Utilities: Page 5
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AI could halt energy use growth in US buildings: LBNL study
Combined with policy measures and low-carbon generation, building carbon emissions can decline over 90% by 2050 compared with business-as-usual scenarios, according to national lab researchers.
By Joe Burns • Aug. 6, 2024 -
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Electric company would pay $2B in pending Maui wildfire settlement
Hawaiian Electric Industries and its utilities were named in about 400 lawsuits related to the wildfires, with plaintiffs arguing utility power lines started the deadly blazes.
By Ethan Howland • Aug. 5, 2024 -
Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
$36M for low-income housing energy efficiency available from US DOE grants
Local governments and other entities can get up to $2 million each for weatherization and workforce training efforts.
By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 1, 2024 -
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Clean energy tax credits are tough. This new tool could help.
The free online navigator from Lawyers for Good Government can help cities determine if a project qualifies for Inflation Reduction Act direct-pay incentives.
By Ysabelle Kempe • July 31, 2024 -
Elijah-Lovkoff via Getty Images
US cities sharpen focus on building performance standards to meet net-zero goals
U.S. cities are turning to performance-based standards to meet climate goals after traditional energy-efficiency mandates fell short, a JLL report says.
By Nish Amarnath • July 29, 2024 -
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Building performance standards are likely not preempted by federal law, attorney says
Such policies are likely safe even after a federal appeals court struck down Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation gas ban in new construction, said Daniel Carpenter-Gold, staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center.
By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated July 24, 2024 -
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600+ NYC facilities pledge to cut energy use as part of expanded demand response program
The city also plans to install over 1,150 real-time meters in municipal buildings to help manage electricity use, according to its Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
By Nish Amarnath • July 23, 2024 -
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How cities are using Biden’s $4.3B climate pollution reduction grants
The grants “put local governments in the driver’s seat to develop climate solutions,” a federal official said. Cities and counties plan to use the money for electrification, bike-sharing, solar power and more.
By Ysabelle Kempe • July 23, 2024 -
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New York wants tall commercial, multifamily buildings to test low-carbon heating retrofits
Seven finalists in a $10 million competition will develop heating and distribution systems that can be installed without displacing occupants, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week.
By Nish Amarnath • July 22, 2024 -
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The movement to get neighborhoods off natural gas gains momentum
For years, cities have pursued ways to get buildings off fossil fuels, one structure at a time. Now, some leaders and advocates are eyeing a newer approach: neighborhood-scale decarbonization.
By Ysabelle Kempe • July 10, 2024 -
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US electricity prices rise again as AI, onshoring may mean decades of power demand growth: BofA
The year-over-year inflation rate for electricity prices reached 5.9% in May, up from 3.8% in January, according to Bank of America Institute.
By Robert Walton • July 8, 2024 -
Courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
Lack of affordable electric vehicles will limit widespread US adoption until at least 2028: BofA
Analysts at Bank of America and Bloomberg say U.S. EV penetration rates are slowing and are unlikely to reach 30% by 2030.
By Robert Walton • June 27, 2024 -
Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
What US mayors want from the next president, Congress
The creation of a first-ever city mental health block grant, affordable housing investments and gun safety legislation are among the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ requests.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 27, 2024 -
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Electrifying neighborhoods could save California billions on gas line replacements
Utilities could save around $20 billion in gas pipeline replacement costs by 2045 while only affecting about 3% of current gas customers, says a new analysis prepared for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 20, 2024 -
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Local opposition to renewable energy projects ‘widespread and growing’: Columbia University report
The report tracks 395 local restrictions on renewable energy development, with 55 of those emerging in the last year.
By Diana DiGangi • June 14, 2024 -
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Tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California
A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 10, 2024 -
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5 states, DC get $45M to finance energy efficiency retrofits
The revolving loan funds established with the federal awards can unlock millions in private capital for energy efficiency improvements, says the U.S. Department of Energy.
By Nish Amarnath • June 10, 2024 -
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
DOE releases zero-emissions building definition, part 1
The definition will bring clarity to the public and private sectors, supporting their efforts to decarbonize buildings and ramp up clean energy, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.
By Nish Amarnath • June 7, 2024 -
Permission granted by Ania Camargo
Geothermal system is a US first
A networked, utility-owned system in a Massachusetts community's pilot could replace fossil fuel for heating and cooling across entire neighborhoods.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 5, 2024 -
Courtesy of Volvo Cars
$1.3B available for EV charging network expansion in US
Government entities nationwide can apply for federal funding to build charging infrastructure in their communities.
By Haley Cawthon • June 4, 2024 -
David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
How US summer cooling costs are rising in 2 charts
The average U.S. electric bill this summer is projected to set a 10-year record, finds a June 3 report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and Center for Energy Poverty and Climate.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 4, 2024 -
Permission granted by Fermata Energy
EVs will power buildings in Colorado city’s ‘transformative’ pilot
The pilot will inform how vehicle-to-everything charging technology can be used in areas at high risk of prolonged outages due to natural disaster or emergency events, a utility partner said.
By Robert Walton • May 31, 2024 -
Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
Dallas signs EV charging agreement with Ford Pro
As the city aims to electrify all its fleet vehicles by 2040, Ford will scale up the necessary EV charging infrastructure.
By Eric Walz • May 30, 2024 -
aiisha5 via Getty Images
Top cities for certified energy-efficient buildings announced by EPA
Los Angeles has dominated the rankings for Energy Star-certified buildings year after year. The U.S. EPA has some ideas on why.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 24, 2024 -
deberarr via Getty Images
Legal battle over NYC’s building emissions law resurfaces in appellate court
A panel of New York State Supreme Court judges said the defendants, including New York City, have failed to show that the state’s existing climate legislation does not preempt Local Law 97.
By Nish Amarnath • May 20, 2024
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