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Life Cycle Cost Analysis: Is it Worth the Effort?
Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is often considered important for both new and retrofit building construction projects but is rarely implemented, often because it is…
Energy Modeling at Each Design Phase: Strategies to Minimize Design Energy Use
Design teams often use energy modeling as an accounting or code compliance tool to establish that minimum requirements are met. Used in this way, significant…
The Secret to Hurdling Barriers for Electric Cars
In a signal that the demand for fuel-efficient and clean vehicles continues to gain momentum, the Obama administration convened a meeting of automakers and utility executives last month to explore how these two historically separate industries will work together to roll out electric vehicles. And, even though Obama’s ambitious pledge to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 will be supported by $2.4 billion in grants, numerous studies have pointed out multiple barriers to widespread EVs adoption.
Accelerating Solar Power Adoption: Compounding Cost Savings Across the Value Chain
This paper discusses common barriers to solar power adoption and techniques for getting around those barriers. The authors argue that for solar power to become…
Crystallized Pedagogy: Architecture as a Medium for Sustainability Education
The notion that human behavior is influenced by environmental conditions is not novel, though this dynamic is often overlooked and underappreciated in the construction of…