Passive houses gaining in popularity in the US

Hannah Seo writes on the Washington Post website about the growing popularity of passive homes in the US. These green homes are designed to be as energy efficient as possible. New incentives aim to make them more budget-friendly. The passive house trend is booming On the morning of June 7, 2023, New York City … Continue reading Passive houses gaining in popularity in the US →

Energy performance certificate system needs to reform in France

The France Insider website writes about the energy performance certificates, required under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive need to be reformed according to the French national auditor. What are your views? Are they effective in your country? Energy Saving Certificates Under Fire The system of energy savings certificates has been heavily criticized … Continue reading Energy performance certificate system needs to reform in France →

The annual market survey from the California Association of Realtors shows that problems with property insurance are worsening

The California Climate Politico newsletter writes about the problems in California to find affordable house insurance. Major insurers remain skittish on California after pulling back amid high wildfire losses. Are you seeing this trend in your country? California insurance woes sunk twice as many home sales this year, realtors say More and more homebuyers … Continue reading The annual market survey from the California Association of Realtors shows that problems with property insurance are worsening →

Not everyone is benefiting equally from improved energy efficiency in their homes

Inês Trindade Pereira discusses the state of Europe’s homes in an article on the Euronews website as we prepare for winter. Energy efficiency: Are EU houses ready for winter? More than 25% of the EU population lived in homes where energy efficiency has improved in the past five years. But not everyone benefits equally. … Continue reading Not everyone is benefiting equally from improved energy efficiency in their homes →

Energy in Demand News, October 13, 2024

Florida has just experienced two of the most devastating hurricanes in history. The Heated newsletter (available on Substack) reports: :For at least 45 years, oil company scientists have been privately warning executives that burning fossil fuels would lead to catastrophic storms. Their startlingly accurate warnings are detailed in internal documents and publicly-released films obtained by … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, October 13, 2024 →

New BPIE report on Whole Life Carbon highlights urgency for action

A new report published this week from the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) calls for urgent action to address Whole Life Carbon (WLC) emissions in the built environment. As the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) mandates life cycle Global Warming Potential (GWP) measurement by 2028, EU member states have a relatively short window … Continue reading New BPIE report on Whole Life Carbon highlights urgency for action →

Energy in Demand News, October 6, 2024

Congratulations to the UK to finally bid farewell to the power of King Coal with the closing of its last coal-fired power plant. Britain opened the world’s first coal-burning power plant in 1882 (built by Thomas Edison) and now has become the first major country to end coal-fired power. Renewables’ share of UK electricity jumped … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, October 6, 2024 →

Energy in Demand News, September 29, 2024

Six weeks before COP29, the UN climate summit, the Climate Action Tracker rates host Azerbaijan’s climate action “critically insufficient.” The report came out during New York climate week, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The Climate Action Tracker assesses national climate plans and it said that Azerbaijan was one of the few … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, September 29, 2024 →

To get someone to pay attention to climate change, put a price on it: rising insurance costs are doing just that

Andrew J. Hoffman, Professor of Management & Organizations, Environment & Sustainability, and Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan writes on The Conversation website about why home insurance rates are rising so fast in the United States. He discusses at length what is happening in the US. Is the same happening in your country? Interestingly, … Continue reading To get someone to pay attention to climate change, put a price on it: rising insurance costs are doing just that →

New report from the Energy Efficiency Hub on deep energy retrofits

The Energy Efficiency Hub is a voluntary collaboration among 16 governments seeking to strengthen their effectiveness in deploying energy efficiency. Its secretariat is hosted by the IEA. The Hub recently published a report from one of its task groups, the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Task Group, entitled Deep Energy Retrofit Models: A Global Perspective. The … Continue reading New report from the Energy Efficiency Hub on deep energy retrofits →