Embodied Carbon Building Code

Guideline / July 11, 2024

NBI has created two embodied carbon code overlays, one for the commercial code and one for the residential code. These overlays introduce prescriptive embodied carbon code amendments for both the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC)…

Indiana cities receive $500,000 federal grant for climate goals

News / May 3, 2024

Published by WISH-TV: The built environment is responsible for about 39% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to New Buildings Institute, and it’s only predicted to grow in the coming decades as new construction increases to keep up with population...

Adapting The Nation To Future Temperatures Through Heat-Resilient Procurement

News / May 3, 2024

Published by Federation of American Scientists: Code experts such as the New Buildings Institute and Regulatory Assistance Project could identify and modify existing code language to match the needs of federal procurement.

Combatting heat islands with new building codes

News / May 3, 2024

Published by ClimateWorks Foundation: Liepa Braciulyte of New Buildings Institute (NBI) describes the issue of urban heat islands and how NBI is developing building and zoning code language to help cities mitigate the urban heat island effect. This effect contributes to...

Embodied carbon has been gaining traction in assessing the environmental impact of buildings

News / May 3, 2024

Published by Tree Frog News: According to New Buildings Institute, the building and construction industry is responsible for 39 percent of GHG emissions. And “of these emissions, one-third comes directly from the creation of construction products and construction activities.”

Illinois to Become Latest State to Release Its Own Stretch Energy Code

News / April 24, 2024

Published by Green Building Advisor: the state’s legislature voted last May to extend its adoption period by six months in response to concerns about how the stretch code might hold up against the upcoming 2024 IECC. Turns out this was a...

Fort Collins Paves the Way to a Sustainable Future with a DOE RECI Grant

News / April 24, 2024

Published by Building Safety Journal: Through collaborating with partners like the Florida Solar Energy Center and New Buildings Institute, the City of Fort Collins will work to analyze its current energy use to help determine energy targets.

10 things I know about… Sustainable development, part 1

News / April 24, 2024

Published by Worcester Business Journal: The City of Worcester pledged two years ago to become the nation’s greenest midsize city, and it may well achieve that goal. Worcester is one of only a few dozen midsized cities in the country...

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, Energy Storage and Solar Permitting and Inspection Guidelines

Guideline / March 26, 2024

In many parts of the United States, navigating building permits required for distributed energy resources such as solar, storage, and electric vehicles (EVs) can be a daunting process. Under a three-year project funded by the Department of Energy, NBI has led…

Extreme Heat and Urban Heat Island Code Overlay

Guideline / March 20, 2024

The Extreme Heat and Urban Heat Island Code Overlay provides code language for jurisdictions interested in acting against extreme heat and mitigating the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The Code Overlay strengthens and expands on cool surface requirements in model…

Streamlined Permitting & Inspections: Solar, Storage, EV Charging Lessons Learned

Webinar / March 26, 2024 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm PDT

Join us for a deep dive into New Buildings Institute (NBI)’s work with new tools for clean energy permitting and inspection, highlighting resources and case studies.

Sizzling Solutions: Accelerating Heat Mitigation – Policies, Programs, and Design Dynamics!

Webinar / March 27, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PDT

Join New Buildings Institute and Cool Roof Rating Council for an informative journey through heat mitigation policies and cool surface strategies! Speakers will present examples of extreme heat mitigation policies that are in progress in several jurisdictions and how to…

3 Sustainability News Updates for Q1 2024

News / January 9, 2024

Published by Metropolis Mag: Last August, as a direct result of advocacy efforts by architects and building industry experts, California became the first state in the USA to mandate reductions in embodied carbon emissions as part of its building code with...

National Green Codes Pave the Way for Embodied Carbon Reporting

Post / December 4, 2023

The carbon footprint of a building starts at its inception, not when its occupants move in. Products like concrete, steel, aluminum, and insulation are key building components, but until recently were rarely considered by design and construction teams for their...

California becomes the first state in the U.S. to tackle embodied carbon in its building codes

News / August 18, 2023

Published by The Architect’s Newspaper: The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) and the Division of the State Architect (DSA) updated California’s building codes last week, putting into effect measures that set a new precedent in the United States. On August...

California Building Standards Commission Approves Landmark Embodied Carbon Requirement

News / August 9, 2023

California becomes the first state in the nation to require embodied carbon on buildings larger than 100,000 square feet. Sacramento, Calif.– In a unanimous decision, the California Building Standards Commission has passed two California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) amendments...

U.S. Department of Energy Awards Grants to Eight Projects Supported by International Code Council

News / July 27, 2023

Published by PHCP Pros: In a move to enhance energy efficiency and building resilience, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to allocate $90 million in grants to aid the implementation of stronger building energy codes for new and...

POTOMAC: Schumer Vows Permitting-Reform Push

News / July 20, 2023

Published by Clearing Up: The Department of Energy on July 12 awarded $90 million in grants for updating building energy codes. Western grant recipients include the California Energy Commission; the City of Fort Collins, Colorado; the Colorado Energy Office; and...

DOE awards $90 million for adoption of latest building energy efficiency codes

News / July 13, 2023

Published by PV Magazine US: New Buildings Institute was among various states, cities, tribes and nonprofits that were awarded grants for activities that will support energy code updates and implementation, including workforce development, community engagement, research and data collection, energy,...

The urgency of cooling access: Ensuring resilience and promoting equity in the U.S.

News / June 14, 2023

Published by Refigeration Industry: Financial assistance programs can help low-income households purchase energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling appliances (like efficient air conditioners or heat pumps) that cost less to operate due to reduced energy consumption. Similar programs can also provide low-income households with...

Codifying Wood Pellet Heating’s Renewable Bona Fides

News / May 17, 2023

Published by Biomass Magazine: Believing that “biomass” was far too broad, New Buildings Institute introduced new language to further clarify biomass and exclude wood and wood-derived fuels. Specifically, NBI suggested revised language changed “biomass” to “biomass waste” adding a definition...

4 Big Questions as Building Codes Consider Embodied Carbon

News / May 2, 2023

Published by BuildingGreen: The urgency of curbing embodied carbon, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with building materials, continues to escalate. Voluntary rating systems have been working away at the issue for more than a decade. “We know carbon emitted from...

Tackling the Job of Building Modernization: A Toolkit for State Decision-Makers

News / April 7, 2023

Published by RAP Online: New Buildings Institute assisted in the assemble of Building Modernization Legislative Toolkit, a resource for policymakers seeking to help move forward the energy transition in buildings. The toolkit takes a comprehensive look at key topic areas...

Biden Is Mysteriously Defying A Law That Could Spur 20,000 New Green Homes Per Month

News / March 28, 2023

Published by Huffington Post: The White House is required by law to move forward on a minor regulatory update that could have enormous consequences, spurring construction of tens of thousands of new homes built to the nation’s greenest energy efficiency standards...

New building codes to help industry reach net zero

News / March 17, 2023

Published by Build Australia: Australia’s latest efforts to reduce carbon emissions have culminated with the Green Building Council of Australia’s new Carbon Positive Roadmap for the built environment. The roadmap’s main goal is to reach net zero emissions by 2050....

Port writes the book on sustainability

News / March 2, 2023

Published by Camas-Washougal Post-Record: Port of Camas-Washougal officials have been promoting renewable energy sources lately — partnering with a county agency to install solar panels at its industrial park and taking the lead on installing electric vehicle chargers in East...

Can Our Homes Keep Up With Increasing Electrical Demands?

News / February 15, 2023

Published by Government Technology: New electric loads — like those brought about by electric vehicles and heat pumps — will likely force upgrades to home electric systems and building codes, experts say. The real challenge will be making changes consistently....

Podcast: Energy vs. Carbon – Jurisdictions and Utilities Align Metrics

News / February 14, 2023

In the fourth episode of our series of NBI staff discussing papers presented at the 2022 ACEEE Summer Study, we talk with NBI  Senior Project Manager, Webly Bowles and Kim Cullinane of Eversource about the shift taking place within utility...

Climate and Construction: The challenges of addressing construction’s two-part carbon story

News / January 19, 2023

Published by DailyCommercialNews: Over the past 10 years, the importance of energy efficiency and the consequent reduction of GHG emissions from homes and buildings have gained increased attention from governments, the public and the construction industry. Globally, the New Building...

Targeting Net-Zero Emissions

News / January 6, 2023

This article was written by NBI President Emeritus, David Goldstein:  Published by NRDC: Net -zero energy has attracted rapidly growing interest around the world. Growth rates of projected and verified zero-energy buildings are continuing to be high. This progress has...