Ireland Strategic Investment Fund
Date: 2022-02-23
In Dublin, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISF) is touting a new €20 million fund that will improve the energy efficiency of existing infrastructure including commercial buildings and homes.

With the fund, ISIF will become a cornerstone investor in the Solas Sustainable Energy Fund (SSEF) which provides funding to energy service companies in connection with energy efficiency projects.

The funding will allow energy efficiency contractors and suppliers to offer financing and deferred payment plans for business and residential energy enhancement projects such as LED lighting, insulation updates, rooftop solar, HVAC and others. The ISIF investment supports the Irish Climate Action Plan to reduce the emissions and make Irish homes and businesses more energy efficient. ISIF is part of the National Treasury Management Agency. (Source: Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, Feb 2022) Contact: Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, +353 1 238 4000, info@isif.ie , www.sif.ie

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  

Yotta Energy, Cal Solar
Date: 2022-01-14
As California requires solar plus storage systems for all new commercial and multifamily construction beginning in 2023, Yotta Energy is joining forces with Cal Solar Inc., the leading solar and energy storage design-build engineer and contractor for new commercial and multifamily construction. The companies will work together to deploy statewide renewable energy solutions to meet California mandate requirements.

Yotta's energy storage system will be designed as a virtual-power-plant-ready installation, meaning in addition to battery charging from the solar photovoltaic (PV) system, Yotta's energy storage system provides time-of-use software control. This capability saves users money by allowing the battery to be discharged when electricity prices are high.

The California Building Energy Efficiency Standards will take effect on January 1, 2023, requiring all new commercial and multifamily construction to include solar plus energy storage, and all new residential construction to have energy-storage-ready solar PV systems. The state anticipates adding 280 MW of annual solar capacity and 400 MWh of energy storage with these requirements.

Yotta Energy recently announced a funding raise of $13 million to scale its unique, modular energy storage and microgrid technology, specifically designed to transform buildings into self-generating power plants. Led by WIND Ventures, the Series A round includes follow-on investors Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, Riverstone Ventures, and returning investors, EDP Ventures, and SWAN Impact Network. The round brings the company's total funding to $20 million. This partnership and its collaboration with Cal Solar Inc. represent significant milestones as Yotta Energy looks to move the industry forward with its innovative plug-and-play solar plus storage solution, according to the release. (Source: Yoptta Energy, PR, 14 Jan., 2022) Contact: Yotta Energy, www.yottaenergy.com; Cal Solar, Sean Neman, CEO, 800-784-7612, info@calsolarinc.com, www.calsolarinc.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Yotta Energy,  Cal Solar ,  

China Green Building
Date: 2021-12-31
In Beijing, China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is reporting the country's "green" buildings has exceeded 6.6 billion square meters, in line with the government's push to raise building energy efficiency standards, cut energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions nationwide.

To that end, the Ministry recently issued a guideline of institutional mechanisms and policy systems for green development in urban and rural areas to be established by 2025. The Ministry will also formulate a 14th "five-year plan" on urban and rural living environment planning and taking measures to promote and coordinate eco-environmental construction standards, energy efficiency and "green" development, the release noted. (Source: Xinhua, China.org.cn, 25 Oct., 2021)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Green Building,  Energy Efficiency,  

Philadelphia City Council ,US Green Building Council
Date: 2021-12-10
The Philadelphia City Council this week unanimously passed legislation that requirements new construction or major renovations of large city buildings meet US Green Building Council LEED Gold certification standards -- an upgrade from the presently required LEED Silver. The new requirement further encourages the use of on-site renewable energy, optimized energy performance, increased energy efficiency, the use of sustainable materials and other green and healthy building features.

The bill, which received unanimous support in council and from the regional nonprofit Green Building United, shifts management of the program from the City Planning Commission to the Office of Sustainability, which plans to develop regulations that push contractors toward energy-related categories of points.

Under the city's Climate Action Playbook released early this year, the city plans to cut municipal carbon emissions 50 pct and source 100 pct clean energy for municipal operations by 2030. The city has also committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. (Source: Philadelphia City Council Dec. 9, 2021)Contact: USGBC Peter Templeton, President and CEO, (202) 552-1500, www.usgbc.org; Philadelphia City Council, www.phlcouncil.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News US Green Building Council ,  LEED,  Green Building,  Building Energy Efficiency ,  

Federal Energy Management Program
Date: 2021-12-01
In Washington, the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is reporting the selection of federal agency projects to receive a combined total of $13 million in Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) funding. The grants, which are expected to lead to more than $737 million when leveraged with energy performance contracts from private industry, include the following:

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) -- USCG will implement the agency's first microgrid control system (MCS) coupled with solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) resilience energy conservation measures (ECMs), to provide 10 days of off-grid operation during a power disruption event.

Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic -- The project will provide a comprehensive approach to enhancing its climate change adaptation-resilience posture and energy efficiency across eight NIWC Atlantic sites located in South Carolina, Virginia, and Louisiana. NIWC will deploy solar PV and an MCS to enable renewable back-up generation while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Internal Revenue Service -- Internal Revenue Service is pursuing a near-net zero, comprehensive energy efficiency and resilience project that will empower up to 30 days of off-grid operation in the event of utility power disruption, amplify energy efficiency to substantially reduce baseload energy use and corresponding GHG emissions, and deploy solar PV coupled with an MCS, BESS.

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst -- A large-scale, wholistic energy efficiency and climate change adaption-resilience project will deploy 40 MW of solar PV combined with a 12-MWh BESS and two unique MCSs alongside a wide range of key energy efficiency and resilience ECMs.

DoE, Office of Science -- A new project will bundle comprehensive traditional energy efficiency ECMs and resilience technologies such as lighting, water fixtures, simple HVAC controls, solar PV, BESS, and pumped water storage to reduce energy use and GHG emissions.

U.S. DoD, Pentagon -- Project will implement improvements to energy and water efficiency, as well as resilience to climate change-attributed severe weather events, via a comprehensive list of ECMs that will reduce baseload energy and water use and GHG emissions while adding renewable energy technologies. The project will achieve a net GHG reduction cost-effectively via combined reductions in baseload electricity (49 pct), water (8 pct), and sewer costs (40 pct).

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall -- The project will deploy an advanced, hybrid geothermal heat recovery chiller system coupled with energy efficiency and resilience ECMs to simultaneously reduce GHG emissions and address climate change adaptation-resiliency.

Eglin Air Force Base -- Within this integrated, comprehensive energy efficiency and resilience project, Eglin Air Force Base will implement various resilience ECMs including solar PV, an MCS coupled with a BESS, and natural gas generators while replacing aging chillers that serve critical loads such as data centers.

Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest -- A new project to integrate a cybersecurity-compliant MCS and 150-kW/600-kWh BESS with a total of 1.1 MW of solar PV to augment climate change adaptation-resilience, increase energy efficiency, and reduce GHG emissions, while allowing for full, continuous mission-critical operability of essential facilities and systems in the case of power disruption events.

GSA Region 4, Valdosta and Brunswick -- The project will deploy and demonstrate an advanced solar PV technology utilizing bifacial modules at two federal sites in Georgia, directly reducing GHG emissions and assisting GSA in meeting its internal agency commitment of achieving 100% renewable electricity by 2025. The project will also build out capabilities for these sites to consider implementing complementary resilience ECMs such as a MCS or BESS in the future. It will also validate an advanced, bifacial module solar PV technology, which if successful could be replicated and scaled throughout not only GSA Region 4 and the Southeast, but also more broadly across all GSA Regions nationwide.

GSA Region 7 -- This project will implement resilience ECMs including an MCS and BESS to boost climate change adaptation-resiliency, reduce GHG emissions by 47 pct, and provide the means to demonstrate GEB concepts such as advanced energy load-shifting and management, and demand response at sites in Laredo and Houston, Texas.

Joint Base Langley-Eustis -- This project will augment the capacity of a BESS to 1MW/4MWh, which will be coupled with a recommissioned energy management control system, cybersecurity-compliant MCS, and 1-MW solar PV array to meet the U.S. Air Forces' resilience requirements for energy performance contracts, allowing the base to shed noncritical energy loads and support mission-critical operations should climate change-induced severe weather such as hurricanes or other external forces result in an extended power disruption event.

The project will also allow the joint base to reduce GHG emissions, improve energy efficiency, and provide peak shaving, demand response, energy time-of-use-shifting, dynamic frequency, and voltage regulation to reduce overall base electricity demand and energy costs.

Federal Aviation Administration -- A novel project to directly address federal building energy efficiency and load management, in coordination with their serving utility, to bundle electric vehicle supply equipment with a range of other energy efficiency and resilience ECMs including ground-mounted solar PV, LED lighting, HVAC upgrades, and variable frequency drives.

The project will reduce GHG emissions by 89 pct by coupling electrification of buildings and transportation, which are key priorities of the Administration's decarbonization goals. (Source: US DOE Federal Energy Management Program, PR 1 Dec., 2021) Contact: US DOE, Federal Energy Management Program, www.energy.gov/eere/femp/2021-assisting-federal-facilities-energy-conservation-technologies-affect-federal-agency

More Low-Carbon Energy News Federal Energy Management Program,  Energy Efficiency,  BESS,  Energy Storage,  

NREL
Date: 2021-11-05
According to Optimal Strategies for a Cost-Effective and Reliable 100 pct Renewable Electrical Grid, a research study conducted by the US DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), "incorporating energy efficiency measures can reduce the amount of energy storage needed to power the nation's buildings entirely with renewable energy." As more communities aim for 100 pct renewable energy, the study offers a strategy that could guide their paths -- one that shifts away from long-duration storage.

The NREL researchers considered solar and wind as the source of renewable energy, given that most plans for meeting the 100 pct renewables target take those into account. They also used the DOE EnergyPlus and OpenStudio building energy modeling tools to simulate energy demand, considering such factors as building size, age, and occupancy type. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration informed the scientists about the existing building stock characteristics and energy load used by the buildings. Further, the researchers separated the country into five climate zones, ranging from the hot and humid (Tampa, Florida) to the very cold (International Falls, Minnesota)along with New York City, El Paso, and Denver. Knowing the extremes of heating and cooling demands in each zone enabled the researchers to select the appropriate mix of renewable power sources to minimize any needed storage.

The researchers define long-duration storage as "energy storage systems that meet electricity demands for more than 48-hour durations." Therefore, long-duration energy storage provides power days or months after the electricity is generated. However, most long-duration storage technologies are either immature or not available everywhere. The NREL researchers calculated reaching the last 75 pct to 100 pct of renewable energy would result in significant increases in costs associated with long-duration energy storage. Instead of focusing on storage, the researchers emphasized the optimal mix of renewable resources, oversized generation capacities and investments in energy efficiency. The researchers note that multiple pathways exist to reach 100 pct renewable and, as the costs and performance of technologies change, new pathways will emerge, but they identified a key pathway that is achievable today.

The researchers also determined that over-sizing renewable capacities by a factor of 1.4 to 3.2 and aiming for 52 pct to 68 pct in energy savings through building energy efficiency measures lead to cost-optimal paths depending on region of the country. The report notes that making homes and offices more energy efficient reduces the amounts of renewable resources needed, decreases the amount of storage, and cuts transmission costs, ultimately supporting the implementation of a carbon-free energy system.

The NREL study was funded by the DOE Building Technologies Office (BETO). NREL is the U.S. DOE's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

Download the NREL report HERE . (Source: US DOE, NREL, 2 Nov., 2021) Contact: NREL, Report Authors Sammy Houssainy, William Livingood, 303-384-7490, William.Livingood@nrel.gov, www.nrel.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News NREL,  Energy Efficiency,  Energy Storage,  

GSA
Date: 2021-10-29
In Washington, he U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the General Services Administration (GSA) are calling for a request for information (RFI) to identify "evaluation ready" and adaptable technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from commercial buildings. This RFI covers three broad categories:

High-Performance/Low-Carbon Building Technologies and Solutions -- Technologies of interest include electrification of major building loads; larger scale and integrated heat pump systems, retrofit heat recovery systems, electrification of major loads, and building envelope retrofits.

Onsite Energy Generation and Storage Systems -- Technologies of interest include building-integrated photovoltaics, high-efficiency PV, solutions to better integrate PV and storage into building management systems, solar and geothermal, on-site distributed wind, and hydrogen fuel cells.

Carbon Reducing or Capture -- Technologies of interest include on-site carbon capture for fuel-fired processes and technologies that use next-generation, low, or no global warming potential refrigerants.

December 7, 2021 is the deadline for response. Download the RFI details HERE . (Source: US DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy , General Services Administration, 28 Oct., 2021) Contact: GSA, gpg@gsa.gov, www.gsa.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News GHG,  Building Energy Efficiency,  Energy Management,  

China Green Building
Date: 2021-10-27
In Beijing, China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is reporting the country's "green" buildings has exceeded 6.6 billion square meters, in line with the government's push to raise building energy efficiency standards, cut energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions nationwide.

To that end, the Ministry recently issued a guideline of institutional mechanisms and policy systems for green development in urban and rural areas to be established by 2025. The Ministry will also formulate a 14th "five-year plan" on urban and rural living environment planning and taking measures to promote and coordinate eco-environmental construction standards, energy efficiency and "green" development, the release noted. (Source: Xinhua, China.org.cn, 25 Oct., 2021)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Green Building,  China Green Building,  Energy Efficiency,  

DOE Building Technologies Office
Date: 2021-10-15
In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $61 million for 10 pilot projects that will deploy new technology to transform thousands of homes and workplaces into state-of-the-art, energy-efficient buildings. These Connected Communities can interact with the electrical grid to optimize their energy consumption which will substantially decrease their carbon emissions and cut energy costs.

Connected communities of grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) use smart controls, sensors, and analytics to communicate with the electrical grid, reducing the amount of energy they require during periods of peak demand. This capability is used to optimize buildings and distributed energy resources to maintain the comfort of the building occupants, lowers utility bills, and reduces grid system costs.

A recent DOE study estimated that by 2030, GEBs could save up to $18 billion per year in power system costs and cut 80 million tpy of carbon emissions -- more than the annual emissions of 50 medium-sized coal plants or 17 million cars. DOE's first two connected communities in Alabama and Georgia have already demonstrated this potential by using approximately 42-44 pct less energy than today's average all-electric home.

The 10 pilot projects include:

Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.(PRI) (New York City, Seattle, San Diego) $5.27 million -- will be used to transform multi-family buildings in affordable housing developments into GEBs that will demonstrate different ways to decarbonize buildings, make them more resilient, and reduce utility bills.

IBACOS, Inc. (NC) $6.65 million -- will deploy a coordinated control program to optimize the energy use of a comprehensive mix of distributed energy resources in 1,000 new and existing homes, including single-family and multifamily homes and both owner-occupied and rental properties.

Open Market ESCO Limited Liability Company (MA) $6.65 million -- will bring the benefits of efficiency, demand flexibility, renewable generation, and energy storage with more affordable renovations in up to 20 low-to-moderate-income apartment communities.

PacifiCorp (UT) $6.24 million -- to establish a program to manage solar photovoltaic, batteries, electric vehicle charging in a diverse community of all-electric buildings and a mass transit transportation center, equipped with the latest market-leading efficient technologies to optimize their collective energy use and provide grid services at scale.

Portland General Electric (OR) $6.65 million -- will renovate over 500 buildings in North Portland's historically underserved neighborhoods to reduce their energy burden with numerous energy efficiency measures and connected devices that provide the grid with a range on energy services. (Award amount: $6.65M)

Post Road Foundation (ME, NH) $6.65 million -- will investigate the capacity of a novel Transactive Energy Service System to harmonize communications and optimize energy use among the distributed energy resources, local energy markets, and buildings of three rural communities.

Slipstream Group Inc. (WI) $5.18 million -- will convert approximately 15 facilities in Madison, Wisconsin into GEBs that connect with nearby electric vehicle charging stations to establish a scalable business model for utilities to install demand flexibility and energy efficiency upgrades across multiple building sizes in public and private sectors.

Spokane Edo LLC (WA) $6.65 million -- to unlock demand flexibility up to 2.25 megawatt (MW) using flexible loads in residential and commercial buildings augmented by distributed energy resources within Spokane, Washington's Opportunity Zones of vulnerable populations.

SunPower Corporation (CA) $6.65 million -- to build tomorrow's homes today in two communities of all-electric homes in Menifee, California that meet DOE's zero-energy-ready home qualifications and feature solar energy, home energy management systems, and community-scale battery storage.

The Ohio State University (OH) $4.2 million -- will investigate the capacity of Ohio State's existing on-campus connected community to provide essential but overlooked ancillary grid services from a diverse range of grid-interactive technologies in a cyber- and data-secure environment.

The Connected Communities funding opportunity is led by DOE's Building Technologies Office. (Source: US DOE Building Technologies Office, PR, 13 Oct., 2021) Contact: US DOE Building Technologies Office, www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-technologies-office

More Low-Carbon Energy News US DOE EERE,  Building Energy Efficiency,  Energy Efficiency Software,  DOE Building Technologies ,  DOE Energy,  Energy Efficiency,  

US DOE
Date: 2021-09-08
The U.S. DOE reports it has recognized the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, as part of its Building Envelope Campaign for the design of the Industrial Center Building Addition (ICB-A). The ICB-A was recognized as a new building that performs above code because it uses emerging high-performance technology for its building envelope -- windows, exterior walls and roofs. The Fermi building envelope surpassed the award's criteria of a 20 pct improvement over current building code, providing a 25 pct improvement. Building envelopes account for almost 33 pct of energy consumption in commercial buildings. For ICB-A, the building envelope specifications alone would have only achieved about a 15 pct improvement.

Because ICB-A connects two existing facilities, the addition was strategically located to provide direct access to surrounding assembly areas while eliminating over 7,000 square feet of building envelope exposed to the outdoor environment. Placement of the roughly 25,000-square-foot addition combined with energy-efficient windows, exterior walls and roofs gave the building its performance boost.

Fermilab is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. (Source: US DOE, Office of Science, PR, Sept., 2021) Contact: DOE Office of Science, www.energy.gov/science Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, www.fnal.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency,  US DOE,  

Date: 2021-09-08
The U.S. DOE reports it has recognized the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, as part of its Building Envelope Campaign for the design of the Industrial Center Building Addition (ICB-A). The ICB-A was recognized as a new building that performs above code because it uses emerging high-performance technology for its building envelope -- windows, exterior walls and roofs. The Fermi building envelope surpassed the award’s criteria of a 20 pct improvement over current building code, providing a 25 pct improvement. Building envelopes account for almost 33 pct of energy consumption in commercial buildings. For ICB-A, the building envelope specifications alone would have only achieved about a 15 pct improvement.

Because ICB-A connects two existing facilities, the addition was strategically located to provide direct access to surrounding assembly areas while eliminating over 7,000 square feet of building envelope exposed to the outdoor environment. Placement of the roughly 25,000-square-foot addition combined with energy-efficient windows, exterior walls and roofs gave the building its performance boost. Fermilab is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. (Source: US DOE, Office of Science, PR, Sept., 2021) Contact: DOE Office of Science, www.energy.gov/science Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, www.fnal.gov

DOE Science
Date: 2021-09-03
The U.S. DOE reports it has recognized the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, as part of its Building Envelope Campaign for the design of the Industrial Center Building Addition (ICB-A). The ICB-A was recognized as a new building that performs above code because it uses emerging high-performance technology for its building envelope -- windows, exterior walls and roofs. The Fermi building envelope surpassed the award’s criteria of a 20 pct improvement over current building code, providing a 25 pct improvement. Building envelopes account for almost 33 pct of energy consumption in commercial buildings. For ICB-A, the building envelope specifications alone would have only achieved about a 15 pct improvement.

Because ICB-A connects two existing facilities, the addition was strategically located to provide direct access to surrounding assembly areas while eliminating over 7,000 square feet of building envelope exposed to the outdoor environment. Placement of the roughly 25,000-square-foot addition combined with energy-efficient windows, exterior walls and roofs gave the building its performance boost. Fermilab is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. (Source: US DOE, Office of Science, PR, Sept., 2021) Contact: DOE Office of Science, www.energy.gov/science Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, www.fnal.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency news,  

IoEnergy Solutions
Date: 2021-08-27
Carmel, California-headquartered IoEnergy Solutions is touting its new On-Bill Finance division to help Bay Area PG&E businesses access utility-sponsored, zero out-of-pocket lighting efficiency upgrades.

IoEnergy provides start-to-finish, on-site project identification, utility application management and retrofit implementation for buildings of 50,000 square feet and larger.

On-bill financing gives commercial building owners the opportunity to retrofit the lighting in their buildings with ultra-efficient LED luminaries and tech-forward sensors and controls. The projects are financed through the energy cost savings associated with the upgrade. For upgrades on large commercial facilities, these savings, combined with lowered maintenance costs over time, can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, according to the company release. (Source: IoEnergy Solutions, PR, 26 Aug., 2021) Contact: IoEnergy Solutions, Danny Krueger, CEO, (831) 298-0048, www.ioenergyinc.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News IoEnergy Solutions news,  PG&E news,  Energy Efficiency news,  

US DOE EERE
Date: 2021-08-16
In Washington, the US DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has awarded $82.6 million in funding to 44 projects that will lower Americans' energy bills and help meet the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 by investing in new energy efficient building technologies, construction practices, and the U.S. buildings-sector workforce.

The 44 projects across 20 states will improve building energy efficiency through innovations in thermal energy storage, building envelopes, lighting, HVAC, water heating -- as well as by bolstering the energy efficiency workforce with trainings, educational programs, and other technical support. The following are among the 44 funded projects:

North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota will develop a novel absorption material that will efficiently store thermal energy.

Baryon Inc. based in Wilmington, Delaware will develop an innovative air-conditioning system based on a new method of evaporative cooling combined with dehumidification that can consume 50 to 85 pct less energy than traditional air conditioning systems.

In Sidney, Ohio, Emerson Commercial and Residential Solutions will design, fabricate, and validate a highly efficient refrigerated display case for use in supermarkets.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark will design, prototype, install, test, and evaluate a high-performance residential wall retrofit that can achieve estimated heating and cooling energy savings of 30 pct or more.

The Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance in Atlanta, Georgia, will develop training resources on electrified building systems such as electric heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, electric vehicle charging systems, and battery storage systems. These resources will help members of the workforce learn how to educate consumers on the benefits of these technologies.

Download the full list of funded recipients HERE.

The mission of the DOE EERE is to accelerate the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of technologies and solutions to equitably transition America to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050, and ensure the clean energy economy benefits all Americans. (Source: US DOE EERE, PR, 13 Aug., 2021) Contact: US DOE EERE, Building Technologies Office, www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-technologies-office

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency news,  DOE Building Technology Office news,  DOE EERE news,  

Date: 2021-08-13
In the Bay State, the Town of Arlington (pop. 42,600 +-) Select Board reports it has unanimously endorsed Arlington's net-zero action plan to "get Arlington on the path to reach net-zero greenhouse-gas pollution by 2050."

The plan has three pillars to help the town reach net zero: maximize and promote building energy efficiency; electrify everything -- heating, water heating, cooking and transportation (including school buses); and; "green the grid" including the town's electricity supply by generating more renewable power. (Source: Town of Arlington, 10 Aug., 2021) Contact: Town of Arlington, Ken Pruitt, Energy Manager, (781) 316-3428 , kpruitt@town.arlington.ma.us, www.town.arlington.ma.us

US DOE EERE
Date: 2021-07-28
The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in collaboration with Modelon and Objexx Engineering, have released the initial version of the Spawn of EnergyPlus (Spawn)

Spawn is not a replacement for EnergyPlus, at least not in the foreseeable future. Although it does perform whole-building energy simulation, it targets new use cases in advanced controls, district systems, and grid integration.

Spawn supports these new use cases by making fundamental use of coupled simulation via the Functional Mockup Interface standard. Spawn reuses the weather, envelope, lighting, and loads models from EnergyPlus and packages them as a single model. However, it replaces EnergyPlus' traditional, imperative, implicit, load-based HVAC and controls models with explicit declarative state-based models from the Modelica Buildings Library which are translated and automatically linked with the EnergyPlus model. By combining models in different configurations, Spawn is able to simulate either a single building or a collection of buildings linked by shared thermal, electrical, and control systems.

Spawn also fundamentally leverages the Modelica, a standard for equation-based modeling. The use of Modelica to model HVAC and control introduces capabilities that are not found in traditional energy simulation engines such as EnergyPlus. The most significant of these is the ability to simulate physically realistic control sequences using the same specification that is used in controller implementations. The ability to use a single control specification for both energy simulation and implementation aims to bridge these traditionally separate domains and promote the use of high-performance control sequences. Modelica also enables modeling of novel HVAC and district system components and configurations. Spawn HVAC and control models have been developed as part of a multi-year international effort led by IEA EBC Annex 60 and IBPSA-World Project 1 to develop Modelica models for building and community systems.

Spawn-of-EnergyPlus details HERE. (Source: US DOE, PR, 27 July, 2021) Contact: DOE, www.energy.gov/eere/buildings

More Low-Carbon Energy News US DOE EERE,  Building Energy Efficiency,  Energy Efficiency Software,  DOE Building Technologies ,  DOE EnergyPlus ,  

California Energy Commission
Date: 2021-07-09
In Sacramento, the California Energy Commission (CEC) reports its accredited rating providers, CalCERTS and CHEERS, were recently approved by RESNET as official HERSH2O providers -- paving the way for the launch of the water efficiency rating program in California.

Built off RESNET's nationally recognized Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index, which is the gold standard for rating the energy efficiency of a home, HERSH2O was developed as a system for rating whole-house water efficiency including both indoor and outdoor uses through a consensus development process with input from more than 75 organizations.

The approval of two of California's accredited rating providers comes as water resources are becoming increasingly strained in many parts of the country and the cost to upgrade aging water infrastructure is taking a toll. With water prices increasing faster than energy prices, there is the potential for water efficiency measures to impact cost savings throughout the US.

The International Code Council is the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions. Code Council codes, standards and solutions are used to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable communities and buildings worldwide.

The Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) is a not-for-profit, membership corporation recognized national standards-making body for building energy efficiency rating and certification systems in the United States . (Source: California Energy Commission, International Code Council, PR, July, 2021) Contact: International Code Council, Mark Johnson, Exec. VP, www.iccsafe.org; California Energy Commission, www.energy.ca.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  California Energy Commission,  

World Green Building Council
Date: 2021-06-28
A new report from the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) notes that work by Green Building Councils in Latin American countries have led to the introduction of four significant building energy efficiency policies and the development of 10 others across the region since 2019.

Four policies have been approved in Mexico and Colombia, while another 10 are in development in Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. These policies are boosting energy savings across the built environment while also introducing new systems for monitoring performance and accessing data. Given the size of the region -- a population of 624 million, more than 80 pct of whom live in cities -- introducing ambitious policies will be key in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, the WorldGBC said.

According to the report, "the building and construction sector has a significant importance in the sustainability agenda, but it has traditionally been fragmented, slowing the scaling of innovation, improvements in productivity and best practice from one project to another."

The WorldGBC Cities Climate Action Project was launched in 2019 with the aim of delivering projects and policies that promote resource efficiency in buildings.

The regulations in development in each country will give the private sector "the right set of signals to align their investments with the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.", according to the WorldGBC report.

Download the WorldGBC report HERE. (Source: WorldGBC, PR, June, 2021) Contact: WorldGBC, Cristina Gamboa, CEO, www.worldgbc.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News World Green Building Council ,  

White House
Date: 2021-05-24
In Washington, the Biden administration has announced new federal initiatives and investments in building energy efficiency and electrification in a move to achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and put the United States on an irreversible path to a net-zero economy by 2050. The White House initiative includes:

Launching the low-carbon buildings pilot -- Through the Department of Energy's (DOE) Better Buildings Initiative and in coordination with Housing and Urban Development, DOE is announcing the first 55 commercial, industrial, and multifamily organizations to participate in the Low-Carbon Buildings Pilot program, which will share lessons learned for real world pathways to low and no emission buildings.

In partnership with the Advanced Water Heating Initiative, DOE is launching a new initiative to increase market adoption of high-efficiency, grid-connected Heat Pump Water Heaters which are two to four times more efficient than conventional water heaters in residential and commercial buildings.

New and expanded EPA partnership programs -- EPA is launching new residential and commercial sector partnerships to accelerate efficiency and electrification retrofits with a focus on under served residential households through the ENERGY STAR Home Upgrade program, accelerate building electrification through an advanced ENERGY STAR certification for new residential buildings, and recognize commercial buildings through a new zero-carbon commercial building certification. It will also launch a new Greenhouse Gas tool linked to its Portfolio Manager tool.

New national research initiative focused on innovating clean and efficient building heating and cooling systems -- DOE will launch the Initiative for Better Energy, Emissions, and Equity (E3 Initiative), putting $10M toward accelerating the research and adoption of heat pump technologies. As part of the E3 Initiative, DOE will launch a Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge to accelerate the development of high performing cold climate heat pump technologies. Another important component will be new research efforts partnering National Laboratories and manufacturers to accelerate the development of lower to no global warming potential refrigerants that can be quickly commercialized.

National grid-interactive efficient buildings roadmap -- DOE is releasing the Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) Roadmap with 14 recommendations to better integrate buildings with solar and wind power through smart operation of electricity demand and storage. Smart buildings allow consumers to have more choice over building operations and provide the ability to manage energy loads and reduce energy bills. Over the next two decades, national adoption of GEBs would create savings of $100 -- $200 billion across the electric power system and could decrease emissions in the power sector by 6 pct per year.

New Federal Building Performance Standards -- Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is launching an inter-agency Federal sustainability effort with General Serivices Administration (GSA), DOE, and EPA to develop the first-ever building performance standards (BPS) for the federal government. The BPS will establish metrics, targets, and tracking methods to reach federal carbon emissions goals. The performance standards will identify progressive performance milestones as well as the resources that agencies need to meet them.

Blueprint to integrate GEB Technologies into Energy Savings Contracts -- GSA is releasing a blueprint to integrate grid-interactive technologies into federal building renovation and improvement projects, particularly using energy savings, and utility energy savings contracts. The blueprint puts practical guidance and tools into the hands of building operators to help them integrate GEB technologies into current and future performance contracts.

New ENERGY STAR standards to advance heat pump technology and fast chargers for electric vehicles -- If all heat pumps, central air conditioners, and electric water heaters sold in the U.S. met the new ENERGY STAR standards, the energy cost savings would grow to $11 billion a year, and 255 billion ppy of GHG emissions would be avoided. These new standards will increase American households' and businesses' access to affordable heating, cooling, water heating, and transportation options.

These actions -- involving the General Services Administration (GSA), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -- focus on key levers available within the administration's existing authority now, without waiting for the anticipated infrastructure package, the release notes. (Source: The White House, PR, 17 May, 2021)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  ENERGY STAR,  GSA,  DOE,  

City of Aspen
Date: 2021-05-19
In Colorado, the Aspen City Council reports it is adopting a new building code that focuses on increased energy efficiency, building energy efficiency minimum standards, net-zero waste in demolition of old buildings, reducing overall energy consumption, onsite renewable sources for new structures, and other measures aimed at reducing the community's carbon emissions by 80 pct by 2050 in line with the community's Climate Action Plan.

The city's electric utility grid is currently carbon-free and the other electric provider, Holy Cross, has committed to being carbon-free by 2030, according to city officials. (Source: City of Aspen, PR, 17 May, 2021) Contact: Aspen City Council, 970-920-5199 , www.cityofaspen.com/674/City-Counci

More Low-Carbon Energy News City of Aspen,  Energy Efficiency,  Building Code,  

European Investment Bank
Date: 2021-05-14
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has unveiled a new investment of €50 million ($60.675 million US) Portuguese homes. The move follows a partnership with the Union de Creditos Inmobiliarios, a joint venture between Banco Santander and the BNP Paribas Group.

The funding, which will support individual building energy efficiency upgrades, is expected to result in a total energy saving of 57.3GWh a year. Around 75 pct of buildings in Spain and Portugal currently have low energy efficiency and, more critically, almost 85-95 of them will still be in use by 2050, according to the EIB release. (Source:EIB, Website, PR, May, 2021) Contact: European Investment Bank, www.eib.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News European Investment Bank,  Energy Efficiency,  

West Virginia
Date: 2021-04-09
In Charleston, the West Virginia Senate Finance Committee reports it has advanced House Bill 2667 aimed at reduce energy usage in all state buildings to 25 pct below 2018 levels by 2030. The bill also requires annual reports on building energy performance compared to similar buildings in similar climates be submitted to the West Virginia Office of Energy.

If passed into law, the West Virginia Office of Energy would audit at least 20 pct of energy-metering devices at state buildings each year so all devices are audited by the end of 2026. The Energy Office would also establish a program for measuring and benchmarking the energy efficiency of all state buildings and submit energy usage data to a U.S. EPA operated benchmarking tool, to which the state is already registered. Sixty out of roughly 3.600 state owned buildings statewide are presently bench hmarked.

West Virginian spends an estimated $88 million to $100 million per year on utility costs. Benchmarking, utility auditing and other low-cost and no-cost measures are projected to cut those cost by 15 to 28 pct. (Source: West Virginia Office of Energy, Charleston Gazette-Mail, 7 Apr., 2021) Contact: West Virginia Office of Energy, Karen Lasure, Energy Efficiency Administrator, www.westvirginia.gov/divisions/office-of-energy

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  Energy Benchmarking,  Building Energy Efficiency,  

UK Dept. of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Date: 2021-03-26
In London, the UK Dept. of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is proposing to implement tighter minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for privately rented non-domestic buildings to reach a long-term target of having an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of B by 2030. The measures are in line with the government's aim of reducing building energy consumption by 20 pct by 2030 and attain net-zero carbon emissions in the UK by 2050.

Under current MEES regulations, landlords are, subject to certain exemptions, prohibited from granting new or renewed leases on non-domestic privately rented property with an EPC rating below E. From 1 April 2023, the ban will extend to prohibit the continuation of any existing lease of non-domestic premises with an EPC rating below E. There are stringent financial penalties for non-compliance

Under the proposals ,subject to some exceptions, landlords will need to present a valid EPC by 1 April 2025 and then will have until 1 April 2027 to improve the building to at least an EPC rating of C. Landlords will then need to repeat the process by providing a valid EPC by 1 April 2028 and subsequently ensure that by 1 April 2030 the building has improved to at least an EPC rating of B. (Source: Dept. of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Mar., 2021) Contact: BEIS, enquiries@beis.gov.uk, www.beis.gov.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News UK Dept. of Business news,  Energy and Industrial Strategy news,  BEIS news,  Building Energy Efficiency news,  

New Democratic Party
Date: 2021-03-08
In Toronto, the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) is touting its Ontario Climate. Jobs. Justice. A Green New Democratic Deal and its commitment to make Ontario net-zero by 2050 and creating as many as one million total jobs throughout the life of the deal. The NDP Plan calls for:

A mandate for all newly built public, residential and commercial buildings to be net-zero emissions by 2030, alongside a world-leading building energy efficiency retrofit program;

Ontario's first zero-emissions vehicle strategy, ramping up electric vehicle sales to hit a 100 pct target by 2035, requiring all new home construction to include electric vehicle charging capacity and giving $600 for installation of residential electric vehicle charging stations at existing homes;

Electrifying all municipal transit fleets and systems by 2040;

A new, more fair emissions cap-and-trade program;

Establishing Ontario's first Youth Climate Corps and planting one billion trees by 2030;

Restoring the powers of the provincial Environment Commissioner.

The NDP plan stands in stark contrast to Conservative Premier Doug Ford's "anti-environment crusade that has gutted conservation authorities, paid hundreds of millions of dollars to tear down wind farm projects and cancelled Ontario's cap-and-trade program." (Source: New Democratic Party, PR, Mar., 2021) Contact: New Democratic Party of Canada, www.ndp.ca

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  Ontario Climate Change,  

Columbia Basin Trust
Date: 2021-02-24
In British Columbia, the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre is receiving more than $90,000 in grant funding from the Columbia Basin Trust to support building energy efficiency upgrades. As one of 15 projects receiving a total of $634,000, from the trust's public building energy sustainability grant program, the upgrades will increase energy efficiency and reduce costs.

The Art Center will use the funding to replace low-efficiency propane boilers and a hot water tank, replace drafty windows with high-efficiency units and draft seal doors. (Source: Revelstoke Review, 23 Feb., 2021) Contact: Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre, www.revelstokeartgallery.ca; Columbia Basin Trust, www.outrust.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  

FOMO, SMart Cities
Date: 2021-02-24
Chicago-headquartered FOMO CORP. is reporting a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire the assets of the Energy Intelligence Center LLC (EIC), a U.S. solutions provider for energy efficient buildings. This LOI follows FOMO's 8-K filing on February 16, 2021, specifically relative to FOMO licensing the patent of Online Energy Manager, LLC (OEM) and FOMO's option to purchase OEM.

EIC and OEM are strategic partner companies, and these two recent developments set the stage to further position FOMO in 2021 as a clean energy technology company within the growing "Clean-Tech" and smart building marketplace.

FOMO's previous asset acquisition of Independence LED Lighting, LLC and Purge Virus, LLC serve as excellent complements to EIC for next generation clean air and energy efficient buildings.

According to the Smart Cities Challenge, the global market for energy efficiency is pegged at $360 billion/year. (Source: FOMO CORP., PR, 28 Feb., 2021) Contact: Energy Intelligence Center, www.energyintelligencecenter.com; FOMO, Vik Grover, CEO, Wayman Baker, EVP Corporate Dev., (630) 286-9560, IR@fomoworldwide.com, www.fomoworldwide.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Smart Cities,  Building Energy Efficiency,  Energy Management,  

Date: 2021-01-11
In London, UK Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled his 10-point plan for a "green"--low-carbon industrial revolution. The plan focus on the following industries and initiatives:

Offshore wind -- The government has already announced an ambition to have every home in the UK powered by offshore wind in an effort to cut the emissions from electricity.

Hydrogen -- The gov. plans to have 5GW -- sufficient power for roughly 1.5 million UK homes -- of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

Nuclear -- The plan calls for renewed support for small modular nuclear reactors that can be largely built in factories and other small applications.

Electric vehicles -- The plan calls for increased support for electric vehicles, recharging infrastructure and the previously announced ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

Public transport, cycling and walking -- Calls for increased clean public transport options including electric, alternative fuel and hydrogen powered buses as well as encourages cycling and walking.

Jet zero and greener fuel transportation -- Calls for zero-emission alternative fuel and electric power long-haul mass transportation including passenger rail, electric airplanes and maritime ferries.

Energy efficiency -- The plan calls for a major effort to increase residential and public building energy efficiency.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) -- Focuses on "clusters" where groups of power stations, factories or industrial plants could be linked to CCUS infrastructure for greater efficiency and cost savings.

Nature and the ecosystem -- Seeks to end the loss of wild life habitats, increase funding for tree planting, peatland restoration and other programs to store carbon, protect habitat and curb flooding.

10. Innovation and finance -- for the wholesale, economy-wide shift away from fossil fuels to a low-carbon energy clean future. (Source: Office of UK PM Boris Johnson, Jan., 2021) Contact:Office of UK PM Boris Johnson, www.email.number10.gov.uk

Energy Efficiency
Date: 2021-01-11
In London, UK Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled his 10-point plan for a "green"--low-carbon industrial revolution. The PM's plan calls for "a major effort to increase residential and public building energy efficiency".

The plan also calls for: a concerted development and deployment of: offshore wind; small-scale nuclear; electric vehicles and alternative fuels; increased use of public mass transit; hydrogen; carbon capture and storage (CCS) "clusters" where groups of power stations, factories or industrial plants could be linked to CCUS infrastructure for greater efficiency and cost savings; ecosystem funding for tree planting, peatland restoration and similar programs to store carbon; and a wholesale, economy-wide shift away from fossil fuels to a low-carbon energy clean future. (Source: Office of UK PM Boris Johnson, Jan., 2021) Contact:Office of UK PM Boris Johnson, www.email.number10.gov.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  

Building Engineering Services Association
Date: 2020-10-30
In the UK, the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and the Energy Services Technology Association (ESTA) are reporting the establishment of the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Group to promote awareness and the economic benefits of energy demand reduction, energy management and building energy efficiency to government, business organisations and relevant trade associations.

BESA and ESTA will retain their independence, but plans for the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Group include a combined newsletter and webinars to share information with a wider audience. The group will also enable the associations to work together on areas such as the Youth Stem Summit and Young People in Engineering, where energy management is a link. (Source: BESA, Cooling Post, 29 Oct., 2020) Contact: BESA, www.thebesa.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Buidling Energy Efficiency,  

Saffron Building Society
Date: 2020-09-04
In the UK, the Sussex-based Saffron Building Society reports the launch of a retro-fit mortgage which offers a reduced rate if the borrower improves their EPC -- building energy efficiency -- rating after six months.

The mortgage is aimed at people planning to move to an older or period property and need to remortgage or upgrade on their existing home. The "green"mortgage offers the borrower a rate relief for the remainder of the fixed rate period, when the works undertaken on the property produce a one-step rise in the EPC rating -- as long as this is above an E.

Saffron's retro-fit, energy efficiency mortgage comes in the month the government is launching its Green Homes Initiative which offers up to £5,000 for cavity wall insulation, window and door glazing, solar panel installations and other energy efficiency improvements and upgrades to existing buildings. (Source: Saffron Building Society, Mortgage Finance Gazette, 3 Sept., 2020) Contact: Saffron Building Society, Laura Bright, +44 0 1799 522211, www.saffronbs.co.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News Saffron Building Society,  Energy Efficiency,  Green Mortgage,  

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Date: 2020-07-31
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) reports it is extending a €8 million loan to help the city of Sarajevo (pop. 360,000) increase city building energy efficiency. The funding is in addition to a €2 million EU grant for the refurbishment of 40 school and health buildings in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The energy efficiency works are a priority project under the Green City Action Plan for the Sarajevo Canton. The expected energy savings are estimated to be around 13.7 GWh and would result in 4,774 tpy of CO2 savings. Energy efficiency measures will include the introduction of cleaner and more efficient heating, better insulation, better lighting and overall improvements.

The 43-member EBRD Green Cities initiative is designed to help cities articulate a sustainable development vision and their strategic objectives as well as define actions and investments necessary to address priority environmental issues. (Source: EBRD, New Europe, 30 July, 2020) Contact: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, www.ebrd.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,  EBRD,  Energy Efficiency ,  

Energy Efficiency,Task Force For Resilient Recovery
Date: 2020-07-24
An independent panel of experts making up the Canadian Task Force for a Resilient Recovery has released a preliminary report that includes "5 Bold Moves for a Resilient Recovery", the first of which is a proposed $27.3 billion federal investment in climate-resilient and energy-efficient buildings. The building retrofit package serves as the keystone of a proposed total $49.9 billion clean economic recovery package.

The task force recommends the following related to improving the efficiency of the country's building stock:

Expand public-private financing facilities for building retrofits using a $13 billion public investment to leverage $35 billion in private capital through de-risking and co-investment strategies.

Spend $10 billion on expanding existing provincial and municipal building retrofit programs.

Invest $1.25 billion in workforce development for energy efficiency and climate resiliency.

Use $2 billion to select diverse large-scale demonstration projects through a competitive process, and apply innovative techniques to significantly reduce the cost, time and customer disruption of deep energy retrofits.

Introduce new national model building code incorporating net-zero and resiliency measures in the next year, while also providing incentives for provincial uptake; and invest $2 million to integrate a "ResiliGuide" rating to measure the climate resilience of buildings.

Create an Indigenous Infrastructure Fund (a rotating $1 billion-per-year non-lapsing fund) to bolster investment in sustainable infrastructure in Indigenous communities across Canada. (Source: Task Force For Resilient Recovery, Gov. of Canada, HVAC Mag., 22 July, 2020) Contact: Task Force For Resilient Recovery, www.recoverytaskforce.ca

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Date: 2020-06-29
In London, the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is reporting almost £80 million in funding to support a range innovative projects aimed at upgrading building energy efficiency.

The new investment covers a wide range of programmes, with £30 million going towards the first phase of the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) aimed at energy intensive manufacturers such as car factories and steel plants; a further £25 million earmarked for heating networks and the remaining £24 million focused on new approaches for installing insulation for social housing at scale, rolling out heat pumps, and supporting the development of innovative green home finance products. The funding will enable various projects that use of modern smart technologies to cut energy consumption and energy costs across the UK. (Source: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, GreenBiz, 29 June, 2020) Contact: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Hon. Kwasi Kwarteng, Minister, www.gov.uk/government/people/kwasi-kwarteng

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  Insulation,  Green Energy,  

Emirates Green Building Council
Date: 2020-06-24
In Dubai, the Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, reports it will offer a virtual Building Retrofit Training Programme for the Middle East and North Africa region.

The programme, which is offered in partnership with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company MASDAR, aims to strengthen knowledge sharing among construction sector stakeholders on the fundamentals of building energy efficiency retrofiting. (Source: Emirate Green Building Council, PR Trade Arabia News, 24 June, 2020) Contact: Emirates GBC, +971 4 346 8244, www.emirategbc.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Emirates Green Building Council news,  Green Building news,  Energy Efficiency news,  MASDAR news,  

Delaware Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy
Date: 2020-06-22
In Dover, the Delaware Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy (DNREC) is reporting building code updates that include energy efficiency improvements, increased residential air sealing requirements, hot water pipe insulation, and energy efficient windows and lighting options, as well as more efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system operation resulting from these improvements.

Delaware first established a minimum statewide code for energy conservation in 1979. The code, which is based on standards set by the International Code Council (ICC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHREA) was last updated in 2009.

The update includes a six-month transition period, during which the Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy will provide targeted training and technical assistance to the construction industry and code enforcement officials. Topics covered by the training will include an overview of the changes, practical compliance strategies, particularly for the building envelope requirements in the new energy codes, construction and design strategies for air sealing smaller homes, and hot water pipe insulation and HVAC duct design. (Source: DNREC, Cape Gazette, June, 2020) Contact: DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy, www.dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/climate-coastal-energy

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  Building Energy,  Energy Consumption,  ASHRAE,  

Honeywell,SAP
Date: 2020-06-17
To help pass the benefits of Cloud Computing, AI and Automation to real estate customers in the US and Canada, global tech firms Honeywell and SAP have partnered together. Honeywell, the Fortune 100 tech Company, will use SAP’s Cloud for Real Estate solution to improve overall building performance and deliver operational intelligence.

The SAP-Honeywell Cloud-based automated real estate Business Intelligence tool, building owners can deliver on their promised KPIs, including building safety, zero/ low-carbon footprint and energy savings (HVAC efficiency). For example, AI-powered Honeywell Forge can save up to 25 pct of energy costs within the first year of deployment. (Source: AITHORITY Blog, Honeywell USA/ SAP, PR, June, 2020) Contact: SAP, Christian Klein, CEO , 800-872-1727, www.sap.com; Honeywell Fotge, (480) 353-3020, www.honeywell.com/en-us/honeywell-forge/buildings

More Low-Carbon Energy News SAP,  Honeywell,  Building Energy Efficiency,  Artifical Intelligence,  

DOE Better Buildings Initiative
Date: 2020-06-12
In Washington, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Better Buildings Initiative 2020 Progress Report, the program has saved participants nearly $11 billion, avoid 105 million tons of CO2 emissions and cut water use by 8.5 billion gallons over the last decade.

The program includes 32 Fortune 100 companies, 12 pct of the U.S. manufacturing energy footprint and 13 pct of the nation's commercial building space. The program challenges businesses, manufacturers, cities, states, universities and school districts to improve building energy efficiency by at least 20 pct over a decade.

Download the full report HERE. (Source: US DOE, June, 2020) Contact: US DOE, Better Buildings Initiative, www.betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News DOE Better Buildings Initiative,  Energy Efficiency,  

EPFL Fribourg
Date: 2020-06-10
Vizcab, a spin-out company of Swiss technical university EPFL Fribourg, is touting its recently developed life cycle assessment (LCA) method for engineers to assess a building's energy efficiency right from the design stage.

The technology runs thousands of simulations based on different design parameters such as heating, glazing and insulation and different construction assumptions into a web app that enables architects and engineers to integrate energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission targets into the early stages of the design process.

The method, which was developed by Building2050, a team based at EPFL's Smart Living Lab in Fribourg, draws on the latest advances in building physics, environmental science, mechanical engineering, data science, statistics and data visualization.

The company recently completed a funding round that €1.6 million for marketing in France and is planning a series B funding round in 18-24 months for a wider European marketing campaign. (Source: EPFL, Mirage, June, 2020) Contact: EPFN, +41 21 693 11 11, www.actu.epfl.ch

More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency,  

UK Clean Growth Fund
Date: 2020-05-22
In London, the UK government is reporting the launch of a £40 million venture capital fund for green energy, low-carbon technologies across the power, transport, waste, and building energy efficiency sectors.

The fund seeks investments in early stage, seed or Series A rounds in 'exciting, innovative clean growth start-ups". Qualifying projects could include: energy storage and smart grid systems to bolster resilience in the power system; renewable heating and ventilation technologies across homes and commercial buildings; and bio-fuels and bio-energy systems.

Investment parameters for the fund focus on clean growth technologies, hardware, products and services in sectors including power generation, waste, energy networks, buildings management, industries, bioenergy and alternative fuels. The fund will be managed by Clean Growth Investment Management (CGIM). (Source: UK Clean Growth Fund, 21 May, 2020) Contact: UK Clean Growth Fund, www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-growth-equity-fund

More Low-Carbon Energy News UK Clean Growth Fund,  Low Carbon Energy,  

Korea
Date: 2020-05-15
In Seoul, the government of South Korea is reporting planned mandatory energy efficiency-energy performance "Green Remodeling" standards for of public buildings to meet greenhouse gas emission standards and to save energy.

To that end, the government will establish a green remodeling road map that includes mandatory standards, step-by-step measures, and methods to upgrade building energy efficiency and performance. The government is also considering expanding interest support on the cost of private buildings, single-family homes and small-scale building upgrade projects.

The Korea Land and Housing Corp. has been designated as a "green remodeling center" to offer support and consultation on the program. (Source: Gov. of South Korea, Korea Land and Housing Corp., May, 2020) Contact: Korea Land and Housing Corp, www.lh.or.kr/eng/index.do

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  Building Energy Performance,  

St. Louis
Date: 2020-05-08
In the Show Me State, the city of St. Louise reports passage of Building Energy Performance Standard (BPS) legislation requiring buildings in the city to meet a minimum level of energy efficiency-performance standard. The legislation also establishes resources to help building owners achieve the savings that come with decreased energy usage. The City is the first jurisdiction in the Midwest and the fourth in the country to pass a BPS. The policy will use Site Energy Use Intensity (EUI) as its chief performance metric.

The St. Louis BPS covers buildings 50,000 square feet or larger, which have been required to report the energy and water use of their properties since 2017 under the city's Building Energy Awareness Ordinance.

Compared to other energy-saving building policies, a BPS requires greater changes, but allows building owners broad flexibility to make improvements. By setting long-term targets, a BPS provides the commercial real estate market with the certainty it needs to make confident investments in properties over time. It can also enable cities to achieve multiple city priorities at once, including carbon reductions, building electrification, energy efficiency, peak demand reductions, and more. (Source: City of St. Louis, NRDC Blog, May, 2020)

More Low-Carbon Energy News St. Louis,  Building Energy Efficiency,  Energy Performance,  

New Climate Institute
Date: 2020-05-06
The Berlin-based New Climate Institute (ICAT) Buildings Efficiency Guidance provides guidance for assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of buildings sector energy efficiency policies. The guidance provides a stepwise approach for estimating the effects of policy design characteristics and barriers associated with regulatory and financial support policies on GHG impacts.

This guidance specifically covers regulatory and financial support policies that address both new building stock and existing building stock with retrofit. Users are guided on how to estimate the impacts of these policies for the residential sector, although this guidance may also be used for the commercial and public sectors. The guidance focuses on the assessment of impacts from built-in energy loads, including space heating, cooling, lighting and hot water. The guidance does not assess the impacts of appliances that are unrelated to heating, cooling and hot water.

ICAT assessment guides help policymakers and other users assess the impacts of countries' climate policies and actions. They can play a critical role in providing the information needed for effective policymaking, for implementing the Nationally Determined Contributions and for preparing reports under the enhanced transparency framework of the Paris Agreement and on progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. (Source: ICAT, May, 2020) Contact: New Climate Institute, Carsten Warneke, +49 221 999 83 302 c.warnecke@newclimate.org , www. climateactiontransparency.org/icat-toolbox, www.newclimate.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News New Climate Institute ,  ICAT,  Paris Climate Accord,  Building Energy Efficiency,  

Pennsylvania College of Technology
Date: 2020-04-27
In Williamsport, the Pennsylvania College of Technology (PET) reports it will establish a National Sustainable Structures Center (weatherization) training site at Latrobe. The Center will be used to enhance delivery of building science and energy efficiency training for the department of DOE weatherization assistance program.

Some of the programs to be offered at the site include the Interstate Renewable Energy Council training and home energy training programs for retrofitting homes and facilities to make sure that they are more energy efficient. (Source: Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport Sun-Gazette, 27 April, 2020) Contact: Pennsylvania College of Technology, 570-326-3761, www.pct.edu; National Sustainable Structures Center, (202) 370-3657www.nascsp.org/training/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-national-sustainable-structures-center-pa

More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency,  

St. Louis
Date: 2020-04-24
In the Show Me State, the city of St. Louis is reporting passage of a Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) -- building energy efficiency -- ordinance requiring building owners to measure and report their energy use.

BEPS is similar to the city's Building Energy Awareness bench-marking ordinance but would only be required for buildings over 50,000 square feet. The BEPS ordinance will also establish 15-year-compliance pathway for buildings that stand to benefit from deep energy improvements and can achieve energy performance well beyond the required performance standard.

The BEPS policy benefits include:

Cost Savings -- While an initial investment may be required, energy efficiency improvements pay back quickly and result in significant operational cost savings over time. The savings incurred from the BEPS ordinance will go directly to St. Louis residents and businesses and will also help preserve the city's existing building stock.

Smarter Buildings -- Improving building performance enables building owners to capitalize on new technologies and operational practices that allow their buildings to be more responsive to daily demands and conditions, thus becoming more productive and affordable.

A Stronger Local Economy -- The BEPS ordinance will help add to the estimated 42,000 jobs in Missouri's energy efficiency industry by creating new jobs for local energy auditors, architects, engineers, electricians, plumbers, roofers, technicians and other contractors who sell energy-efficient services, products, and technologies.

A More Resilient St. Louis -- Investing in building energy improvements enables buildings to operate better, be more durable, and better withstand the more frequent extreme weather events associated with climate change.

A Cleaner, More Productive Energy Supply -- A carefully set standard will improve energy use across all buildings to better enable and support local utilities' transition to a low- and no-carbon renewable energy supply.

Increased Capacity for Electricity -- As the city transitions to greener energy, it is still dependent on an electric grid that can be overwhelmed due to overuse. Energy efficiency updates relieve grid capacity, increasing grid stability for providing electricity to all St. Louis residents.

St. Louis will be the first in the Midwest and fourth in the nation -- after New York City, Washington, D.C., and Washington State -- to adopt a Building Energy Performance Standard policy.(Source: St; Louis Post Dispatch, ERDC Blog, Stefan Schaffer , Maria Stamas, April, 2020)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Performance,  Energy Efficiency,  

St. Louis
Date: 2020-04-22
In the Show Me Sate, the city of St. Louis (pop. 300,000) has passed its highly ambitious Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) – building energy efficiency -- ordinance requiring building owners to measure and report their energy use.. Similar to the city’s Building Energy Awareness benchmarking ordinance, the energy-saving changes called for by BEPS would only be required for buildings over 50,000 square feet.

Additionally, the board will create a more ambitious 15-year-compliance pathway for buildings that stand to benefit from deep energy improvements and can achieve energy performance well beyond the required performance standard. Other benefits for St. Louis residents from the adoption of the BEPS policy include: • Cost Savings: While an initial investment may be required, energy efficiency improvements pay back quickly and result in significant operational cost savings over time. The savings incurred from the BEPS ordinance will go directly to St. Louis residents and businesses and will also help preserve the city’s existing building stock. • Smarter Buildings: Improving building performance enables building owners an opportunity to capitalize on new technologies and operational practices that allow their buildings to be more responsive to daily demands and conditions, thus becoming more productive and affordable. • A Stronger Local Economy: The BEPS ordinance will help add to the estimated 42,000 jobs in Missouri’s energy efficiency industry by creating new jobs for local energy auditors, architects, engineers, electricians, plumbers, roofers, technicians and other contractors who sell energy-efficient services, products, and technologies. • A More Resilient St. Louis: Investing in building energy improvements enables them to operate better, be more durable, and better withstand the more frequent extreme weather events associated with climate change. • A Cleaner, More Productive Energy Supply: A thoughtfully set standard will improve energy use across all buildings to better enable and support our local utilities’ transition to a low- and no-carbon renewable energy supply. • Increased Capacity for Electricity: As the city transitions to greener energy, it is still dependent on an electric grid that can be overwhelmed due to overuse. Energy efficiency updates relieve grid capacity, increasing grid stability for providing electricity to all St. Louis residents. St. Louis will be the first in the Midwest and fourth in the nation -- following in the footsteps of New York City, Washington, D.C., and Washington State -- to adopt a Building Energy Performance Standard policy.(Source: St; Louis Post Dispatch, ERDC Blog, Stefan Schaffer , Maria Stamas, 20 April, 2020)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Building Energy Efficiency news,  Energy Efficiency news,  Energy Conservation news,  

Ohio State University
Date: 2020-04-17
In Columbus, The Ohio State University (OSU) has released a plan to slash its carbon emissions in half within this decade, accelerating the university's ability to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2050.

In 2008, Ohio State established the goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitment. The university released its first Climate Action Plan in 2011 outlining actions the university could take to advance the carbon neutrality goal. As a result of those and other actions, through the 2019 fiscal year, the university decreased its carbon emissions by over 15 pct while still increasing the amount of built space by nearly 11 pct. The new Action Plan calls for:

Improving building energy efficiency;

Revising the university's Green Build and Energy Policy to more effectively control energy use as the university continues to grow and update its building spaces;

Extend on-campus solar PV and any future feasible technology for increased renewable power generation capacity;

Completing the existing university Green Fleet Action Plan and consider a future fuel switch from compressed natural gas to green hydrogen or renewable natural gas.

Create new incentives to reduce the impact of driving to and from campus, including expanding campus user access to electric vehicle fueling stations.

This pace of activity is more aggressive than the International Panel on Climate Change's recommended carbon emission reductions necessary to avoid the most acute human impacts of climate change.

Download the Path to Carbon Neutrality: Ohio State Climate Action Plan HERE (Source: Ohio State Univ., PR, 15 April, 2020)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Ohio State University,  Carbon Emissions,  Climate Change,  

Energy Efficiency
Date: 2020-03-30
In the UK, the Lord Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is reporting the launch of his Retrofit Accelerator for Homes Program, a £3.6 million energy efficiency upgrade program aimed at social housing across London.

The program is intended to improve building heating systems, speed up the adoption of heat pumps and solar energy installations, and generally improve building energy efficiency as well as advise and guide local authorities and organizations on large-scale energy efficiency projects.

The annual cost of residential energy in London is estimated at £3.5 billion per annum. (Source: City of London, Modern Building Services, 30 Mar., 2020)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  

Oregon
Date: 2020-03-11
In Salem, Oregon Governor Kate Brown (Dem) has issued a 14-page executive order aimed at sharply curbing greenhouse gas emissions with a full-court press by government agencies. The executive order comes less than a week after a Republican walkout killed Oregon Senate Bill 1530,

Under the order, the Department of Consumer and Business Services will set new building energy efficiency goals aimed at a 60 pct reduction in annual energy consumption, compared to 2006 building codes. Additionally, the Department of Energy will update home appliance energy efficiency standards "at least to levels equivalent to the most stringent standards among West Coast jurisdictions." In total, 18 state agencies and commissions directing a large portion of the state's bureaucracy are tasked under the order aimed reducing emissions and addressing climate change. (Source: Office of Gov. Kate Brown, OPB, 10 Mar., 2020) Contact: Office of Gov. Kate Brown, (503) 378-4582, www.oregon.gov/gov/pages/contact.aspx

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  

Oregon Climate Change
Date: 2020-03-11
In Salem, Oregon Governor Kate Brown (Dem) has issued a 14-page issued an executive order aimed at to sharply curbing greenhouse gas emissions with a full-court press by government agencies. The order comes less than a week after a Republican walkout killed Oregon Senate Bill 1530, the Democrats' proposal for a cap-and-trade system in Oregon.

The Governor's Executive Order updates the state's carbon reduction goals, setting targets of a 45 pct reduction below 1990 levels by 2035, and an 80 pct reduction by 2050

Under the order, carbon polluters in the industrial, transportation and natural gas sectors would have their emissions capped by the state's Environmental Quality Commission and Department of Environmental Quality, with allowable emissions reduced over time.

The Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Quality Commission are directed to ratchet up restrictions for how emissions intensive fuel can be. The order set a go pct below 2015 levels by 2030, and 25 pct by 2035;

The Oregon PUC will place emphasis on greenhouse gas emissions and wildfire risk when regulating Oregon power companies

The Department of Consumer and Business Services will set new building energy efficiency goals aimed at a 60 pct reduction in annual energy consumption, compared to 2006 building codes

The Department of Energy will update home appliance energy efficiency standards "at least to levels equivalent to the most stringent standards among West Coast jurisdictions."

The Department of Admin. Services will develop a plan to transition the state's automobile fleet to zero-emissions vehicles and add charging stations at public buildings.

In total, 18 state agencies and commissions directing a large portion of the state's bureaucracy are tasked under the order aimed reducing emissions and addressing climate change. (Source: Office of Gov. Kate Brown, OPB, 10 Mar., 2020) Office of Gov. Kate Brown, (503) 378-4582, www.oregon.gov/gov/pages/contact.aspx

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emission,  Oregon Climate Change,  Carbon Emissions,  Energy Efficiency,  Cap-and-Tarde,  

Montana Climate Change
Date: 2020-02-14
The Montana Climate Solutions Council has published draft recommendations on how the Cowboy State should tackle climate change.

The Montana Climate Solutions Plan outlines dozens of possible initiatives that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the state adapt to the changing climate, develop new technologies and transition to a low-carbon, greener economy. The plan also recommends expanding the state's research and monitoring of climate change, incorporating climate change into government planning efforts, investing in energy storage, supporting community-based renewable energy projects, creating tax breaks for low- and zero-emission vehicles and offering building energy efficiency incentives.

Download the Montana Climate Solutions Plan HERE. (Source: Montana Climate Solutions Council, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 12 Feb., 2020) Contact: Montana Climate Solutions Council, (406) 444-2544, deq.mt.gov › DEQAdmin › dir › Climate

More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change,