Utilities: Page 15

  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Tax credit incentives for local governments could ‘turbo charge the clean energy economy,’ but need clarification

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Over the l...

    By Andy Castillo • Aug. 29, 2023
  • Two people install rooftop solar on a building. One person is holding the panel and the other person is holding a drill.
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    On clean energy tax credits, mayors want clearer federal guidance

    New incentives could turbocharge local climate action, but resource-limited cities need clarity on how to use them, over 50 mayors said in a letter to the Treasury Department.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 28, 2023
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Technology can help cities and counties reduce food waste and safeguard the environment

    Technology can help cities and counties reduce food waste and safeguard the environment

    By Michael Keating • Aug. 23, 2023
  • The Colorado flag waves in the breeze in front of an American flag.
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    Colorado mandates new building energy performance standards despite criticism

    The ruling unfairly burdens existing buildings, operators and owners say. The state Air Quality Commission touts the rules’ flexibility.

    By Joe Burns • Aug. 22, 2023
  • A gray four-door crossover vehicle parked in an electric vehicle charging stall with a woman holding a charging cable to the car.
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    Courtesy of EVgo Services LLC. Used with permission.
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    Public EV charger customer satisfaction drops: J.D. Power

    "The results of this year's study should be very concerning to all those involved in the transition from gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles," one expert said.

    By Michael Brady • Aug. 18, 2023
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    Boston grants aim to lower carbon footprint of affordable housing

    Building owners can get up to $10,000 each for comprehensive energy assessments.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 16, 2023
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    Courtesy of General Motors
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    More GM electric vehicles will be able to charge homes in coming years

    The bidirectional charging technology uses a GM vehicle’s battery as a backup power source in the event of a power outage.

    By Eric Walz • Aug. 10, 2023
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Boston bans fossil fuels in all new, renovated municipally owned buildings

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.In a move ...

    By Andy Castillo • Aug. 8, 2023
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    Washington building codes lawsuit dropped by gas, building groups

    The litigation was an “aftershock” of a federal appeals court decision to overturn Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas in new buildings, an Earthjustice senior attorney said. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 8, 2023
  • The Executive Order harnesses new capital investments to drive decarbonization by retrofitting or constructing fossil-fuel-free buildings.
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    Boston mayor bans fossil fuels in new city-owned buildings

    The executive order, which also prohibits fossil fuel use in renovations of existing city-owned structures, is part of a larger push for carbon neutrality by 2050.

    By Nish Amarnath • Aug. 8, 2023
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    Q&A

    How to safely store e-bikes, e-scooters in apartments

    The uptick in micromobility battery fires shows electrification is "moving faster than we’re able to necessarily adapt to," a fire protection expert at an engineering consulting firm said.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 3, 2023
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    Report: Cities and counties must prioritize workforce development to meet clean energy infrastructure goals

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.The Biden ...

    By Andy Castillo • Aug. 2, 2023
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    Energy-efficient buildings save lives during extreme weather events: Department of Energy

    Meeting or exceeding current codes can improve habitability by up to 140% during extreme heat events, a report found.

    By Joe Burns • July 28, 2023
  • A Chevy Bolt EV plugged in at a charging station.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    7 automakers form massive EV charging network joint venture

    The collaboration will create one of North America's largest public EV charging networks and include 30,000 high-powered chargers.

    By Eric Walz • July 27, 2023
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Back to School Readiness: A Comprehensive Guide to Preparing Your Facilities

    Back to School Readiness: A Comprehensive Guide to Preparing Your Facilities

    July 27, 2023
  • New building codes targeting net-zero and climate goals are placing substantial strain on facilities managers whose roles have traditionally focused on keeping buildings safe and secure.
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    Building code, energy code updates face pushback due to cost concerns

    Codes that seek to curb emissions and fossil fuel consumption will save money in the long run, supporters say, but builders and facility managers wonder if “the juice is worth the squeeze.”

    By Nish Amarnath • July 26, 2023
  • Rear view of engineers walking along the rows of photovoltaic panels on a rooftop of a solar plant.
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    Low-income, disadvantaged communities urged to apply for $7B federal solar grants

    The EPA Solar For All competition offers up to 60 grants for solar programs that provide financing and technical assistance like workforce development.

    By Diana DiGangi • July 25, 2023
  • Aerial shot of electric buses parked near chargers
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    Cities can afford more climate projects with new tax incentives: report

    Tax credits made available to cities through the Inflation Reduction Act are so significant “that they may warrant a re-evaluation of some previously assessed investment opportunities,” the Alliance for a Sustainable Future report says.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • July 25, 2023
  • Electric vehicles charge under a solar panel.
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    Colorado releases new statewide building energy codes

    The standards, set to take effect July 1, will require local municipalities to meet minimum requirements, including electric vehicle and solar panel compatibility.

    By Joe Burns • Updated July 25, 2023
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    Vermont delays residential building energy code implementation to July 2024

    A legislative committee wants more time to create a state entity to improve international energy conservation code compliance.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 24, 2023
  • Sustainable glass office building with trees for reducing carbon dioxide.
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    Northampton mulls adoption of energy efficient opt-in stretch code

    The Massachusetts city is weighing the pros and cons of embracing a specialized stretch energy code to dissuade fossil fuel use in new building construction.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 24, 2023
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Department of Energy awards 27 organizations, states, local and Tribal governments $90 million to update energy codes

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.The U.S. Depar...

    By Andy Castillo • July 19, 2023
  • A view of the Comcast offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Comcast Center is one of the tallest LEED-certified buildings in the U.S.
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    $90M for greener building energy codes awarded by DOE

    “Modernizing energy codes is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve energy efficiency in homes and businesses and make communities more resilient to extreme weather events,” the Energy Department said.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • July 14, 2023
  • A mid-rise apartment building on a street corner.
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    Christian Columbres

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    Oregon plans to install 500,000 new heat pumps by 2030. Who’s going to do the work?

    The state plans to train and provide provide technical assistance on installing energy-efficient appliances to developers, builders, contractors, technicians and others. 

    By Kavya Balaraman • July 13, 2023
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    Solar-powered ‘microgrids’ coming to San Diego public buildings as first of 8 projects breaks ground

    The microgrids will save the city $6 million over 25 years and boost community resiliency by providing energy during blackouts, the city says.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • July 11, 2023