic, and health impacts of burning fossil fuels in buildings and…
Heat Pumps: A Practical Solution for Cold Climates
It’s almost winter in the Northern Hemisphere; time for people to snuggle up with their families (including the four-legged members), cultivate the now-international practice of hygge, and find other ways to deal with the relative lack of sun. The cold is coming, and with it comes the question of…
Washington Can’t Wait to Electrify
In the midst of 2020 election limbo, the Washington State Department of Commerce quietly released a draft of its Washington State 2021 Energy Strategy. And it’s clear that Washington is not on track to reach its 2030 commitment target or its deeper decarbonization emissions target of being carbon neutral…
RMI Awarded $8 Million to Accelerate Carbon-Free US Buildings
The buildings where we live, work, and go to school have long been overlooked in terms of their contribution to global climate change. In all, buildings are responsible for more than 35 percent of the United States’ total carbon emissions. The gas burned in these buildings is a major contributor…
New York Backs Major Building Decarbonization Initiative
Today, few buildings in the world are carbon neutral, or produce net-zero carbon emissions, but as the electric grid decreases its reliance on fossil fuels, the building stock must wane its dependence on carbon producing systems inside buildings in turn. For owners of large buildings in dense urban environments, implementing…