Blog - New Buildings Institute

Gridoptimal Metrics Offer Guidance on Optimizing Building-Grid Interaction

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Alexi Miller

Measurement and metrics are at the core of nearly all business activity today. Those in the buildings and energy efficiency field are accustomed to some standard metrics: Energy Use Intensity (EUI), percent better than code, cost per square foot, and...

Could coronavirus be a wake up call for climate action?

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Ralph DiNola

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...

Improved Building Energy Model Code Challenged

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Kimberly Cheslak

Update: In early April, the Board of Directors for the International Code Council (ICC) certified the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) voting results! Challenges that were raised on voter validation were found to not be an issue except in...

Reilly Loveland Wins USGBC Green Schools Ambassador Award

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Reilly Loveland

NBI Project Manager Reilly Loveland was recently awarded the USGBC Center for Green Schools Ambassador Award at the March Green Schools Conference and Expo held this year in NBI’s hometown, Portland. Ore. We asked Reilly some questions about the award,...

The Embodied Carbon Conundrum: Solving for All Emission Sources from the Built Environment

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Amy Cortese

Increasing urgency among policymakers and the design community to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Accord has spurred more aggressive codes and energy policies in jurisdictions around the United States. These strategies are making gains on driving down carbon...

Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti Leading the Way to Decarbonization with Municipal Buildings

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Reilly Loveland

Less than year after Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a Green New Deal for the city of Los Angeles, he is building on that leadership with a new Executive Directive that will help kick-start the decarbonization movement by accelerating the transformation...

2019 was the Year of Energy Codes and a Big Year for Efficiency

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Jim Edelson

At the beginning of last year, we predicted that 2019 would be a big year for building energy codes, and the results are extremely promising for states—and cities which control their own energy codes–that are working to achieve climate action...

Local Governments Vote Resoundingly for Improved National Energy Codes

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Stacey Hobart

Preliminary voting results on the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) are in! The outcome of over a year of effort to update the national model energy code was released yesterday and is estimated to bring at least 10% better...

Before December 6, Vote for Efficiency in the 2021 IECC

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Eric Makela

After a lengthy stakeholder process, including recent public comment hearings in Las Vegas, registered voting members of the International Code Council (ICC) are now invited to weigh in on the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) proposals. Updated every three...

Reflecting on the 2019 Getting to Zero Forum – Optimism, Urgency and Poised for Action

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Ralph DiNola

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...

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