Lisa Markowski, ERS, for Zondits. Image credit: Lisa Markowski Green roofs – also known as living roofs – are great enough when “all” they do is beautify and insulate buildings and provide clean oxygen. The ultimate benefit, though, comes when they produce food. The Boston area has several exceptional food-producing green roofs to speak of, … Read more
Energy efficiency lowers costs in recent PJM capacity auction ACEEE, June 1, 2016. Image credit: AndreasEOS700D By Brendon Baatz, Manager, Utilities Policy Energy efficiency provides many benefits to the electric utility system. One of these benefits is reducing the market price for electric generation. PJM Interconnection, the operator of the largest electric grid in the United … Read more
A Zondits Rundown: French Electricity Utility, ENGIE, Acquires an 80% Stake in Californian Battery Maker Green Charge Networks ENGIE and Green Charge Networks were introduced through ENGIE subsidiaries Ecova and OpTerra Energy Services. In 2014, ENGIE (known as GDF Suez prior to April 2015) purchased Ecova to reinforce their expertise in energy data management combined with their multi-technical … Read more
Ari Michelson, ERS, for Zondits. May 15, 2016. Image credit: sbl0323 Energy efficiency projects are usually easily justifiable in terms of their environmental impact and lifetime cost savings, but they often fall victim to companies’ blanket policies requiring that all capital projects meet aggressive simple payback targets. This simple payback criterion does not account for the … Read more
Ryan Pollin, ERS, for Zondits. May 13, 2016. Image credit: geralt Ed Hawkins is a climate scientist at the University of Reading and an author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and now he has struck a chord with his global temperature visualization. In three days, his tweet showing mean global temperature for every month … Read more
Designing Buildings to Protect Urban Residents Next City, May 11, 2016. Image credit: unsplash Improving energy efficiency in buildings could not only dramatically reduce carbon emissions, but could also reduce the energy burden on poor households, improve indoor and outdoor air quality, create green jobs, and save a lot of money, according to a new report by … Read more
This is the first in a series of Zondits articles on next generation evaluation and M&V. Please join us as we explore these emerging trends over the next weeks. Please join in the discussion thread at the bottom of the page as we explore these emerging trends. Gary Epstein, ERS, for Zondits. May 11, 2016 The next generation … Read more
This is the first in a series of Zondits articles on next generation evaluation and EDGE M&V. Please join us as we explore these emerging trends over the next weeks. Please join in the discussion thread at the bottom of the page as we explore these emerging trends. by Gary Epstein, ERS There has been … Read more
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits Brownstoner recently reported on a real estate developer who purchased a seven-unit townhome in Brooklyn for $6.8 million in 2014. The developer plans to substantially renovate the building, creating a single-family dwelling, and the architects chosen for the job, Baxt Ingui, are well known for using passive house and energy … Read more
Protecting Our Health Through Energy Efficiency and Building Upgrades Energy Star, April 28, 2016 Did you know our sister group here at EPA offers an excellent guide about how to protect indoor air quality (IAQ) while making building upgrades? The Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for School Building Upgrades (the Guide) “walks” users … Read more