Ryan Pollin, ERS, for Zondits April 4, 2016. Image credit: Ben_Kerckx The deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) has begun, albeit slowly. EV sales are barely past the 1% of market share milestone, and 40% of those vehicles have been sold in California – progress elsewhere is even slower. But there is reason to be positive, because … Read more
How to determine if energy efficiency upgrades are right for your home (and budget) Inhabitat, April 1, 2016. Image credit: AllanW So how do home performance upgrades pay off? From 2010 to 2013, the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program upgraded nearly 120,000 homes and buildings achieved total verified energy savings for the 3-year evaluation period provided of … Read more
Washington, DC Tops EPA’s List of Cities with the Most Energy Star Certified Buildings/Energy efficiency leads to a stronger economy and healthier environment EPA, March 30, 2016. Image credit: patticake1601 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its eighth-annual “Top Cities” list, which ranks the 25 U.S. metropolitan areas with the most Energy Star certified … Read more
Want People to Embrace Efficiency Technology? Make It Sexy Huffington Post, January 20, 2016. Image credit: skeeze An American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked the U.S. among the least energy efficient of the world’s largest economies—13th out of 16—in its most recent international scorecard. (Get the details in Climate Central’s summary.) That’s too … Read more
GREENING VERMONT, BUILDING A MORE RESILIENT FUTURE The Vermont Independent, March 24, 2016. Image credit: johnoghue Here in Vermont, as everywhere, the built environment has a vast impact on the natural environment, human health, and the economy. 40% of our energy consumption comes from the building sector, and buildings also hold the greatest potential for achieving … Read more
Companies That Don’t Manage Utilities Strategically Are Throwing Money Away Harvard Business Review, March 22, 2016. Image credit: Unsplash Managing utilities has also become more complex as the energy landscape has evolved. There are all kinds of new energy providers (especially in U.S. states with deregulated power markets) and technologies (e.g., solar and home batteries) for … Read more
Africa: Women Are Central to Africa’s Energy Transformation All Africa, March 8, 2016. Image credit: Peggy_Marco It is time to recognize that modernizing household energy is central to Africa’s development – and that means bringing women to the table. Women and girls collect most of the firewood, spending an average of 2.1 hours per day on … Read more
World’s Most Energy Efficient Countries Just Means, February 23, 2016. Image credit: geralt Energy efficiency is defined as ‘’using less energy to provide the same service.” In 2016, energy efficiency is a primary concern for many countries. With diminishing fossil fuel resources and rapid population growth, there are several reasons why countries all over the globe … Read more
Those Bubbles in Your Soda May Someday Help Save the Planet Bloomberg Business, February 21, 2016. Image credit: Spiff Climeworks AG is not the first company to figure out how to suck carbon dioxide out of the air. It may become the first to make money from it at an industrial scale. The Swiss company plans … Read more
Can Energy Efficiency Help Chinese Cities Beat Air Pollution Environmental Leader, February 17, 2016. Image credit: Peggy_Marco It has been a decade since China’s leaders made improving energy efficiency a top priority. In the 11th Five-Year Plan they set ambitious national targets for lowering the energy intensity – the measure of energy efficiency of the country’s … Read more