Rmi Outlet
Buildings
New Zero-Energy Homes Almost to Cost Parity, While Codes & Incentives Help Cross the Finish Line
If you had a choice between building new homes that meet basic standards and building comfortable, healthy homes that dramatically cut energy bills, which would you prefer? How about if the low-energy homes cost the same (or nearly the same) as a standard home to build? If the cost is…
Grid-Integrated Buildings: A Profitable Linchpin to Decarbonization
I was recently asked by the director of sustainability of a major corporation, “What’s beyond LEED Platinum and net zero energy?” I was excited by her question, not only because is it the same question that we are grappling with at Rocky Mountain Institute, but because it is coming from…
Lights, Camera Action!
For ideas on using clean energy for character roles and identities, for dramatic situations and plot development, or for visual effects, download the report or contact RMI via NewNormal@rmi.org. Watching the hit movie A Star Is Born the other night, I was struck by one scene in particular—not…
Zero-Energy Homes Are Ready for Mainstream Markets
Zero-energy (ZE) homes—efficient homes that produce or procure as much renewable energy as they consume over the course of a year—are often marketed as luxury homes, only available to the select few that are willing to pay a significant premium to do the right thing for the environment. In keeping…
The AC Industry Conundrum: Cooling Is Warming the Planet, but Market Failures Are Preventing the AC Industry from Innovating
This summer a new record was set in Quriyat, Oman for hottest overnight low temperature ever recorded—42.6ºC (108.7ºF). With global temperatures projected to rise 2–5oC by the end of the century, and urban areas experiencing temperatures 1–3ºC warmer than their surroundings, parts of the world will be unendurable…