Blog - New Buildings Institute

A Small Window of Opportunity to Make Huge Gains in Climate Action

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Amy Cortese

Cities face unrelenting demands on policy priorities. Affordable housing, transportation, economic development, climate action, and other pressing issues compete for limited resources and funds. Now is a moment in time, however, when the opportunity to make significant progress toward carbon...

5 Must Haves to Achieve High Marks in Ultra-low Energy Schools

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Amy Cortese

An increasing number of school districts are investing in ultra-low energy facilities and renewables as a way to save on utility costs and create healthier and more productive learning environments for students and staff. In fact, over 219 school buildings...

Local Governments Can Lead by Example in Climate Action, Starting with the Buildings They Own

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Alexi Miller

For communities across the United States that are committed to implementing policies and practices that advance the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, buildings represent a golden opportunity to lead by example. Overall, about 20% of the nation’s building floorspace...

Technology Talk—Getting to Zero Energy in Existing Buildings

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Cathy Higgins

Without upgrading our existing buildings to higher efficiency technologies we have zero hope of getting to zero energy (ZE)–or at least ultra-low energy performance–and our carbon reduction targets. We know that there are many roads to retrofits but rapid scaling...

2019 is the Year of Energy Codes

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Ralph DiNola

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...

New York Invests in Energy-Saving Strategies to Meet Climate Action Goals

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Mark Lyles

New York has emerged as a shining star in local energy policy with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement early last year of an ambitious energy efficiency target to reduce energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs (British thermal units) by...

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 the 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 and...

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...

Aiming for Zero Energy in Existing Buildings

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Alexi Miller

This blog was originally published as an article in Facility Executive on October 9, 2018. As the extreme weather impacts of a changing climate become more urgent, cities and states are racing to put in place strategies that will reduce...

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...

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