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Commercial Buildings

Solutions for India’s Cooling Quandary

Last month consumers across India received a jolt when they were delivered their electricity bills. The combined effects of stay-at-home measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the sweltering heat of the Indian summer, and increased usage of energy intensive appliances such as air conditioners resulted in electricity bills being up to ten times higher than normal.

Decarbonizing NY Buildings through Improved Data and Controls

Building decarbonization is a critical thread to reduce the impacts of climate change—buildings are the single-largest contributor of emissions globally and their operations alone account for 28 percent of global energy-related annual CO2 emissions as of 2018. To affect operations and contribute to the decarbonization of the built environment,…

Adapting to Fire: How Cities Can Enhance Resilience with Distributed Energy

As California experienced uncharacteristically low precipitation in February, normally its peak rainy season, parts of the state are moving into drought conditions. This is likely to increase wildfire prevalence in the state in 2020, and it underscores the point that communities need to be thinking about a range of…

Going Green Just Got Easier for Class B/C Commercial Buildings

Class B/C office buildings can achieve up to 6 percent higher net operating incomes and $11 per square foot higher property values, but they can’t do it with their hands tied behind their backs. To date these buildings, relative to their typically newer and higher quality Class A counterparts, have…

Fossil Gas Has No Future in Low-Carbon Buildings

States and cities across the country are beginning to grapple with a persistent source of carbon emissions that has largely gone ignored: burning fossil fuels in buildings. While the electric power sector nationally has reduced emissions more than 25 percent, there has been no change in carbon emissions from direct…