Heat pumps are revolutionizing home water heating. Now there’s a product that reaches new heights of efficiency and carbon neutrality and can be used in a variety of applications. It’s a split-system CO₂-based heat pump water heater that works even in very cold climates.

Electricity powers virtually all zero energy homes, while most conventionally-built homes use natural gas for space and water heating. Why is that? In a nutshell it has to do with cost, efficiency, and climate change.

Proposed budget cuts to energy-efficiency programs could exact a hefty price on businesses, workers, rural residents, and low-income families. It’s time to speak up.

Making buildings better has been their aim for more than a decade. Now Earth Advantage has set its sights on making zero energy buildings a reality in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Real estate professionals should enhance their home energy performance capabilities in today’s evolving residential market, or risk falling behind those who do.

If you wanted to be called a business genius, you would look to future for the “next big thing,” right? Here’s a hot tip: renewable energy and energy efficiency are the job creators of the future.

Cities, large and small, are taking the lead in reducing carbon emissions and moving rapidly to adopt zero energy policies. 2030 is the target year for many of these urban zero energy initiatives. Now is the time for building professionals to develop the skills they will need to take advantage of this growing trend.

Remember the days of the trusty solar thermal water heater? For single-family homes, there is a newer and cheaper technology - one that even a solar purist can embrace.

Low-carbon fuels will drive the global economy no matter what happens with Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Renewable energy has become cheaper than fossil fuels in many circumstances, even without accounting for climate change and other externalities. And more states are buying in as a result.

Local governments must now take the lead to move ahead on energy efficiency. One city that shows how it’s done is Menlo Park, California. A nonprofit community organization called Menlo Spark paves the way to better buildings and transportation and resiliency in the face of an uncertain climate future.

Whole neighborhoods of zero energy homes are springing up around the country as consumers embrace the trend. Several national homebuilders have joined a growing number of smaller production builders to make zero energy homes the norm.

There’s a misconception that saving energy is bad for business. To the contrary, there is a strong business case for high-performance buildings, as illustrated by this small sample of recently completed zero energy buildings.