Energy in Demand News, August 23-24, 2026

The Trump administration is doing everything possible to crush California’s environmental policies that have been respected world-wide, New York Times reports. “Mr. Trump and his Republican allies in Congress have blocked California from setting its own limits on automobile pollution, which federal law has permitted since the 1970s. The Energy Department has announced $75 million … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 23-24, 2026 →

The hidden carbon cost of choosing a home

In an article on The Conversation website, Burak Gunay, Liam O’Brien and Pedram Nojedehi from Carleton University and Brodie Hobson from Natural Resources Canada Associate Professor in Building Engineering, Carleton University discuss how Canadian homebuyers are making major financial and environmental decisions without being given the information needed to understand a home's energy and carbon … Continue reading The hidden carbon cost of choosing a home →

Energy in Demand News, July 26-27, 2026

As this week’s Energy in Demand was being prepared, more than 280,000 people had been ordered to flee or lock down as huge wildfires swept Spain and France, prompting Madrid to declare a national emergency and the French authorities to order the total evacuation, by land and sea, of one of the country’s best-known holiday … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 26-27, 2026 →

Energy in Demand News, July 19-20, 2026

The EU has big plans to electrify. It has set its first-ever electrification target: 46% by 2040. Electrification has hovered just under 24% for more than a decade. Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen told reporters in Brussels on Friday: “With this plan, we are putting Europe on a course to become the world’s first electro-continent.” Check … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 19-20, 2026 →

National Building Renovation Plans – the European Commission’s first assessment

The Commission’s first assessment of the complete draft National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs) shows strong commitment by EU countries to make buildings more energy efficient and decarbonised. This, in turn, lowers energy bills and makes buildings more liveable, particularly during harsh winter conditions or heatwaves. Buildings account for more than 30% of all energy used in Europe … Continue reading National Building Renovation Plans – the European Commission’s first assessment →

Building homes for a hotter world

Julia Vergin writes on the Deutsche Welle website about how buildings must adapt to a hotter climate, rather than simply surviving individual heatwaves. The emphasis is on passive cooling, better design, and climate-resilient construction. In Germany, it is time to rethink and rebuild. Many apartments were not designed for heat waves. Fortunately, there are ways … Continue reading Building homes for a hotter world →

New ACEEE study: cutting energy waste in the United States could save $4.8 trillion, equal to $31,000 per household

Improving energy efficiency in buildings, transportation, and industry in the United States could save about $4.8 trillion in energy and related costs in the next decades—equivalent to almost $31,000 per household—a new report finds. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) study points to a key opportunity for policymakers as families face challenging home energy bills … Continue reading New ACEEE study: cutting energy waste in the United States could save $4.8 trillion, equal to $31,000 per household →

The end of Europe’s energy label babel

In an article on The Conversation website, Lala Rukh, PhD Candidate, Energy, University of Galway; Atlantic Technological University writes how Europe is dismantling a fragmented system of incompatible building energy labels and replacing it with a common framework. Confused about your building’s energy performance? Here’s how to understand Europe’s new labels Imagine an apartment … Continue reading The end of Europe’s energy label babel →

Commercial buildings: the UK’s forgotten energy efficiency challenge

Andrew Warren writes on the Business Green website that the issue is not simply weaker MEES regulations, but government has no discernible strategy for reducing energy demand across the vast majority of non-residential buildings in England and Wales. Andrew Warren chairs the British Energy Efficiency Federation, and is a former special advisor to the House … Continue reading Commercial buildings: the UK’s forgotten energy efficiency challenge →

Energy in Demand News, June 21-22, 2026

At the recent Bonn Climate Change Conference, climate negotiators met to discuss a range of issues – from mitigation to adaptation, finance to technology and capacity-building – and prepare decisions for adoption at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye in November. Fiona Harvey wrote in the Guardian that for “decades, electrification has been a nerdish backwater of … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, June 21-22, 2026 →