Heat Pump Dryers: The Energy-Efficient Solution for Eco-Conscious Consumers

News / April 24, 2024

Published by It’s For Home: Joe Wachunas, an electrification advocate for Electrify Now and Project Manager at New Buildings Institute, explains the benefits of heat pump dryers, especially in America. He emphasizes that heat pump technology is critical and that...

Combi Heat Pump Webinar

Webinar / May 22, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am PDT

This webinar will delve into combination space and water heating systems, also known as combi systems. While these systems seem promising, they present a level of complexity that raises questions about their practicality. The current market boasts standalone heat pump…

Hot off the Presses: New Grid-Interactive Buildings for Decarbonization Guide

Post / November 2, 2023

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...

Manufacturer Roundtable: Air Source Heat Pumps

Webinar / November 15, 2023 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm PST

Air source heat pumps for space heating are a key technology in helping individuals, building owners and communities move towards rapid electrification and decarbonization. The roundtable will feature panelists from leading air source heat pump manufacturers who will share the…

Manufacturer’s Roundtable: Residential Heat Pump Water Heaters

Webinar / October 25, 2023 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm PDT

Heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are two to four times more efficient than standard residential water heating technology. Join us as we bring together major manufacturers of ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters to present a general overview of…

Culture Over Carbon

Report / September 7, 2023

The Culture Over Carbon report shares the first in depth review of energy use patterns in cultural institutions across the United States and creates a roadmap for energy reductions based on best practices from this sector. Cultural institutions play a…

Plug-In heat Pump Water Heater Field Study Findings & Market Commercialization Recommendations

Report / July 12, 2023

Water heating and space heating together account for two thirds of residential energy usage in the U.S. and should be the cornerstones of any plan to decarbonize the built environment. Emerging, plug-in 120-volt heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are entering…

All-Electric Commercial Kitchens

Webinar / July 26, 2023 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm PDT

Commercial kitchen electrification is a critical component of building decarbonization but is often thought of as a stumbling block due to its perceived expense, complexity and the affinity of the restaurant industry for gas powered cooking equipment. This webinar explores…

Central Heat Pump Water Heaters Are A Crucial Technology To Decarbonize Multi-Family & Commercial Buildings

News / May 30, 2023

Published by Clean Technica: NBI’s project manager, Joe Wachuna, shares an in-depth report on the barriers to Central Heat Pump Water Heaters that was created by New Buildings Institute for NEEA to define the investment needed to geet the technology...

Working Towards Reducing The Hotel Building Carbon Footprint

News / May 8, 2023

Published by Hotel Executive: New Buildings Institute has stated there are 5.9 million existing commercial buildings in the U.S. comprising 97 billion square feet of floor space. New construction represents less than 2% of building activity in any given year,...

Building emissions are the climate change contributor you hadn’t heard of – until now

News / April 28, 2023

Published by Journal Inquirer: New Buildings Institute’s Webly Bowles shared how different factors in different locations affects the goals of achieving better carbon-free, sustainable and climate-conscious buildings. “We’re looking at different climates, right? We’re looking at what can the electrical...

Automated Building Systems Turn Data into an Energy-Saving Asset

News / March 29, 2023

Published by BizTech Magazine: As companies pursue sustainability strategies, networking has emerged as an essential element. An effective, intelligent network can facilitate connected ecosystems that rely on data, sensors and automated building systems to enhance efficiency, reduce energy consumption and...

Bay Area Sets NOx Emissions Standards For Gas Water Heaters & Furnaces, Effectively Ending Sales Starting In 2027

News / March 24, 2023

Published by CleanTechnica: Big news for clean air last week. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) adopted amendments requiring the elimination of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new water heaters by 2027 and new furnaces by 2029. The...

Podcast: The New Grid Demands Flexibility

News / March 20, 2023

In the fifth episode of our series of NBI staff discussing papers presented at the 2022 ACEEE Summer Study, we talk with NBI Acting Director of Building Innovation Alexi Miller about the ways utility programs can encourage buildings to play...

Plug-In Heat Pump Water Heaters: An Early Look to 120 Volt Products

Event / April 27, 2023 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm PDT

In this webinar, NBI's Amruta Khanolkar will give an overview of the emerging, retrofit ready 120V heat pump water heaters (HPWH) and findings from the California statewide field validation effort. This course will present the retrofit market opportunities and limitations…

AWHI News: Central heat pump water heaters can act as massive hot water batteries, meetings, webinars, and more

News / March 1, 2023

Pilot project in Seattle shows central heat pump water heaters can act as massive hot water batteries that help reduce carbon emissions Central heat pump water heaters (CHPWHs) present a tremendous opportunity to reduce the substantial energy used for water...

Electrification On the Rise in the Southwest U.S.

News / February 1, 2023

Published by Green Builder: With 2023 off to a flying start, this new year is an opportunity for the building industry to act on the benefits of heat pump technology for space and water heating in cold climates–especially in the...

AWHI News: webinar, IRA resources, supporting members, meetings, call for photos, and more

News / January 17, 2023

Join us for a webinar tomorrow on tankless gas water heaters and their infamous methane puff AWHI will participate in an Electrify Now webinar about tankless gas water heaters tomorrow (Wednesday, January 18), from 12:00 – 1:30 pm PST. There...

Central Heat Pump Water Heaters for Multifamily Supply Side Assessment Study

Report / January 10, 2023

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted with New Buildings Institute (NBI) in January 2021 to conduct research and outreach to better understand the current landscape of central heat pump water heater (HPWH) adoption in multifamily buildings. Research objectives included…

Podcast: Carrots and Sticks in Hot Water – Role of Codes and Policy in Market Transformation

News / December 30, 2022

In the third episode of our series of NBI staff discussing papers presented at the 2022 ACEEE Summer Study, we talk with Senior Project Manager, Amruta Khanolkar, about the role of building codes in the market transformation of the heat...

Sonoma Clean Power’s new Santa Rosa headquarters named Best North Bay Sustainability Project

News / December 16, 2022

Published by North Bay Business Journal: Sonoma Clean Power unveiled its new all-electric headquarters in September. As the world’s first “GridOptimal” building, certified by the New Buildings Institute and the U.S. Green Building Council, it features an innovative microgrid that...

Advanced Water Heating Initiative December 2022 Newsletter

News / December 5, 2022

The latest newsletter from the Advanced Water Heating Initiative (AWHI) features information on a California study testing 120-V HPWH technology, a recap of Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) Day, a funding opportunity from DOE, upcoming stakeholder meetings, webinars, resources, news, and...

The retrofitting strategy behind Sonoma Clean Power’s all-electric headquarters

News / November 28, 2022

Published by GreenBiz: Sonoma Clean Power, a community-owned electricity provider for California’s Sonoma and Mendocino counties, is the owner of a unique carbon neutral, 15,330-square-foot headquarters in Santa Rosa, California. Perhaps the most innovative feature of all is the headquarter’s...

District explores electric buses

News / November 16, 2022

Published by Columbia Gorge News: Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn began with an exciting update at the Oct. 26 Hood River County School District school board meeting: The potential for electric buses and necessary infrastructure in the next few years. New Building...

A Public Building That Can Decarbonize Santa Rosa’s Electric Grid

News / November 1, 2022

Published by Next City: Two years ago, the energy company Sonoma Clean Power set out to renovate a 1979 structure in Santa Rosa, California, for its new headquarters. The building had long been powered by natural gas. The vision for...

Hug Your Super-Efficient Water Heater On Heat Pump Water Heater Day

News / October 25, 2022

Published by CleanTechnica: You’ve heard of tree huggers? Well, on October 26, the Advanced Water Heating Initiative and hundreds of other organizations will celebrate another cylindrical climate saving object we should all be excited about (and maybe even hugging) — the heat...

Embodied Carbon: Deeper Decarbonization of the Built Environment

Webinar / December 13, 2022 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PST

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocates billions of dollars toward low-embodied carbon material procurement, documentation, and labeling as new policies seek low-carbon solutions. As materials and construction account for 11% of global carbon emissions, the building community must reduce this…

Rheem Releases 120V Plug-In Heat Pump Water Heater That Can Be Plugged Into Typical Outlet

News / September 26, 2022

Published by CleanTechnica: In 2019, the nonprofit-led Advanced Water Heating Initiative  saw the need for a water heater that could be plugged into a typical outlet and avoid the electric panel upgrades to help people easily switch from gas to electric...

California Municipal Building Takes Net-Zero Standard to Another Level

News / September 23, 2022

Published by Facilities Net: The Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) city building in California provides power for about 500,000 people in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, and is going beyond the net-zero goal line by recently unveiling its all-electric headquarters after a...

World’s First “GridOptimal” Building is Sonoma Clean Power’s Headquarters

News / September 20, 2022

SANTA ROSA, Calif., Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) recently unveiled its new all-electric headquarters which features an innovative microgrid, and goes far beyond “net zero energy” standards by reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the State’s electric...