Author: Ralph DiNola
ASHRAE accelerates building decarbonization
Post / February 28, 2023
ASHRAE, along with 24 of the world’s leading building industry organizations, issued a statement a few months ago to government representatives attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 27) pledging to assume a leadership role in...
The Future We Seek: Equitable and Resilient Buildings and Communities
Post / August 25, 2022
For more than 25 years, New Buildings Institute (NBI) has worked collaboratively with industry market actors to promote advanced design practices, innovative technologies, public policies, and programs that improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions from the built environment. Our collective...
Future-ready buildings: increase asset value and reduce real estate investment risks by preparing for building performance standards now
Post / April 18, 2022
New construction codes have been driving toward net zero performance in jurisdictions around the country but building performance standards (BPS) with similar aims are emerging for existing buildings. Building performance standards are state and local laws that require existing buildings...
Hopeful in 2022 during this make-or-break year on climate change
Post / January 6, 2022
We are optimists, and a new year offers opportunities for inspiration and hope. Our current challenges seem unrelenting. But even as we battle several emergencies all at once, we see bright spots of opportunity for necessary and significant progress to...
Could coronavirus be a wake up call for climate action?
Post / May 8, 2020
We are living through an unprecedented global health crisis that has upended our daily routines and halted the economy in a matter of weeks. Rebounding from the loss of lives and the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus across the...
Reflecting on the 2019 Getting to Zero Forum – Optimism, Urgency and Poised for Action
Post / November 13, 2019
As urgency around addressing climate change increases, local leaders are working to define near-term actions, including those targeting the built environment, which accounts for 39% of global carbon emissions. Uptake in actions happening across the United States include: a surge...
2019 is the Year of Energy Codes
Post / January 14, 2019
If there’s a defining theme for the building sector in 2019, it’s energy codes. Actions to update the rules that cities and states set to determine how effectively new residential and commercial buildings use energy are progressing on several fronts...
Eric Makela Joins NBI’s Codes and Policy Team
Post / February 22, 2018 / Energy Codes
We are pleased to announce the addition of Eric Makela to our Codes and Policy team. He brings over 30 years of global expertise in energy code development, training and evaluation, throughout the United States as well as abroad, including...
NBI 20th Anniversary: The Arc of Innovation
Post / September 21, 2017
Anniversaries provide the opportunity to mark a point in time and provide the space to examine accomplishments, purpose, and vision of the future. Staff and board members, some with NBI since the beginning, are reflecting on why the organization was...
The Sum of its Parts – Honoring the Paris Climate Agreement
Post / June 2, 2017 / Policy
Last October, New Buildings Institute along with a host of partners, opened the Getting to Zero National Forum with great enthusiasm, sharing gratitude and satisfaction over the ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement, noting how the global agreement to address...
New Buildings Institute: A Top 100 Nonprofit to Work for in Oregon
Post / November 21, 2016
New Buildings Institute is proud that we have been named one of the top 100 nonprofits to work for in Oregon by Oregon Business magazine. We were ranked #25 under “Small Organizations: Fewer than 20 Oregon employees.” There is a...
2016 Getting to Zero National Forum – Growing a Movement
Post / October 31, 2016
The NBI Getting to Zero Forum team is back in Portland after a HUGELY successful week in Denver hosting the third Getting to Zero National Forum with our co-hosting partner, Rocky Mountain Institute. In many ways, the events of the...
Increasing Energy Efficiency Through Connected Systems
Post / May 11, 2016 / Integrated Solutions
Ralph Dinola, CEO, recently spoke at the EE Global Forum in Washington, D.C. The presentation was “Increasing EE Through Connected Systems: How Can Communities Take Into Account Holistic System Efficiency From Day One”, and this is his talk. At NBI,...
An Open Letter to America’s Architects
Post / October 29, 2015
I love movies where life as we know it will end unless someone can stop the massive meteor, or other catastrophe, from imploding the Earth. Everybody freaks out until some unlikely hero emerges with a risky, but innovative idea to...
Congressional Members Look at Reinventing Existing Buildings
Post / September 29, 2015
I had the honor recently of addressing members of Congress on opportunities for “reinventing” existing buildings to achieve high levels of energy efficiency and productivity. The morning briefing was hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy. Why existing buildings? (more…)
The 2015 Getting to Zero National Forum – What a Smashing Success
Post / February 23, 2015
Earlier this month, NBI, along with its partners the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), gathered over 250 of North America’s leading policymakers, design professionals, building owners and commercial real estate professionals at the...
U.S. DOE Looks for Agreement on Zero Energy Building Standards
Post / January 21, 2015
Futurists look for signs that tell them what’s to come. In case you missed it, there was an arm-waving sign earlier this week when the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a public notice asking for input on a variety...
NBI and NIBS Convene a Stellar Cast for August Summit with Compelling Outcomes
Post / September 12, 2014
NBI was thrilled to partner with National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) to host the Getting to Outcome-Based Performance Summit in Seattle. Together with a handpicked group of leading thinkers and practitioners in high performance building design, construction and operations, we...
NBI taps Charles Eley as a Fellow
Post / August 21, 2014
New Buildings Institute (NBI) is pleased to announce that Charles Eley, longtime energy efficiency advocate and consultant, has been named an NBI Fellow. NBI Fellowship recognizes luminary energy efficiency professionals who have made a significant contribution to society through their...
Ohio Lawmakers Strike a Blow to Sustainability in the Built Environment
Post / March 12, 2014
You might not think of Ohio as a standard bearer of the sustainability movement, but according to that state’s U.S. Green Building Council, it ranks No. 1 in the nation for green schools. These schools provide healthy learning environments by...
The Widespread Success of ZNE Hinges on the Bottom Line, But Whose?
Post / February 25, 2014
In addition to my job at NBI, I’ve had the honor and privilege to serve on several boards, including Cascadia Green Building Council and the International Living Future Institute. My work has allowed me the opportunity to get to know...
Zero Net Energy Buildings: The Future Is Now
Post / January 14, 2014
A quiet revolution is unfolding across North America; a simple and captivating idea is taking hold in executive suites, board rooms, design studios, on constructions sites, among political leaders, citizens, school teachers and students alike. Zero net energy (ZNE)—ultra-efficient structures...