The Los Angeles City Council voted on Friday to prohibit fossil fuels in new construction. The Council directed departments to develop a plan over the next six months “that will require all new residential and commercial buildings in Los Angeles to be built so that they will achieve zero-carbon emissions.” … [continued]
By Jonny Kocher & Talor Gruenwald In the unglamorous pages of local and state law books lies one of the most powerful tools for reducing carbon emissions: building codes. Local governments in Washington State, including Seattle, Tacoma, and Shoreline, have already put this powerful tool to use, amending their building codes … [continued]
New analysis says America’s largest grid operator ignores gigawatts of energy efficiency savings, overestimates power demand, and costs consumers billions.
How much money could you and your neighbors save on energy? That depends a lot on the building code, which states (and sometimes cities) can use to set minimum standards for energy efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy has a nice chart of which state has adopted which code, but the … [continued]
In energy policy, lawmakers often prefer carrots to sticks because it minimizes the opposition. But mandatory rules, like building energy codes, can save energy and pay back several times over during the useful life of buildings. The state of Illinois is poised to become a regional leader by adopting … [continued]
