Blog - New Buildings Institute

Four States Make Strides on Advancing Energy Codes

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Kevin Carbonnier

Massachusetts, California and Rhode Island come out on top in ACEEE’s 2018 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard released this fall. The three states ranked high on six categories including utility programs, transportation, building energy codes, combined heat and power, state initiative...

Ithaca Leads in New York for Net Zero Energy Building Standards

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Stacey Hobart

The energy use in buildings across the town and city of Ithaca is responsible for nearly 75% of carbon emissions, according to the local sustainability officials. To reduce its carbon footprint, the two jurisdictions are taking important steps to increase...

Energy Efficiency and Equity

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Webly Bowles

A recent article from CityLab highlights the squeeze on low-income households—primarily renters—from rising energy cost and dwindling funding for low-income energy assistance programs. Disadvantaged communities—low-income and largely minority neighborhoods–spend a much higher share of their income on energy, according to...

Zero Energy Ready Oregon Supports Governor’s Mandate to Transform Buildings to Zero Energy Ready Performance

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Amy Cortese

When Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed Executive Order 17-20 in the fall of 2017, she set Oregon on the path to addressing climate change by ramping up efficiency in Oregon’s buildings. Addressing building efficiency is a critical climate action strategy...

Better Buildings Can Limit Climate Change

Posted on September 4, 2018 by David Goldstein

This guest blog was written by David Goldstein, NBI Board Member and NRDC Co-Director, Energy Program. It was originally published by NRDC on August 28, 2018. Climate change is the most important known-to-be-solvable problem of our time. Because buildings are...

Grid Optimal Buildings: Achieving Maximum Benefit for Smart Building-to-Grid Integration

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Mark Frankel

As policymakers and the building community encourage improved building efficiency and reduced carbon impacts, the rapid proliferation of distributed renewable energy resources–on local businesses and homes–creates technical challenges for grid operation, even as traditional revenue models for utilities face significant...

Banking on Sustainable, Zero Energy

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Stacey Hobart

How Suncoast Credit Union is leading the way to save energy and connect with its customers and community With close to 700,000 members, Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in Florida. It’s also a leading company in sustainable...

Linking Legends

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Connie Umphress

John Wilson accepting the Jeffrey Johnson Award John Wilson, former Board President of New Buildings Institute, has been awarded the 2018 Jeffrey A. Johnson Award for Excellence in the Advancement Of Building Energy Codes. This award is named in honor...

Getting to 50 and Back Again

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Dave Hewitt

2005 was a tumultuous year and it was in those challenging times that I got the call that Jeff Johnson was gone – a mountain bike accident in the Columbia River Gorge. I knew Jeff as the Executive Director of...

Michigan Is the Latest State to Embrace the Value of Clean Energy Portfolios

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Rocky Mountain Institute

This guest blog was originally published by Rocky Mountain Institute on May 22, 2018. How renewable energy can unlock customer savings and shareholder value in the Midwest Last Friday, Michigan’s two largest electric utilities, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, announced...

Thought Leadership From NBI

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