Utilities: Page 7


  • An aerial rendering of the expansion project at the north end of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's Terminal 2
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Metropolitan Airports Commission and Miller Dunwiddie
    Image attribution tooltip

    Minneapolis airport unveils plans for geothermal heating, rainwater harvesting in $263M expansion

    The terminal expansion effort will reduce 56% of water utility use, 19% of overall heating and cooling energy demand and 62% of exterior lighting energy demand, the airport commission said.

    By Brian Martucci • Sept. 19, 2024
  • A rendering of a flagship charging station co-branded by EVgo and GM Energy.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of General Motors
    Image attribution tooltip

    GM, EVgo plan 400 EV charging stations in US metro areas

    Most flagship stations are expected to feature up to 20 stalls, but some select sites will offer significantly more chargers. 

    By Eric Walz • Sept. 18, 2024
  • An aerial view of buildings and skyscrapers in downtown Los Angeles at sunset
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    2025 California energy code updates aim to drive heat pump adoption, save nearly $5B in energy costs

    If approved, the new building energy efficiency standards are expected to drive 500,000 heat pump installations in the first three years, the California Energy Commission said.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 17, 2024
  • Aerial shot of city buildings
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOE spurs new building energy codes with another $90M

    Construction-heavy states that lack the latest energy-efficiency codes are among the focus areas for this round of federal funding, a U.S. Department of Energy official said.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 16, 2024
  • Workers walking on solar panels
    Image attribution tooltip

    iStock/ Hiraman

    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Schneider Electric

    How cities are stacking grant funds to achieve big sustainability goals

    Why local governments are increasingly stacking multiple funding sources to finance sustainable infrastructure projects.

    Sept. 16, 2024
  • The back of a person who is pointing a remote at a wall-mounted air conditioner.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Low-income families face high energy burden, prompting calls for more government action

    One in four low-income U.S. households spends more than 15% of their income on energy bills, finds an analysis by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 13, 2024
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion

    Cleveland’s new strategic plan focuses on making city government work better

    As Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb stepped onto the Music Hall stage in the city’s Public Auditorium on March 5, 2024, it was hard not to lose your place on the continuum of past, present and future.

    By Andrew Kleine • Sept. 11, 2024
  • A cityscape of skyscrapers and commercial buildings around State Street Bridge in Chicago.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Retrofits more effective in cutting operational, embodied carbon emissions than new builds: study

    Notre Dame researchers analyzed over 1 million Chicago buildings. The team plans to measure buildings’ embodied carbon in most U.S. metropolitan areas by the end of 2025, a researcher said.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 11, 2024
  • An aerial shot of modern office towers and Downtown Park in Bellevue, Washington on a sunny summer day.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Washington hopes to advance clean building standards implementation with nearly $8M DOE grant

    The state’s Building Efficiency and Clean Operations Network project aims to train at least 60 fellows to provide energy services to building owners and operators.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 10, 2024
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    For government fleet managers, the shift to EVs takes planning, training and funding

    Because of the urgent need for decarbonization and reducing climate change, local government fleet managers are facing several major trends. One of these is the shift from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles (EVs), says Sam Pournazeri, senior director of Clean Transportation & Energy at ICF, a global consulting and technology services company with approximately 9,000 employees that helps organizations, including public- and private-sector clients, solve their complex challenges.

    By Michael Keating • Sept. 6, 2024
  • An array of solar panels create electricity at the Lightsource bp solar farm near the Anglesey village of Rhosgoch, on May 10, 2024 in Wales.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Robust community engagement good for locals, renewable energy developers: Berkeley Lab

    In a first-of-its-kind survey, wind and solar developers cited community opposition and strict local siting ordinances as leading causes of project delays and cancellations.

    By Brian Martucci • Sept. 6, 2024
  • Aerial view of rooftops in a suburban neighborhood. A street curves through the houses.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Neighborhood decarbonization pilot programs can start in California

    A new law allows natural gas utilities to electrify a neighborhood instead of replacing old gas pipelines under certain conditions.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated Sept. 27, 2024
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Column

    Fundamentals of fuel management for city fleets

    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.For most f...

    By Rachael Plant • Aug. 30, 2024
  • A woman holding a young child in a darkened room next to a fan.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cooling is expensive, and more federal assistance is needed, advocates say

    The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is “chronically underfunded,” argues a policy brief by the Natural Resources Defense Council and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 29, 2024
  • A parking space painted with "EV charging only" with a charger behind it
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOT awards $521M in EV charging grants amid slowing sales growth

    Grant winners will deploy over 9,200 electric vehicle charging ports and build alternative-fueling infrastructure across 29 states, eight tribal areas and Washington, D.C., the Department of Transportation says.

    By Robert Walton • Aug. 29, 2024
  • The financial district in Boston, seen against the Boston Harbor at sunrise showcasing a mix of contemporary and historic buildings.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What to know about BERDO, Boston’s building performance standards law

    While many buildings already meet 2025 emissions limits, facility managers and owners should start planning now for how they’ll meet future requirements, city officials say.

    By Joe Burns • Aug. 28, 2024
  • Large office buildings against a blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    State, local building energy codes get makeovers with over $240M from US DOE

    Nineteen states and localities, including Seattle and New York City, got grants announced Tuesday by the Department of Energy. The agency encouraged more communities to apply by Sept. 13 for a second round of funding.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 28, 2024
  • A person pushes a gurney with a person on it into a vehicle
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cities assert tenants’ right to cooling in a warming world

    Grappling with fatal heat waves, local governments are passing laws that make landlords provide working air conditioning. Financial and other challenges remain, however.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 27, 2024
  • Two people carry equipment into a building on a busy city sidewalk.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Q&A

    Will New York City make landlords provide air conditioning? Its climate chief is optimistic.

    Coordinating any such mandate with the city's building decarbonization law requirements could reduce the burden it might create for building owners, Rohit Aggarwala explained.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 26, 2024
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Column

    America is at a crossroads with its infrastructure future

    America is at a crossroads with its infrastructure future

    By Maria Lehman • Aug. 23, 2024
  • New Tesla vehicles parked on a car lot
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    More efficient electric vehicles can reduce grid stress, cut charging costs by almost a third: ACEEE

    Local governments can leverage registration fees and subsidies to encourage EV efficiency, says research published Tuesday by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

    By Robert Walton • Aug. 20, 2024
  • Three people speak with each other in front of a large multifamily building.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Kent J. Edwards/Reuters

    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    Should tenants have a right to cooling? More cities say yes amid record heat.

    As rental cooling standards pop up around the country, experts warn that they aren’t a perfect solution to the rising danger of scorching temperatures.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 20, 2024
  • A low angle of tall buildings in Manhattan
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    New York encourages electrification with new affordability pilot, grid planning process

    The pilot will ensure that about 1,000 low-income households spend no more than 6% of their annual income on electricity when they electrify their space and water heating.

    By Robert Walton • Aug. 19, 2024
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Government EV fleets are expanding to include charging infrastructure for larger vehicles

    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.Local gove...

    By Michael Keating • Aug. 14, 2024
  • Hand holding up smart phone with navigation on the screen
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Oldcastle Infrastructure
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Oldcastle Infrastructure

    Tackling water loss with advanced AI technology

    Transition to continuous monitoring and proactive maintenance.

    Aug. 12, 2024