Building & Equipment

EcoFlow Just Launched Plug-and-Play Solar + Storage for Apartments 0623

The 'Exploding' Demand for Giant Heat Pumps 0523

Low-Carbon Concrete Could Bring a ‘Radical Change’ to the Industry 0523

In a Warming World, 10 Air Conditioners Are Sold per Second 0523

White House Unveils a New Climate Fix - Building Codes and Energy Retrofits 0523

A Key Part of America’s Plan to Slash Carbon Emissions - Plug In Almost Everything. 0423

New York Set to Pass 1st Statewide Law Banning Gas in New Construction 0423

What’s Needed to Reach Net-Zero This Century - IEA 0423 includes charging

Green Steel Would Curb Carbon Emissions, Revive SW Pennsylvania Economy 0423

All-Electric Building in Brooklyn Draws Energy From 500 Feet Underground 0323

A Key Part of America’s Plan to Slash Carbon Emissions - Plug In Almost Everything. 0423

Britain’s Heat Pump Uptake Among Worst in Europe 0323

Transparent Aerogel Made from Wood Will Make Windows Great Insulators 0323

Pumping Heat a Mile Underground Is Helping One City Cut Carbon 0323

Elon Musk Really Wants Tesla to Make Home Heat Pumps 0323

How Much Does a Heat Pump Cost? 0223

Heat Pumps Sell Like Hotcakes on America’s Oil-Rich Alaska Frontier 0223

The Race across Europe to Build Green Steel Plants 0223

Washing Machines and Fridges Could Be Much Cheaper to Power by 2027 - 0223

Bill Gates Is Backing a New Window Design for Buildings, to Hold Heat In 0223

Italy Gets Cold Feet over EU Greener Buildings Plan 0223

The Enormous Heat Pumps Warming Cities 0223

India Plans $4.3 Billion Spending for Energy Transition 0223

How Supermarket Freezers Are Heating Earth, and How They Could Change 0123

US Company Gets $120 Million Boost to Make ‘Green Steel’ 0123

Steelmaking Breakthrough Could Save Money and Almost All Emissions 0123

Cement Made at Room Temperature with Green Electricity Helps Decarbonize 0123

Getting Climate-Friendly Heat Pumps into Pennsylvania Houses Will Be Hard 0123

Solar-Powered Refrigerators Are Effective against Hunger, Slow Climate Change 0123

Why Everyone Is Going to Need a Heat Pump 0123

Green Cooling Tech Is Based on the Idea of Salt Melting Ice 0123

Norway’s Blastr Plans €4 Billion Green Steel Plant in Finland 0123

Britain’s Gas Prices Bring Heat Pump Adoption to New Places 1222

World Bank Lays Out $1.5 Trillion Green Cooling Plan for India 1122

China Is Leading the World on Heat-Pump Adoption 1122

Smart Glass Emerges as an Energy Saver 1122

These New Induction Stoves Want to Convince You to Ditch Gas 1122

Global Emissions from Buildings, Construction Climb to Record Levels 1122

Empty (at Night) Buildings Consume More Energy than You Think 1022

Helsinki’s Plan to Use Cold Seawater with Heat Pumps to Heat Homes 1022

Breakthroughs Are Helping Even Cement and Steel Go Electric 1022

New Technology Could Help Air Conditioning’s Climate Problem 0922

Heat Pumps Take Off in Coal-Loving Poland amid Ukraine War 0922

How to Decarbonize Your Home, with Help from the Inflation Reduction Act 0822

Climate Change Is Pushing Hospitals to Tipping Point 0722

The Search for an AC That Doesn’t Destroy the Planet 0822

Spain Air Conditioning Crackdown Set to Take Effect 0822

Utilities from New York to Tokyo Offer Prizes to Cut Power Use 0722

Europe Is Overheating.  This Climate-Friendly A/C Could Help. 0722

British Homes Were Built to Retain Heat.  That’s Becoming a Problem. 0722

In London and Looking to Cool Down?  Consider a Heat Pump 0722

Washington State to Require Electric Heating in Building Code Update 0422

These Scientists Are Working on Carbon-Free Cement 0422

Making Steel without Damaging the Climate 0622

Microsoft, Salesforce Add $300 Million to Carbon Removal’s Growing Cash Pile 0522

How to Install Heat Pumps in Millions of European Apartments 0522

Dutch Homes Will Have to Install Hybrid Heat Pumps From 2026 - 0522

How Public Schools Are Going Net Zero 0522

On Earth Day, UMass Amherst Unveils Major Renewable Energy Overhaul 0422 - Deep-well geothermal heat pump to heat 40 buildings on campus.  Other heat pumps and heat recovery chillers too.  Buy 100% renewable power within about a decade, when the campus becomes net-zero

It’s Time for a Net Zero Building Boom 0422

Lower-CO2 Nature-Friendly Concrete Better Defends Coasts from Rising Seas 0322

California's Climate Fight - EVs & Heat Pumps May Raise Power Demand 90% 0322

Super Energy-Efficient Houses 0222 - In building Maine’s new “passive” homes, super insulation and very tight air sealing happen in specific sequence.  Instead of a fossil-fueled furnace, use an air-source heat pump.  10% more upfront for home, but far lower energy bills.  “The house won’t freeze if you lose power in the winter, which is a frequent occurrence in rural Maine.”

Engineered Bacteria Eat CO2, Release Valuable Carbon-Negative Acetone and Isopropyl 0322

US Army Plans Microgrids, Electric Vehicle Fleet in 1st Climate Strategy 0222

Startup Promises Green Steel by 2025 as Decarbonization Race Heats Up 0222

How the Humble Heat Pump Became the Next Hot Climate Tool 0122

Steelmaker SSAB Plans to Cut Carbon Far Faster than Before 0122

Did I Turn Off the Stove?  Yes, but Maybe Not the Gas. 0122

Britain’s Gas Prices Bring Heat Pump Adoption to New Places 1222

World Bank Lays Out $1.5 Trillion Green Cooling Plan for India 1122

China Is Leading the World on Heat-Pump Adoption 1122

Smart Glass Emerges as an Energy Saver 1122

These New Induction Stoves Want to Convince You to Ditch Gas 1122

Global Emissions from Buildings, Construction Climb to Record Levels 1122

Empty (at Night) Buildings Consume More Energy than You Think 1022

Helsinki’s Plan to Use Cold Seawater with Heat Pumps to Heat Homes 1022

Breakthroughs Are Helping Even Cement and Steel Go Electric 1022

New Technology Could Help Air Conditioning’s Climate Problem 0922

Heat Pumps Take Off in Coal-Loving Poland amid Ukraine War 0922

How to Decarbonize Your Home, with Help from the Inflation Reduction Act 0822

Climate Change Is Pushing Hospitals to Tipping Point 0722

The Search for an AC That Doesn’t Destroy the Planet 0822

Spain Air Conditioning Crackdown Set to Take Effect 0822

Utilities from New York to Tokyo Offer Prizes to Cut Power Use 0722

Europe Is Overheating.  This Climate-Friendly A/C Could Help. 0722

British Homes Were Built to Retain Heat.  That’s Becoming a Problem. 0722

In London and Looking to Cool Down?  Consider a Heat Pump 0722

Washington State to Require Electric Heating in Building Code Update 0422

These Scientists Are Working on Carbon-Free Cement 0422

Making Steel without Damaging the Climate 0622

Microsoft, Salesforce Add $300 Million to Carbon Removal’s Growing Cash Pile 0522

How to Install Heat Pumps in Millions of European Apartments 0522

Dutch Homes Will Have to Install Hybrid Heat Pumps From 2026 - 0522

How Public Schools Are Going Net Zero 0522

On Earth Day, UMass Amherst Unveils Major Renewable Energy Overhaul 0422 - Deep-well geothermal heat pump to heat 40 buildings on campus.  Other heat pumps and heat recovery chillers too.  Buy 100% renewable power within about a decade, when the campus becomes net-zero

It’s Time for a Net Zero Building Boom 0422

Lower-CO2 Nature-Friendly Concrete Better Defends Coasts from Rising Seas 0322

California's Climate Fight - EVs & Heat Pumps May Raise Power Demand 90% 0322

Super Energy-Efficient Houses 0222 - In building Maine’s new “passive” homes, super insulation and very tight air sealing happen in specific sequence.  Instead of a fossil-fueled furnace, use an air-source heat pump.  10% more upfront for home, but far lower energy bills.  “The house won’t freeze if you lose power in the winter, which is a frequent occurrence in rural Maine.”

Engineered Bacteria Eat CO2, Release Valuable Carbon-Negative Acetone and Isopropyl 0322

US Army Plans Microgrids, Electric Vehicle Fleet in 1st Climate Strategy 0222

Startup Promises Green Steel by 2025 as Decarbonization Race Heats Up 0222

How the Humble Heat Pump Became the Next Hot Climate Tool 0122

Steelmaker SSAB Plans to Cut Carbon Far Faster than Before 0122

Did I Turn Off the Stove?  Yes, but Maybe Not the Gas. 0122

N.Y.C.’s Gas Ban Takes Fight against Climate Change to the Kitchen 1221

Biden Orders Federal Vehicles and Buildings to Use Renewable Energy by 2050 - 1221

Steel’s Path to Go Green Will Cost Industry Up to $278 Billion 1121

Biggest South African Cement Firm Sets 2050 Net Zero Target 1121

Forget Gas and Hydrogen.  Your Next Boiler Should Be a Heat Pump. 1121

The Sustainable Industrial Revolution Is Just Getting Started 1121 - emphasis on motors and steel

Canadian Steelmakers Embrace ‘Green Steel' as Carbon Taxes Set to Rise 1121

Baowu, World’s Top Steelmaker Outlines 6-Point Plan to Cut Emissions 1121

Greening Production at the World's Biggest Brick-maker Yields Record Profit 1121

Mass Save Program Proposes Incentives to Convert Gas Furnaces to Heat Pumps 1121

Over 40 Nations Pledge to Cut Emissions from Their Health Industries 1121

Toronto Has World’s Largest Lake-Powered Cooling System.  How It Works. 1121 - It uses bottom water at 39°F and very low power, passive, heat exchanges.  And by using gravity more than pumps, it consumes 70% less energy for cooling.

EU-US Steel Trade Pact Is Surprisingly Important 1121 - US steel is much less carbon-intensive than China’s.  With EU carbon price, this means EU will import more steel from US and less dirty steel from China.  However, China is EU’s largest trading partner.  MOre on Nordhaus’ climate club.

Material Thinner than Human Hair Could Slash Carbon Emissions 1121 - good for ultra-thin membrane, for separating gases.  This is very useful, and cheaper, for making notably electricity, steel, and glass.

‘It’s Not as Carbon-Hungry’ - UK’s Largest Sunlit Vertical Farm Begins Harvest 1021

Cement Makers across World Pledge Large Cut in Emissions by 2030 - 1021

Running Homes & Cars on Just Electricity Can Save Households AU$5,443 a Year 1021

Concrete Needs to Lose Its Colossal Carbon Footprint 1021 - Use green electricity for process heat, capture process CO2 from smokestack and pump it back into concrete - for better stength and long-term storage -  and use slag from iron & steel production or unused fly ash.

Big Carbon Pollution Lurks in Basements and Attics - Space & Water Heaters 0921

DOE Stirs Up Climate Fight over Building Codes 0921

California’s Plan to Make New Buildings Greener Will Raise Costs 0821

Sweden's HYBRIT Delivers World's 1st Fossil-Free Steel 0821

Climate-Proof US Homes - Use the Least Energy Possible, from Cleanest Sources 0821

A Techno-Economic Analysis of Carbon Capture Options in industry 0721
    Harmonization results indicate that CO2 mitigation potentials vary for each sub-sector, resulting in reductions of 1.4–2.7 t CO2/tonne (t) of steel (77%–149%), 0.7 t CO2/t cement (92%), 0.2 t CO2/t crude oil (68%), 1.9 t CO2/t pulp (1663%–2548%), and 34.9 t CO2/t H2 (313%).

Switch from Subsidies to Carbon Taxes May Improve PV-Coupled Heat Pump Uptake 0721

Lawn Care Is Going Electric.  And the Revolution Is Here to Stay. 0621

Can Industry Decarbonize Steelmaking? 0621

Cool Roofs, Cooler Designs as Building Industry Embraces Energy Sustainability 0621

Your Next Car and Clothes Dryer Could Help Save Our Planet 0621 - Senator Heinrich (D-NM)

A New Study Shows Getting to Net-Zero Emissions Is Doable.  Here’s How. 0521 - Electrify everything, including industrial processes.  Make electricity carbon-free.

How the Global Steel Industry Is Cutting Out Coal 0521 - Replace a blast furnace with an electric arc (or natural gas) furnace.  Use hydrogen instead of carbon to separate iron from its ore.  Recycle more steel.

Why Renewable Electricity Powers Decarbonization — and Pays Off 0421 - heat pumps, induction cooking, electric machines in industry (led by cement and steel) replacing heat from fossil fuels, electric vehicles, etc.

Manufacturers Are Now Providing Data for Buying Climate-Friendly Refrigerators 0421

Hospitals Try to Curb Astronomical Emissions amid New Pandemic Challenges 0421

Planet-Warming Emissions from Buildings Put Climate Goals at Risk 1220

China’s Climate-Friendly Propane Air Conditioners Are Blocked by US’ UL 1220

Getting Building Height Right for the Climate 1120 - 4-story courtyard builing is optimal.  High rises require a lot of energy for elevators, pumping up water and cool air.

Geothermal Heat Pumps Could Provide Carbon-Free Heat for Buildings 1120

Bringing the Chill of the Cosmos to a Warming Planet 1020 - Cooling by radiating to space at specific wavelengths that pass straight through our atmosphere, at a wavelength that greenhouse gases do not absorb.  The radiating coating film also almost perfectly reflects incoming liight, using nanoscale technology.      The concept has been used very locally for centuries.  It’s the reason frost can form on clear nights when the temperature stays above 32°F.

World’s 1st Fossil-Free Steel-Making Starts in Northern Sweden 0920

PG&E Gets on Board with All-Electric New Buildings in California 0620

Energy Efficiency Helped Empire State Building Save Money, Cut CO2 40%. 0520

556 Buildings in Pittsburgh’s 2030 District Are Greatly Reducing Energy Use 0520

Goodbye, Gas Furnaces?  Why Electrification Is the Future of Home Heating 0120

Tesla's Australian Virtual Power Plant Propped up Grid during Coal Outage 1219

This Is What Cities Need to Do by 2050 to Meet Climate Goals 0919

Electricity Demand Will Soar as Households Try to Cope with More Heat 0619

Affordable, Self-Heating Homes of the Future, Inspired by the Past 0319

Net-Zero Energy Homes Pay Off Faster Than You Think, Even in Chilly Midwest 1218

Fast-Rising Demand for Air Conditioning Is Adding to Global Warming 1118

Low Cost, Low Energy Cooling System Shows Promise for Climate Change 1018 - technical, about below - U of Colorado
    Without these coatings, space cooling (air conditioning) could use as much electricity by 2050 as China now uses total.

Super-Reflective Coating Keeps Buildings Cool, so We Don’t Need as Much A/C 0918 - general, about above - Columbia U

New York City Took Step toward Cutting Its Top Source of Climate Pollution 0818

How to Prevent Cooling from Warming Up the World 0718 - improve efficiency, eliminate HFCs (& CFCs)

South Africa Aims for ‘Zero Carbon' Buildings in Green Push 0518

Carbon-less Anode Could Be Aluminum Smelting’s Biggest Advance in 130 Years 0518

Warming Climate to Nearly Double Demand for Cooling Appliances 0418

SkyCool’s New Material Could Improve Air Conditioning Efficiency 20% 0418 - Material’s infrared radiation passes thru air.

Electrification (to Reduce Carbon Emissions) Could Be a Lifeline for Utilities 0318 - electricity for space heating and transport

Tax Breaks and a Google Startup Bringing Earth's Heat into Homes 0218 - ground-source heat pumps

Europe's Microwave Ovens Emit Nearly as Much CO2 as 2-3 Million Cars 0118

Fighting Climate Change, One Laundry Load at a Time 0118

Using Outer Space to Help Cool Buildings on Earth 1017 - Materials that radiate infrared at wavelengths that are not absorbed by greenhouse gases

Indian Builders Pledge “Green" Homes in Race to Meet Climate Goals 0717

Passive Housing Cuts Costs – and Global Warming 0617 - Passive house gets most of the way to zero carbon.

Ultra-Efficient Portland Apartment Building Doesn’t Need Central Heating 0617

Buildings Smarten Up - Consider Occupants, Utility Rates and the Weather 0217

High-Tech Film Cools Buildings without Consuming Energy 0217 white/mirror film with micron bubbles radiates, not absorbs

Emerging Climate Accord Could Push A/C Out of Sweltering India’s Reach 1016

This Building Could End the Office Thermostat War and Abolish Fuel Poverty 0916 at-desk space heaters

New Membrane Could Save $2 Billion a Year for U.S. Industries 0816

The KiloWatt You Never Use - How National Grid Plans to Save Customers $3.6B through Efficiency 0816

Mobile Homes Move toward Efficiency 0816

How Eco Homes Can Cut Your Energy Bills – or Even Make Money 0716 - designer homes

Power Plants Are No longer Biggest US Climate Problem.  Transportation Is. 0616 Buildings and afctories are a close #3.

What Adding 700 Million Air Conditioners Means for the Climate 0516 - Make them VERY efficient.

Your Home Water Heater May Soon Double as a Battery 0216

Those Days You Work From Home May End Up Wrecking the Planet 0216 - Home energy use 20% more for work-at-home.

Fixing Drafty Old Buildings Becomes $20 Billion U.S. Industry 0116

Pushing the Envelope to Make Buildings Greener 0116 - leaks in commercial & industrial buildings in Canada

Your Kitchen Is a Battleground in Obama Energy Efficiency Push 0116
    43 efficiency rules since 2009 will save enough to eliminate 96 power plants.

Posh New York City Hotels Pledge to Go Green 1215

Green Homes Plan Finally Gets EU Funding for Just 10% of Proposed Houses 1115

3 Universities Get into Hot Water, Cut Emissions, and Save Money 1015 - all in, hot water is much cheaper than steam

New York City Stores Must Keep Doors Closed if Air-Conditioning Is On 1015

1/3 of US Construction Market Could Be Green by 2018 - 0915

Which of These Student-Designed Solar Houses Will Be the Home of the Future? 0915

India’s Fuel Retailers Bet on Solar Power with Easy Loans 0815

Savvy Ways to Keep Your Home Cool 0715

Europe to America - Your Love of Air-Conditioning Is Stupid 0715

The Home that Pays Its Own Utility Bill (and Then Some) 0715

'Green' Roofs Not Always the Most Energy-Efficient 0615

In Just a Week, This Kit Turns Old Houses into Zero-Energy Homes (for Free) 0615 - using a very low (social) discount rate

Boston's Logan Airport Drafts Climate Change Plan 0515

Cool Homes, Hot Planet - How Air Conditioning Explains the World 0415

Hand over Control of My Fridge to an Energy Company?  No Thanks, Say Brits 0415

New York Plans Housing Project Upgrades to Reduce Emissions, Utility Costs 0415

Water Source Heat Pumps 'Could Warm a Million Homes in England' 0315

Your High-Rise Is Warming the Globe - Household Emission Tops Calcutta List 0315

Environmental Report Details Heat’s Costly Escape Through Elevator Shafts 0315

Germany Seeks to Boost Renewable Sources of Heating 0315

Apple to Invest €1.7 Billion in Green European Data Centers 0215

EU introduces New Rules to Make Cooking Greener 0215

'Smart’ Windows Could Save Energy 0215

Your Home Is Full of Devices That Never Turn Off, Costing You Money. 0215

Chinese Developers Get Active Building Passive (Superinsulated) Energy Homes 0115

Coffee Machines, etc. to Power Down Under New EU Energy Rules 0115

How Smart Glass Windows Slash Energy Bills 1214

Scientists Take Step Toward Revolutionary Coolant ...  Using Outer Space? 1114

Norwegian House-Power Plant Produces Twice The Energy It Uses 0914

New Air Conditioner Standards Would Be Biggest Energy Saver in DOE History 0814

One Company, OPower, Is Really Psyched about EPA's Big Climate-Change Rule 0814

Your Thermostat Is About to Get 'Smart' 1113

Push Urged for More Cool Roofs for Baltimore 1013

Weatherizing Homes to Uniform Standard Can Save UK $33 Billion Annually 1013

How Hospitals Can Help Fight Climate Change 0813

Radical Norway Retrofit Give Positive Net Energy 0213

Largest US Ground Source Heat Pump at Ball State 0212

Smart Windows 0911

Power Demand from US Homes Falling 0911

Hitachi's Solar Air Conditioning 0111

Commercial Retrofits Could Save $41 Billion by 2020 - 0710

Roof Tiles Change Color to Save Energy 1009

Green Roof CO2 Effects 1009  

Smart Grid Projects 1009

Whole House Fans 0809

Ground Source Heat Pumps 0809 - PDF

Flat TVs Use Potent New Greenhouse Gas 0708

Ice Is Nice 0507 - Make ice at night, melt it by day for cold water to pipe around to cool buildings.  This uses cheap energy at night (wind?) to replace expensive energy (gas? oil? peakers) on hot afternoons.

Ground Source Heat Pumps 0507