net zero energy communities
February 5, 2021
Want an Eco Home? Here’s What You Need To Know about Real Estate To Actually Get One
Home buyers can have a daunting task when looking for a home that is green, healthy and energy efficient. Much of the available real estate sales information ignores vital metrics in these areas. But if you’re looking to buy or sell a home with exceptional environmental and energy efficient features, here is an online tool that will help.
Read ArticleJanuary 11, 2021
Community Solar: My Experience
Rooftop solar may be ideal for some, but it can be out of reach for others. If you want to live on locally-generated, clean renewable energy, consider a community solar program. Here’s how one family jumped on board and saved money, too.
Read ArticleMay 19, 2020
Electric Transit is Clean, Healthy, and Efficient
Buses are going electric around the US and all over the world. Transit fleets and school districts are seeing the benefits of cleaner air and lower operating cost. And we all benefit from lower carbon emissions.
Read ArticleMarch 18, 2020
Production Builders, It’s Time to Sell Zero Energy Homes
Zero energy homes are poised to go mainstream. Large builders have the scale necessary to launch the market into this new territory. Homebuyers save and builders profit.
Read ArticleJanuary 18, 2020
Electric Vehicles, Positive Energy Buildings, and Alternative Transportation
The rapid adoption of electric vehicles is an essential step in the transition to a post-carbon society. There will be challenges to making this transition to an all electric transportation system based on renewable energy. Luckily, positive energy buildings combined with modern transportation innovations may well be up to the task.
Read ArticleSeptember 9, 2019
LEED v4.1 Goes Zero
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced an update to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the most widely used green building program in the world. What’s new with LEED version 4.1? Net zero certifications for carbon, energy, water and waste. With these certifications and and its upgraded recertification program, LEED is truly a leader in encouraging climate-friendly green buildings.
Read ArticleSeptember 6, 2019
Making the Connection: Green Buildings and Transportation
For decades, buildings have been influenced by transportation trends. But the reverse is also true: transportation can be influenced through building location and design. It’s time for green building professionals to make both buildings and their associated transportation carbon-neutral.
Read ArticleJune 18, 2019
Getting to Zero: Buildings, Transportation and Agriculture
Energizing the Green New Deal Part Three is the final installment of our three-part series on realistic, primarily market-based methods for creating a zero carbon economy. Buildings are responsible for about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions and transportation for another 29%, so there is a lot of work to do there. Agriculture and forestry are two more fields that must be addressed.
Read ArticleJune 18, 2019
Getting to Zero: Utilities and Industry
The future is electric and the power will come mostly, if not entirely, from renewable sources. In Part Two of Energizing the Green New Deal, we get specific about strategies that utilities and heavy industry can utiliz e to address climate change and make a profit at the same time. Utilities will play a central role in guiding development of renewable resources and efficient ways to deploy them. Industry may present the greatest challenges, but there are existing technologies to smooth the transition, plus smart incentives and new technologies in the pipeline.
Read ArticleJanuary 17, 2019
How Important is HERS to Appraised Value?
Every buyer wants an energy-efficient home, but there are so many factors to consider that many buyers become overwhelmed. Did you know that the energy performance of any home can be expressed in one simple-to-understand number? Here it is.
Read ArticleJanuary 16, 2019
Mandalay Homes: Zero Energy Grid-Integrated Neighborhoods that Solve the “Duck Curve”
To stay competitive, a production builder must find a good balance between cost, price, and profit. Here’s the story of one builder who has successfully added high-performance, clean energy features to their standard offering. More importantly this builder has developed an elegant solution to the challenge of solar-powered homes producing energy when it is not needed by the grid.
Read ArticleNovember 14, 2018
Energy Efficiency Employs 2.25 Million Americans
A state-by-state report of clean energy jobs by E4TheFuture makes a powerful statement about the economic importance of the energy efficiency industry. Twenty-seven states each have more than 50,000 energy efficiency workers. Twenty-five states have more than 30,000. The number of energy efficiency jobs grew 3% in 2017 and the good news doesn’t stop there...
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