Beginning on Saturday, January 24, 2026, a major winter storm struck several regions of the country, impacting nearly half of the U.S. population. Like many others, I closely followed the forecasts starting Thursday, worrying about potential power outages and their cascading impacts. By Saturday evening, reports of service disruptions, emergency responses, and distress among households and communities began to emerge. I repeatedly checked the power outage map and was...
On January 15 the International Code Council (ICC) Board published the draft 2030 IECC (International Energy Conservation Code) Scope & Intent, including the cost benefit analysis approach. The draft Scope & Intent outlines what will be considered within scope for the...
Over the past decade, New Buildings Institute (NBI) and the Center for Green Schools (CfGS) have collaborated through independent programs to provide K-12 schools across the U.S. with technical assistance, in-person events, and virtual learning opportunities. These two organizations are excited to combine their efforts in 2026 to officially partner on an HVAC Change Lab, an innovative approach to support school districts in improving their operations. The HVAC Change Lab is a...
photo courtesy of IWBI At the IWBI Healthy Building Policy Summit in Washington, DC, hosted by IWBI and Georgetown University, I had the privilege of having an in-depth conversation on healthy building policies with public health, building technology, and standards...
This year, we moved our family into a 1924 bungalow. Moving is always difficult, but it felt particularly challenging because we needed to downsize, maximize usable space, and make updates. I thought about priorities for safety and resilience, both in...
A steamy hot water shower to kick-start or end a long day is a comforting aspect of our everyday lives. But what do you really know about all the hot water traveling through our pipes and faucets? There’s a fascinating...
A virtual workshop to help schools creatively use tools and funding approaches to get to zero. Join us for a dynamic virtual workshop featuring real-life stories from school districts at the forefront of electrification. Brought to you by Southern California...
On April 22, New Buildings Institute (NBI) kicked off Earth Week at our 9th Getting to Zero Forum in Los Angeles, California, convening a diverse cross-section of over 300 built environment leaders, practitioners, and scholars committed to advancing high-performance buildings to...
Recently, a 2024 NOAA blog outlined the growing rate of billion-dollar environmental disasters and the significant cumulative cost— $1.2T over the preceding 10 years. As global temperatures continue to rise, several industries are taking steps to abate the worst-case scenarios....
We’ve launched a new “Ask an Expert” segment in our newsletter, allowing you to tap into the expertise of NBI’s team of researchers, analysts, policy experts, engineers, and outreach facilitators. Do you have questions about net zero buildings, embodied carbon,...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making headlines everywhere—but when it comes to buildings, what does it actually do? I hosted a discussion at ACEEE’s Summer Study last summer and shared my initial learnings in a blog post “Can Artificial Intelligence Get Us...
On January 15, 2026, NBI issued a correction that addressed updates to the criteria pollutant intensity factors for fuel combustion. Expanded Role of Energy Codes Since their emergence in the aftermath of the 1970s energy crisis, energy codes have primarily focused on energy efficiency,...
New Buildings Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and USGBC’s Center for Green Schools collaborated to host the Schools Clean Energy and IAQ Summit on June 2024. Honoring Excellence at the 2025 Green Schools Conference U.S. schools are positioned to catalyze...
In 1997, a group of energy efficiency industry leaders got together out of frustration with the lack of meaningful progress on energy codes. They envisioned a new organization dedicated to advancing codes, conducting research, and developing guidance to drive energy...
When we think of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), our minds might not immediately leap to The Transformers—those sentient robotic beings who shift from one form to another, often merging their unique abilities to form an unstoppable force. In the...
We were very excited to join K-12 school district staff from across the country in Denver for the Schools Clean Energy and Indoor Air Quality Summit, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s program for Efficient and Healthy Schools....
Reflections and Industry Insights NBI and RMI were thrilled to bring together over 360 industry leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina for the 2024 Getting to Zero Forum. It was an invigorating gathering, filled with thought-provoking conversations and concrete examples of...
Last week, experts from across the country gathered in California at the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2024 National Energy Codes Conference. At this conference, they discussed strategies to drive the advancement and adoption of building codes that support a healthy,...
To succeed in decarbonizing our energy systems, we will be relying much more on variable renewable resources like wind and solar energy—but we’ll need to do more than install more clean generation resources. We’ll also need to get better at...
Energy-efficient water heating took significant strides in 2022, according to the latest data released by ENERGY STAR. Sales of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) grew 26% last year while sales of gas water heaters declined by 17%, underlining a clear...
Electrifying and decarbonizing existing buildings is critical to address the climate emergency and is one of the key priorities of leading cities, states, and utilities. Many people assume that to electrify an existing home, an electric panel upgrade from 100...
Have you ever visited a zoo or aquarium? How about an art museum, a botanical garden or arboretum, or a historic site? With over 33,000 cultural institutions in the U.S. (UNESCO reports), my guess is that you have been to...
With historic federal funding setting the stage, the seventh iteration of the Getting to Zero Forum was an opportunity to convene at a pivotal time, when there is more support and resources for decarbonizing the built environment than ever before....
The energy efficiency, cost savings, and versatility of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) make them a clear choice for the environment and households across the U.S. With 120 million water heaters in the U.S. alone, we could save over 100 million tons in...
Greenhouse gas emissions from the airline industry are reaching new heights. By 2050, more than a quarter of all global emissions are expected to come from the aviation industry, according to a UN report. While many individuals and organizations are...
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...
Central heat pump water heaters (CHPWHs) present a tremendous opportunity to reduce the substantial energy used in water heating and can act as giant thermal batteries. They do this by using energy to heat water during times of low grid...
During the summer of 2022, there were more than 7,000 record-breaking daily temperatures reported across the U.S., according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Dangerously high temperatures in the U.S. impacted more than 40 million people,...
Building efficiency and decarbonization is a movement that has the potential to dramatically curb climate change and make buildings healthy and productive spaces. K-12 schools, where staff and students spend at least 1,000 hours each year, are leading the way....
In our new podcast series, we dig deeper into the research papers authored by NBI staff. We begin with NBI staff that presented at the 2022 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency. Professionals from around the world came together at...
