Energy & Utilities

  • Teal and orange color of NYC midtown view and the East river from Roosevelt Island
    Image attribution tooltip
    Tanaonte via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Building performance standards are likely not preempted by federal law, attorney says

    Such policies are likely safe even after a federal appeals court struck down Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation gas ban in new construction, said Daniel Carpenter-Gold, staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center.

    By • Updated July 24, 2024
  • A view of the facade of New York City Hall and Manhattan Municipal Building in lower Manhattan, New York City.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mark Zhu via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    600+ NYC facilities pledge to cut energy use as part of expanded demand response program

    The city also plans to install over 1,150 real-time meters in municipal buildings to help manage electricity use, according to its Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 23, 2024
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline➔
    Image attribution tooltip
    jamesteohart via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them in 2024.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • A row of electric vehicle chargers is seen from one end with a dark red vehicle parked and plugged in to the nearest charger.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How cities are using Biden’s $4.3B climate pollution reduction grants

    The grants “put local governments in the driver’s seat to develop climate solutions,” a federal official said. Cities and counties plan to use the money for electrification, bike-sharing, solar power and more.

    By • July 23, 2024
  • A low angle of tall buildings in Manhattan
    Image attribution tooltip
    franckreporter via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    New York wants tall commercial, multifamily buildings to test low-carbon heating retrofits

    Seven finalists in a $10 million competition will develop heating and distribution systems that can be installed without displacing occupants, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week. 

    By Nish Amarnath • July 22, 2024
  • Close-up of a pipeline in a trench dug in the ground
    Image attribution tooltip
    ImagePixel via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The movement to get neighborhoods off natural gas gains momentum

    For years, cities have pursued ways to get buildings off fossil fuels, one structure at a time. Now, some leaders and advocates are eyeing a newer approach: neighborhood-scale decarbonization.

    By • July 10, 2024
  • Header image for "CFOs: 9.3% Jump in Prices Will Wipe Out Real Revenue Growth"
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    US electricity prices rise again as AI, onshoring may mean decades of power demand growth: BofA

    The year-over-year inflation rate for electricity prices reached 5.9% in May, up from 3.8% in January, according to Bank of America Institute.

    By Robert Walton • July 8, 2024
  • A worker inspects a 2023 Acura Integra as comes off of the assembly line at Honda's Marysville Auto Plant.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
    Image attribution tooltip

    Lack of affordable electric vehicles will limit widespread US adoption until at least 2028: BofA

    Analysts at Bank of America and Bloomberg say U.S. EV penetration rates are slowing and are unlikely to reach 30% by 2030.

    By Robert Walton • June 27, 2024
  • People in coats and masks stand in line against a building behind a metal fence. Many have large backpacks and bags.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What US mayors want from the next president, Congress

    The creation of a first-ever city mental health block grant, affordable housing investments and gun safety legislation are among the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ requests.

    By • June 27, 2024
  • An HVAC worker is seen to perform heat pump maintenance
    Image attribution tooltip
    welcomia via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Electrifying neighborhoods could save California billions on gas line replacements

    Utilities could save around $20 billion in gas pipeline replacement costs by 2045 while only affecting about 3% of current gas customers, says a new analysis prepared for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

    By • June 20, 2024
  • Offshore wind turbines in the ocean.
    Image attribution tooltip
    TebNad via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Local opposition to renewable energy projects ‘widespread and growing’: Columbia University report

    The report tracks 395 local restrictions on renewable energy development, with 55 of those emerging in the last year.

    By Diana DiGangi • June 14, 2024
  • Aerial shot of buildings in a downtown. A tree-covered hill sits in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Davel5957 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California

    A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said. 

    By • June 10, 2024
  • A facade of a Department of Energy building
    Image attribution tooltip
    MingzheZhang via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 states, DC get $45M to finance energy efficiency retrofits

    The revolving loan funds established with the federal awards can unlock millions in private capital for energy efficiency improvements, says the U.S. Department of Energy.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 10, 2024
  • U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm holds a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOE releases zero-emissions building definition, part 1

    The definition will bring clarity to the public and private sectors, supporting their efforts to decarbonize buildings and ramp up clean energy, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 7, 2024
  • A worker in a hard hat and yellow vest lays a large pipe in the ground. On the side of the pipe, the word "geothermal" is written three times.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Ania Camargo
    Image attribution tooltip

    Geothermal system is a US first

    A networked, utility-owned system in a Massachusetts community's pilot could replace fossil fuel for heating and cooling across entire neighborhoods.

    By • June 5, 2024
  • Charging port on the Volvo C40 recharge SUV.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Volvo Cars
    Image attribution tooltip

    $1.3B available for EV charging network expansion in US

    Government entities nationwide can apply for federal funding to build charging infrastructure in their communities. 

    By Haley Cawthon • June 4, 2024
  • A person wearing a ponytail and purple tank top raches up to touch cardboard around a window AC unit on the outside of a building. A plastic water bottle sits on the windowsill.
    Image attribution tooltip
    David Ryder/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How US summer cooling costs are rising in 2 charts

    The average U.S. electric bill this summer is projected to set a 10-year record, finds a June 3 report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and Center for Energy Poverty and Climate.

    By • June 4, 2024
  • Fermata Energy has partnered with the City of Boulder on a vehicle-to-grid charging project
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Fermata Energy
    Image attribution tooltip

    EVs will power buildings in Colorado city’s ‘transformative’ pilot

    The pilot will inform how vehicle-to-everything charging technology can be used in areas at high risk of prolonged outages due to natural disaster or emergency events, a utility partner said.

    By Robert Walton • May 31, 2024
  • A Ford Pro electric vehicle charger with a F-150 Lightning pickup truck parked in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Dallas signs EV charging agreement with Ford Pro

    As the city aims to electrify all its fleet vehicles by 2040, Ford will scale up the necessary EV charging infrastructure.

    By Eric Walz • May 30, 2024
  • Looking up at skyscrapers against a blue sky
    Image attribution tooltip
    aiisha5 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Top cities for certified energy-efficient buildings announced by EPA

    Los Angeles has dominated the rankings for Energy Star-certified buildings year after year. The U.S. EPA has some ideas on why. 

    By • May 24, 2024
  • Overhead view of brick, multistory buildings along a one-way street.
    Image attribution tooltip
    deberarr via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Legal battle over NYC’s building emissions law resurfaces in appellate court

    A panel of New York State Supreme Court judges said the defendants, including New York City, have failed to show that the state’s existing climate legislation does not preempt Local Law 97. 

    By Nish Amarnath • May 20, 2024
  • The hallway of a home with white walls, with a thermostat that reads "70" on the wall. Above it is a panel that reads "Year-Round Comfort & Savings."
    Image attribution tooltip

    Dylan Slagle, BGE

    Image attribution tooltip

    EPA launches new Energy Star residential standard

    Requirements for certification include heat pumps, resident electric vehicle charging stations, electric cooking appliances and highly energy-efficient construction.

    By Mary Salmonsen • May 17, 2024
  • A city skyline behind a waterway lined by trees. A boat is in the waterway.
    Image attribution tooltip
    pawel.gaul via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Clean energy fund surplus sparks tension in Pacific Northwest city

    The Portland, Oregon, program has brought in millions of dollars more than originally anticipated, putting some city leaders and climate advocates at odds over how to proceed.

    By • May 16, 2024
  • A wide-angle side view of a man in business dress stood at an electric charging station
    Image attribution tooltip

    istockphoto.com/SolStock

    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Franklin Electric EV Systems

    Investigating the uptime challenges facing charge point operators

    Explore the common causes of DC fast charger uptime issues.

    May 13, 2024
  • The outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit during the day
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
    Image attribution tooltip

    23 states, rural co-ops sue EPA over ‘unlawful, unreasonable’ power plant rules

    “This rule intentionally sets impossible standards to destroy the coal industry,” North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said Thursday.

    By Robert Walton • May 10, 2024
  • Apartment building with three cars parked in front
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Bauer House on Facebook on May 09, 2024
    Image attribution tooltip

    HUD’s $4.8B green retrofit program announces first construction project deal

    A new heat pump system will replace the existing gas-powered system at an apartment community housing low-income older adults.

    By • May 9, 2024