Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency

These startups are using AI to cut energy waste from buildings

Buildings use — and waste — an enormous amount of energy. A growing number of startups are trying to wield buzzy AI technologies to fix this problem.

By Jeff St. John . 9 October 2023
Utilities

Duke Energy will cover upfront costs of home efficiency upgrades

In what could be the largest such effort from a big investor-owned utility, the program will recoup costs over time via low on-bill payments from customers.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 4 October 2023
Heat pumps

New plan aims to quadruple heat-pump adoption in 25 states

The pledge, which covers 55% of the population, calls for accelerating home decarbonization by deploying 20 million heat pumps by 2030.

By Jeff St. John . 21 September 2023
Carbon-free buildings

NYC’s big building-decarbonization law faces its first major test

Landlords and climate activists are sparring over the future of Local Law 97 — the country’s most ambitious citywide mandate to clean up building emissions.

By Jeff St. John . 20 September 2023
Heat pumps

Heat pumps outperform boilers and furnaces — even in the cold

Some utilities and fossil-fuel interests like to say heat pumps don’t work in the cold. A new study provides yet more evidence to debunk that myth.

By Alison F. Takemura . 13 September 2023
Energy efficiency

Redaptive lands $125M to expand no-money-down building efficiency

“Energy-as-a-service” providers like Redaptive take on the upfront cost of building energy upgrades — and use sensors and data to prove the work pays off over time.

By Jeff St. John . 24 August 2023
Energy efficiency

Why efficient buildings are key to decarbonizing the power grid

New data shows that efficient, grid-responsive buildings would make a zero-carbon grid $100B cheaper per year — if utilities and policymakers can act in time.

By Jeff St. John . 22 August 2023
Energy efficiency

North Carolina kills effort to make its building code energy-efficient

State Republicans have banned residential building-code updates until 2031, a move that will increase energy costs and make it harder to decarbonize buildings.

By Jeff St. John . 18 August 2023
Energy efficiency

Inside the IRA’s historic, high-stakes investment in energy efficiency

The Inflation Reduction Act made an $8.8B investment in home energy efficiency. Now, it’s up to states to figure out how to put the money into practice.

By Jeff St. John . 17 August 2023
Electrification

Your cheat sheet to the climate law’s consumer incentives

The Inflation Reduction Act has a bevy of programs to help you install everything from a heat pump to better insulation. Here’s how to navigate it all.

By Alison F. Takemura . 17 August 2023