Energy + Environment

Working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Brattle Group has developed A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings. The Roadmap outlines DOE’s national goal to triple the energy efficiency and demand flexibility of the buildings sector by 2030, relative to 2020 levels.

Construction officials outlined a series of steps public officials and the construction industry should take to address the impacts of the built environment on climate change. The new initiative from the Associated General Contractors of America is designed to lessen the carbon footprint of the built environment while also making the process of building projects even more efficient.

This article by Laura Paddison, published on the BBC’s website, lays out a case for comprehensively tackling light pollution. It’s not just about protecting views of the night sky but also the environment.

Offered by many utilities and energy efficiency organizations, commercial lighting rebates are a longstanding driver in demand for energy-efficient lighting and controls in existing buildings. The rebate outlook for 2021 looks very positive for distributors who rely on them to sweeten upgrade proposals.

Over the past couple of years, LED manufacturers have introduced field-adjustable LED fixtures into the market. They are different from the traditional controllable/dimmable fixtures most people are familiar with; rather than the user dynamically adjusting the light level or color temperature, these field-adjustable fixtures are typically set once during installation and left that way. With the rapid growth of this category of LED products, utility rebate fulfillment provider BriteSwitch looked into how rebate programs treat them.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently announced the launch of the new Rensselaer Institute for Energy, the Built Environment, and Smart Systems (EBESS).

David Morris was on the Cornish coast when he saw an astonishing sight: a ship seemingly floating in the air above the water.

In this post at Signify’s blog, CEO Eric Rondolat describes major lessons learned by Signify in its efforts to become a carbon-neutral company.

More U.S. states have adopted or advanced new energy-saving targets and vehicle and appliance rules, but COVID-19 slowed other efficiency efforts, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) 2020 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. For the first time in four years, California took first place nationwide, edging out Massachusetts, the leader in the Northeast. Rounding out this year’s top 10 are Massachusetts (#2), Vermont (#3), Rhode Island (#4), New York (#5), Maryland (#6), Connecticut (#7), Washington, DC (#8), and Minnesota and Oregon (tied for #9).