Path to Zero-Energy Buildings Blog

Reflections on Living Future 2012

May 11, 2012 - 9:54am | By MGulick

So often we go to conferences, learn a few new things, feel inspired (or not), and return to work a little behind on our to-do lists. Living Future 2012, attended by a handful of us at NBI, was an exception. The purpose of the conference was to inspire, yes, but also to serve as a critical reminder of the need to act now for the future. Read more »

Rooftop Unit (RTU) Retrofits = Big Savings for Owners and Tenants

April 25, 2012 - 9:29am | By MGulick

We already know that the efficiency potential for rooftop units (RTUs) is huge. They sit atop about half of the commercial floor space across the United States and since they're often neglected, less than optimal performance leaves building owners and tenants with higher than necessary utility bills. Now, new research by the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) quantifies that potential estimating energy savings between 28 and 67 percent. Read more »

Gen 2030: Working for the Next Generation

April 3, 2012 - 4:05pm | By Cathy Higgins

In the first quarter of 2012 NBI staff welcomed three new babies – all boys. The obvious puns followed: New Boys Institute, New Babies Inevitable. Late last year the connection of these new lives joining us in 2012 occurred to me – particularly in light of the fact that my only child, a daughter, had turned 18 and left for university. These new babies will turn 18 in 2030 – the target year for efforts and initiatives toward a reduction in carbon and an improvement in the course toward damaging climate change. Read more »

ULI/Greenprint Partnership Brings Key Players (and Dialogue) to the Table

March 30, 2012 - 12:45pm | By NBI Staff

“33% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are from the built environment.” That’s just one of the statements that regularly headlines the home page of the Greenprint Foundation. Read more »

The Best (Re)Invesment: Big Payoffs with Green Retrofits

March 7, 2012 - 3:13pm | By NBI Staff

It takes money to make money. The expression certainly applies to green retrofits: throw some cash at upgrading your 20+ year-old HVAC system and you’re likely to see the reduction in utility bills pay for the first costs and more before too long. You might call it an investment. Read more »

Solutions for the Plug Load Challenge

February 16, 2012 - 9:55am | By MGulick

Often it’s not how we design buildings that impacts actual energy performance but what we, the occupants, do in those buildings that counts. It’s becoming increasingly clear that occupancy factors, such as behavior, have a significant impact on a building’s energy savings potential. One of these occupancy or “behavioral” factors is plug loads: the amount of energy used by devices that are plugged into wall outlets. Plug loads are one of the largest and fastest growing electric end-uses in commercial buildings in the United States. Read more »

Energy Efficiency in 2012: Forecast Is Mostly Sunny

January 25, 2012 - 11:46am | By Steven Nadel

Looking forward into 2012, I see more reasons for optimism than pessimism. Many states and utilities are committed to ramping up their energy efficiency programs this year and even more are considering similar steps. For example, Massachusetts electric utility programs are targeting 2.4% savings this year as part of a ramp-up rate originally established a few years ago. Many other states also have ramp-ups planned, although not as aggressive as Massachusetts. Read more »

The 12 Themes of Retrofit

December 21, 2011 - 10:56am | By Cathy Higgins

In these final days of 2011, a report of our September Summit on Deep Energy Retrofits (DERs) is on my holiday list of things to wrap into a colorful package with ribbons of logic and bows that compel change. The very name ‘Retrofit’ denotes change – change for the better through improvements, upgrades and modifications. This season of appreciation for what is, and hope for what may be, is a natural time to think about the efforts and inspirations needed to change building’s energy use. Read more »

NIBS Releases Data Needs Report

December 15, 2011 - 9:14am | By MGulick

Increasingly over the last several years, members of the building industry have expressed the need for both broader and more targeted benchmark data on high-performance buildings. The Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) has long served as the major source of information on the energy use of the nation’s existing building stock. Its suspension last spring posed obvious challenges for data users in the building industry who gathered at a July hearing to discuss solutions. Read more »

Stretch codes at work in Massachusetts

November 22, 2011 - 11:55am | By MGulick

Last week, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced that more than 100 municipalities have adopted the state’s stretch code designed to reduce energy use by 30 percent and cut carbon emissions by 40 percent. Read more »

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