Rmi Outlet
Buildings
Surviving the Next Polar Vortex
One year ago this week, the Midwest was under siege from the “polar vortex” that caused subzero temperatures and power outages across Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and New Jersey. In light of the fact that climate change is projected to increase the frequency and severity of these events,…
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…
Think Distributed Solar-Plus-Storage Isn’t Cost-Effective? Think Again.
As shown in a recent RMI report, battery energy storage costs are less than a fifth of what they were a decade ago. This is enabling batteries to become cost-effective in a growing list of locations and use cases, such as balancing the grid, reducing customer demand peaks, and…
A New Approach to America’s Rapidly Aging Gas Infrastructure
Spending on America’s Gas Systems Has Grown Dramatically in Recent Years Across the United States, the utilities that provide natural gas to homes and businesses have rapidly increased total spending, tripling from roughly $5 billion per year to $15 billion between 2009 and 2017, according to data from the American…