Blog - New Buildings Institute

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...

GridOptimal 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...

U.S. Clean Energy Jobs: Mapped Out

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Reilly Loveland

In case you might’ve missed it, U.S. Clean Energy Progress released a comprehensive, dynamic tool that visually illustrates the strong growth and economic benefits of clean energy jobs, including wind, solar and energy efficiency, across the U.S. The U.S. Clean...

NBI’s Legacy of Code Advocacy Lives On

Posted on March 8, 2018 by David Cohan

New Buildings Institute (NBI) has played an active and influential role in building energy codes since the day its doors opened in 1997. Jeff Johnson, one of its first executive directors, was an ardent codes advocate with a long track...

Making the Path to Zero Energy Buildings Well Worn Together

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Cathy Higgins

When does a path become a road? Is it volume of travelers, difficulty of terrain or perhaps the need to arrive more rapidly at the destination to create the attention and resources needed to smooth out the path? For zero...

Eric Makela Joins NBI’s Codes and Policy Team

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Ralph DiNola

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...

Educational Sector Leads on Zero Energy Buildings, but Lacks Retrofits

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Amy Cortese

New research by NBI looks at the reasons why existing schools don’t aim for zero. New Buildings Institute (NBI) recently released its Zero Energy* Buildings List with nearly 500 verified or emerging commercial buildings projects. Educational facilities continue to outpace...

Moving Daylighting into a New Era

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Nancy Jenkins Ander

In the energy efficiency world, we know that if there are specific and tangible non-energy benefits to energy conserving measures, it can be a game changer to motivating the implementation of these measures. One example of this is the work...

Checking in with the Passive House Network

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Mark Lyles

It’s been over 25 years since the Passive House concept — tight, well designed and insulated envelope and minimized mechanical loads — was formalized in Germany, and it feels like the movement has reached a tipping point here in North...

Remembering George Malek

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Stacey Hobart

We are deeply saddened by the passing of George Malek, Director of Energy Efficiency Services at Commonwealth Edison (ComEd). George managed the implementation of ComEd’s Energy Efficiency Program since 2008 and worked for the company for more than 20 years. He...

Outcomes Matter

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Ryan Colker

by Ryan M. Colker, Vice President of National Institute of Building Sciences We all know what it takes to lead a healthy life—eat your vegetables, exercise, and visit your doctor to monitor your cholesterol, blood sugar, weight and blood pressure....

Stretch Codes: A Disruptive Solution to Super Charge Green Building

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Mark Frankel

This week, thousands of building industry professionals will converge at Greenbuild 2017 to share their excitement and progress advancing green buildings. While the number of green buildings—energy-efficient, zero energy, LEED and ENERGY STAR-certified, etc.—has grown dramatically over the last decade,...

A New Metric for Tracking Energy Codes Driving Toward Zero

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Kevin Carbonnier

ACEEE’s 2017 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard was released in late September with Massachusetts leading based on six categories including utility programs, transportation, building energy codes, combined heat and power, state initiative and appliance standards, according to ACEEE. Looking ahead, there are...

New Multifamily Guide Offers Solutions that Deliver Up to 25% Energy Savings

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Sean Denniston

Multifamily buildings pose a conundrum for advancing energy performance. As a building type, they are caught somewhere between commercial buildings and single-family residences – they are often constructed like commercial buildings, yet used as residential buildings. Energy-efficient technologies and design...

NBI 20th Anniversary: The Arc of Innovation

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Ralph DiNola

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...

NBI Completes Study into Energy Performance of Commercial Buildings with Radiant Systems for Cooling and Heating

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Cathy Higgins

During the renovation of the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, a variable air volume (VAV) system was replaced with a radiant design system. The design team included numerous CBE industry partners, including SERA Architects, Stantec, Interface Engineering, and Charles...

Best Practice Options for LED Lighting in Multifamily Offer Illumination Without Negative Impacts

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Sean Denniston

This material has been excerpted from the soon-to-be-released Multifamily Guide offering best practice design for high performance multifamily new construction projects. Stay tuned for more information on the Guide’s release. LED lighting had some of its earliest and broadest successes...

Energy Trust of Oregon Names ZNE Fellow

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Amy Cortese

Shilpa Surana Oregon’s net zero energy (NZE) buildings market is getting a boost with a new Net Zero Fellow to focus on one of the major barriers to NZE adoption—money. The fellowship was awarded by the Energy Trust of Oregon...

Rhode Island Shows Economic and Climate Leadership by Embracing Zero Energy Buildings

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Mark Lyles

As states look to realize their climate and energy policy goals, they are turning to strategies for improving building efficiency to cut carbon emissions and lower energy demand. Rhode Island is an emerging leader in this regard with a bold...

The Sum of its Parts – Honoring the Paris Climate Agreement

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Ralph DiNola

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 Tool Calculates Water Savings from Energy Efficiency Measures, Spotlights the Water-Energy Nexus in Buildings

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Kevin Carbonnier

The water-energy nexus is a nascent topic in the building industry. The impact on water systems linked to energy generation has important ecological, conservation, and sustainability implications, particularly in water-strained areas such as the Southwestern desert of the United States....

Cities Get Help to Prioritize Energy Upgrades, Improve Codes and Policies that Drive Better Building Performance

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Alexi Miller

Buildings are responsible for almost half of all U.S. energy consumption (46%), and poor-performing buildings have an outsized impact on energy use. But without a systematic approach to track building performance, it’s often difficult to know where to start. By setting...

The Budding Energy Footprint of Indoor Agriculture

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Alexi Miller

Indoor agriculture energy usage is projected to grow substantially over the next several years, driven in large part (but not entirely) by the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis. Seven U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational...

Trainings Help Build Knowledge and Design Capability that is Driving ZNE in California

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Webly Bowles

Zero net energy workshops are back in 2017! California has ambitious goals around zero net energy (ZNE) buildings and rightly so. Buildings account for roughly 40% of the carbon emissions in the United States and is up to 80% of...

Chicago Real Estate Leadership Summit Defines the Building Industry’s Next Opportunity for Leadership

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Mark Lyles

Back in November, ComEd, Seventhwave and NBI hosted a Summit, focusing on the question: “What is Chicago’s path to net zero energy buildings?” Nearly 90 real estate professionals, designers and utility representatives gathered to focus on how they might build...

DOE Looking to “Accelerate” the Market for Zero Energy Schools

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Reilly Loveland

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Better Buildings program launched a Zero Energy Schools Accelerator program last month among program partners, media, school officials and others at the new Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. The school is a model...