Energy & Utilities: Page 2

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    DOE spurs new building energy codes with another $90M

    Construction-heavy states that lack the latest energy-efficiency codes are among the focus areas for this round of federal funding, a U.S. Department of Energy official said.

    By • Sept. 16, 2024
  • Workers walking on solar panels
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    iStock/ Hiraman

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    Sponsored by Schneider Electric

    How cities are stacking grant funds to achieve big sustainability goals

    Why local governments are increasingly stacking multiple funding sources to finance sustainable infrastructure projects.

    Sept. 16, 2024
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline➔
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • The back of a person who is pointing a remote at a wall-mounted air conditioner.
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    evrim ertik via Getty Images
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    Low-income families face high energy burden, prompting calls for more government action

    One in four low-income U.S. households spends more than 15% of their income on energy bills, finds an analysis by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

    By • Sept. 13, 2024
  • A cityscape of skyscrapers and commercial buildings around State Street Bridge in Chicago.
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    tunart via Getty Images
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    Retrofits more effective in cutting operational, embodied carbon emissions than new builds: study

    Notre Dame researchers analyzed over 1 million Chicago buildings. The team plans to measure buildings’ embodied carbon in most U.S. metropolitan areas by the end of 2025, a researcher said.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 11, 2024
  • An aerial shot of modern office towers and Downtown Park in Bellevue, Washington on a sunny summer day.
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    halbergman via Getty Images
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    Washington hopes to advance clean building standards implementation with nearly $8M DOE grant

    The state’s Building Efficiency and Clean Operations Network project aims to train at least 60 fellows to provide energy services to building owners and operators.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 10, 2024
  • An array of solar panels create electricity at the Lightsource bp solar farm near the Anglesey village of Rhosgoch, on May 10, 2024 in Wales.
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    Christopher Furlong via Getty Images
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    Robust community engagement good for locals, renewable energy developers: Berkeley Lab

    In a first-of-its-kind survey, wind and solar developers cited community opposition and strict local siting ordinances as leading causes of project delays and cancellations.

    By Brian Martucci • Sept. 6, 2024
  • Aerial view of rooftops in a suburban neighborhood. A street curves through the houses.
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    Haizhan Zheng via Getty Images
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    Neighborhood decarbonization pilot programs can start in California

    A new law allows natural gas utilities to electrify a neighborhood instead of replacing old gas pipelines under certain conditions.

    By • Updated Sept. 27, 2024
  • A woman holding a young child in a darkened room next to a fan.
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Cooling is expensive, and more federal assistance is needed, advocates say

    The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is “chronically underfunded,” argues a policy brief by the Natural Resources Defense Council and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. 

    By • Aug. 29, 2024
  • A parking space painted with "EV charging only" with a charger behind it
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    DOT awards $521M in EV charging grants amid slowing sales growth

    Grant winners will deploy over 9,200 electric vehicle charging ports and build alternative-fueling infrastructure across 29 states, eight tribal areas and Washington, D.C., the Department of Transportation says.

    By Robert Walton • Aug. 29, 2024
  • The financial district in Boston, seen against the Boston Harbor at sunrise showcasing a mix of contemporary and historic buildings.
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    Marcio Silva via Getty Images
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    What to know about BERDO, Boston’s building performance standards law

    While many buildings already meet 2025 emissions limits, facility managers and owners should start planning now for how they’ll meet future requirements, city officials say.

    By Joe Burns • Aug. 28, 2024
  • Large office buildings against a blue sky.
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    David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    State, local building energy codes get makeovers with over $240M from US DOE

    Nineteen states and localities, including Seattle and New York City, got grants announced Tuesday by the Department of Energy. The agency encouraged more communities to apply by Sept. 13 for a second round of funding.

    By • Aug. 28, 2024
  • A person pushes a gurney with a person on it into a vehicle
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Cities assert tenants’ right to cooling in a warming world

    Grappling with fatal heat waves, local governments are passing laws that make landlords provide working air conditioning. Financial and other challenges remain, however.

    By • Aug. 27, 2024
  • Two people carry equipment into a building on a busy city sidewalk.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Will New York City make landlords provide air conditioning? Its climate chief is optimistic.

    Coordinating any such mandate with the city's building decarbonization law requirements could reduce the burden it might create for building owners, Rohit Aggarwala explained.

    By • Aug. 26, 2024
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    More efficient electric vehicles can reduce grid stress, cut charging costs by almost a third: ACEEE

    Local governments can leverage registration fees and subsidies to encourage EV efficiency, says research published Tuesday by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

    By Robert Walton • Aug. 20, 2024
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    Kent J. Edwards/Reuters

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    Deep Dive

    Should tenants have a right to cooling? More cities say yes amid record heat.

    As rental cooling standards pop up around the country, experts warn that they aren’t a perfect solution to the rising danger of scorching temperatures.

    By • Aug. 20, 2024
  • A low angle of tall buildings in Manhattan
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    franckreporter via Getty Images
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    New York encourages electrification with new affordability pilot, grid planning process

    The pilot will ensure that about 1,000 low-income households spend no more than 6% of their annual income on electricity when they electrify their space and water heating.

    By Robert Walton • Aug. 19, 2024
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    Permission granted by Oldcastle Infrastructure
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    Sponsored by Oldcastle Infrastructure

    Tackling water loss with advanced AI technology

    Transition to continuous monitoring and proactive maintenance.

    Aug. 12, 2024
  • An interior of a lake source cooling system at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York
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    Retrieved from Cornell University on August 06, 2024
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    Thermal energy networks can slash water use in buildings, study shows

    With thermal energy networks poised to expand in coming years, water usage data must be standardized and publicly available, the Building Decarbonization Coalition said.

    By Nish Amarnath • Aug. 7, 2024
  • Engineers look at digital twins to monitor building energy use.
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    Andrey Popov via Getty Images
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    AI could halt energy use growth in US buildings: LBNL study

    Combined with policy measures and low-carbon generation, building carbon emissions can decline over 90% by 2050 compared with business-as-usual scenarios, according to national lab researchers.

    By Joe Burns • Aug. 6, 2024
  • A view of a neighborhood destroyed by a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Electric company would pay $2B in pending Maui wildfire settlement

    Hawaiian Electric Industries and its utilities were named in about 400 lawsuits related to the wildfires, with plaintiffs arguing utility power lines started the deadly blazes.

    By Ethan Howland • Aug. 5, 2024
  • Two people wearing yellow wide-brimmed hats and orange work gloves hold a solar panel leaning on a home's roof.
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    $36M for low-income housing energy efficiency available from US DOE grants

    Local governments and other entities can get up to $2 million each for weatherization and workforce training efforts.

    By • Aug. 1, 2024
  • Workers install solar panels on a roof.
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    ArtistGNDphotography via Getty Images
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    Clean energy tax credits are tough. This new tool could help.

    The free online navigator from Lawyers for Good Government can help cities determine if a project qualifies for Inflation Reduction Act direct-pay incentives.

    By • July 31, 2024
  • A view of the facades of commercial skyscrapers in Boston's bustling Copley Square
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    Elijah-Lovkoff via Getty Images
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    US cities sharpen focus on building performance standards to meet net-zero goals

    U.S. cities are turning to performance-based standards to meet climate goals after traditional energy-efficiency mandates fell short, a JLL report says.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 29, 2024
  • Teal and orange color of NYC midtown view and the East river from Roosevelt Island
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    Tanaonte via Getty Images
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    Building performance standards are likely not preempted by federal law, attorney says

    Such policies are likely safe even after a federal appeals court struck down Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation gas ban in new construction, said Daniel Carpenter-Gold, staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center.

    By • Updated July 24, 2024
  • A view of the facade of New York City Hall and Manhattan Municipal Building in lower Manhattan, New York City.
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    Mark Zhu via Getty Images
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    600+ NYC facilities pledge to cut energy use as part of expanded demand response program

    The city also plans to install over 1,150 real-time meters in municipal buildings to help manage electricity use, according to its Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 23, 2024