News
- A guide to building energy benchmarking in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area08/29/2019If you own or manage a private, non-residential building in the D.C. metro area, you've likely heard the phrase "energy benchmarking."
Whether it's new state laws you have to face, Energy Star ratings and scores you must meet, or fines you may be susceptible to, we break down the legal language, reporting information, and local utility incentives surrounding this important topic. - New York City is about to pass its own Green New Deal04/18/2019The Climate Mobilization Act is a series of proposals that includes forcing the owners of city’s large buildings–a huge source of its carbon footprint–to make them more efficient.
- California Towns Rebuild After Wildfires With Resilience in Mind04/10/2019To some, it’s hard to imagine how the community will recover. But on March 28, Paradise issued its first permit to rebuild a home, and has since issued a few more. There are 40 permits pending.
- They Grew Up Around Fossil Fuels. Now, Their Jobs Are in Renewables.03/26/2019In America today there is more employment in wind and solar power than in mining and burning coal. And a job’s a job.
- Asia's mega-cities need clean energy drive to cope with environmental threats03/28/2019Avoiding threats from climate change and pollution will require Asia’s booming cities to become much more efficient in their use of energy resources.
- DOE Announces Up to $26.1 Million to Advance Hydropower and Marine Energy04/01/2019Today, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel Simmons announced up to $26.1 million in funding to drive innovative industry-led technology solutions to advance the marine and hydrokinetics (MHK) industry and increase hydropower’s ability to serve as a flexible grid resource.
- WHAT THE US FEDERAL ENERGY STAR PROGRAM HAS ACCOMPLISHED FOR THE ECONOMY AND THE ENVIRONMENT04/03/2019The program along with its partners has helped save American businesses and families over $450 billion and more than 3.5 trillion kWh of electricity since 1992.
- Small Iowa town hopes benchmarking makes big impact on energy efficiency03/25/2019As the rest of the state retreats from energy efficiency, Bloomfield is betting information can spur improvements.
- An Important Vote for the Climate03/20/2019Local officials across the country will have a chance to vote on new energy efficiency standards for buildings. But few tend to vote, which could put the outcome in jeopardy.
- Sen. Yaw visits Advanced Drainage Systems03/14/2019State Sen. Gene Yaw (R- Bradford) recently visited Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) in Muncy to learn how large diameter thermoplastic pipe is manufactured.
- Aggressive clean energy bill would push Illinois to 100% renewables by 205002/28/2019The Clean Energy Jobs Act seeks to expand on and address shortcomings in the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act.
- Why architects need to wake up to the carbon emergency02/28/2019But what should give us pause for thought is just how carbon-intensive architecture is and, conversely, what impact for the good architects might make if they began to specialise in this subject and tackle it like social entrepreneurs.
- Building Smart, Green and High: What the EU can learn from Singapore02/28/2019As a kid everyone dreamed at some point about living in a tree house. What if this dream becomes the reality of today?
- Environmentalists hope Washington lawmakers will back a trifecta of efforts on clean power, efficient buildings and clean fuel 02/28/2019Heading into 2019 — with new reports showing drastic changes are imminently needed to avoid the worst climate change impacts — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and environmental groups made it clear that they wanted to make this the "Year of the Climate."
- Want a Green New Deal? Here’s a better one.02/24/2019WE FAVOR a Green New Deal to save the planet. We believe such a plan can be efficient, effective, focused and achievable.
- Cracked pipes below your home could cost the environment, homeowners02/18/2019Your pipes could be a money pit lurking beneath your home, even though it may look perfect in every other way.
- Extraordinary Prefab Houses Around the World02/18/2019Prefab is still a growing phenomenon in the United States, but it is more mainstream in other countries around the world. The numbers are much more impressive in European countries, such as in Sweden, where about 84% of houses are built using prefabricated elements and Germany at about 20%. In Japan more than 15% of houses are built in factories.
- Energy Efficiency: The Extreme-Weather-Resilient Resource02/13/2019When the next polar vortex hits, or the next heat wave strikes, how do you make sure the electric grid stays up and running? What is the most reliable resource? What energy resource produces more during extreme weather than it does during normal weather?
- Could Energy Efficiency Be the Key to Bipartisan Climate Change?02/14/2019One humble way to reduce carbon pollution has been gathering steam in red and blue states alike: energy efficiency.
- Connection between home energy efficiency and respiratory health in low-income homes02/11/2019New study finds people living in drafty homes in low-income, urban communities are at a higher risk of respiratory health issues.
- Energy Department Announces $42 Million in Project Selections for Innovative Buildings Research02/11/2019The U.S. Department of Energy announced up to $42 million in project selections to support early-stage research and development of innovative residential and commercial building technologies for energy efficiency.
- Demolishing the arguments against stronger energy performance02/12/2019Energy ministers from across Australia have approved a set of recommendations to increase minimum standards for energy performance in new buildings.
- Green buildings must do more in fixing climate emergency02/07/2019Instead of being a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, the built environment industry can do more to reduce buildings’ energy use and help generate clean energy.
- This climate solution is an economic opportunity staring Congress in the face02/06/2019Roughly 100 new members of Congress have recently been sworn in. Together with returning lawmakers, they will be looking at answering the question of how to tackle the threat of climate change while strengthening the U.S. economy.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Releases Green New Deal Outline02/07/2019Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., are introducing a framework defining what they call a "Green New Deal" — what they foresee as a massive policy package that would remake the U.S. economy and, they hope, eliminate all U.S. carbon emissions.
- Union Plan Board Considering New Plastic Pipes for Use Under Streets01/31/2019Union City Engineer Jonathan Zimmermann proposed amending the city’s code at Monday’s planning and zoning commission meeting to allow a new type of plastic pipe under certain city streets.
- Energy Department Announces $42 Million in Project Selections for Innovative Buildings Research01/29/2019The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $42 million in project selections to support early-stage research and development (R&D) of innovative residential and commercial building technologies for energy efficiency.
- Plastics Pipe Institute encourages going underground with recycling01/28/2019"The plastics industry has now taken a quantum leap toward solving the problem of plastic waste. With the formation of the alliance, the industry is driving forward a major initiative that has set realistic and obtainable goals."
- Commercial Real Estate: 51 developments apply for Better Buildings project01/01/2019Fifty-one projects involving more than 170 design, development and construction organizations have made submissions to take part in the new Better Buildings B.C.: Net-Zero Energy-Ready challenge.
- These Technologies Could Put an End to Leaky Water Mains01/07/2019Two inventors have come up with radically different approaches to try to solve the widespread problem of aging water infrastructure
- Home for the (energy-efficient) holidays12/21/2018“Energy efficiency is one of our top selling points,” says Avtec Homes, which builds in Brevard, FL, as well as Deltona and Palm Coast.
- Pursuing A New Standard In Net-Zero Energy Plus Homes12/18/2018The vision of solar + storage, home automation and home building is coming to life in a small fishing community called Cortez, Fla., near the retirement and vacation communities of Sarasota and Bradenton. In Cortez, LEED residential developer Pearl Homes and sonnen, a market leader in smart residential energy storage, are teaming on a net-zero-plus and climate-positive community called Hunters Point.
- Singapore fifth in green office space certifications12/10/2018In Singapore, the government's third green building masterplan was ... a target of achieving the local Green Mark standard for 80% of all buildings by 2030. ... $246,553.20 (US$180,000) in savings from energy efficiency improvements through ...
- Building Industry Collaborates on Health in the Built Environment03/31/2017LA Greenbuild panel on ingredient transparency, LCA and green chemistry
- Michigan Bill Would Require Cities to Consider Competing Water Pipe Materials03/15/2017MI State Sen. Rick Jones, R, said Tuesday it would force cities, if they're looking for state money for the project, to consider open competition on water line replacement. "Some cities have archaic rules and laws that say that you must use iron pipes," Jones said. "It would also put weight behind an engineer's recommendation. They're going to use concrete pipe in some places, iron pipe in some places, and we hope they'll consider using plastic pipes," Jones said. Read more.
- Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Marks Need to Update U.S. Water Systems03/13/2017America's fresh water infrastructure gets a D, and wastewater systems a D+ grade, according to a new report. Infrastructure is more than bridges and highways, it how we get our water. Some materials cannot even compete in some areas of the US. Fresh water for all is more important that… business as usual. Read more.
- Don't Forget Fresh Water Is Part of Our Infrastructure03/02/2017Open Competition Is What We Need To Bring Our Water Systems Into The 21st Century
- GBI’s Green Globes Certification Accepted for GSA’s Federal Leasing Activities11/16/2016The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will recognize GBI’s Green Globes certification as an allowable certification program for use in the GSA’s federal leasing activities. Click for more.
- Elon Musk Shimmies into the Solar Shingles Market09/29/2016Billionaire Elon Musk says Solar Panels to together like "peanut butter and jelly". Read aobut his new new shingles that "are integrated into the roof" like Dow's shingle product did.
- Latest from USGBC - Building green with energy-efficient materials: Insulation09/09/2016Did you know that the energy lost through a building's walls, roofs and windows is the largest single waste of energy in most buildings—especially in hot summer months? With the recent LEED® 2009 minimum energy update, projects are paying even closer attention to how tight they can make their envelope to drive down energy usage and costs.
- New York City Will Require More Efficient Buildings05/17/2016The mayor’s office announces steps aimed at reducing energy use in city-owned buildings as it seeks deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
- Spray Foam Coalition Sponsors Event to Inspire Next Generation of Architects, Builders and Entrepreneurs04/15/2016The Race to Zero competition was created to inspire students to design the next generation of zero energy ready homes with features that sharply reduce energy use and offset most, if not all, of the remaining energy needs with renewable energy.
- U.S. Department of Energy Race to Zero Student Design Competition
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Race to Zero Student Design Competition (Race to Zero) inspires collegiate students to become the next generation of building science professionals through a design challenge for zero energy ready homes. - GBI Cites Improvements in Rating Systems as Benefit of an Open and Competitive Marketplace04/06/2016Building owners benefit from open markets that foster competition between green building rating system developers.
- Tiny Houses for the Masses: 84 Lumber Launches Packages Starting at $7K
If you thought the tiny house movement was just a fad, think again. 84 Lumber, a major national retailer of building materials and services, just launched a series of tiny houses, available in flexible packages targeting anyone who might be interested in this lifestyle. - Saving Water Is So Hot Right Now in Landscape Design
Among the 803 landscape architects surveyed, 88 percent reported that clients seemed most interested in rainwater or graywater harvesting elements. - Plastics Help House Win at Solar Decathlon02/11/2016“Inspired” by Hurricane Sandy, a team of Stevens students designed and created a home for the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2015 Solar Decathlon in Irvine, CA.
- ACC Launches Website Highlighting Chemistry in Building and Construction Materials02/17/2016The new site provides tools and information about green building codes and standards.
- Creating ‘Super Tailored’ Constructions via 3D Printing12/23/2015“What are they gonna do next–3D print your car and home too?” The short answer is yes–and indeed.
- 10 Innovative Buildings Made from Plastic
From wildly architectural houses to a whimsical pavilion, plastic breaks the mold in these forward-thinking structures. - DOE Virtual Tour of Energy Efficient Homes
Take a virtual tour of homes that are so energy efficient a renewable energy system can offset all or most of their annual energy consumption. - Chemical Ingredients in Building Products: What Do You Really Need to Know?
HPDs can’t be used in isolation to make decisions about the safety and environmental performance of a product. - Polyurethane Highlighted on Home Improvement Radio Show
Polyurethane is present in many of the products that make our homes comfortable and stylish. - Green Magic “Tiny Homes” Built Into the Earth
The business of chemistry and plastics make it possible! - Building a Tiny House with Plastics
Plastics Make it Possible® has built a tiny house in Boulder, CO. We invite you to explore the many ways that innovative plastic building materials can help improve energy efficiency in any size home. - Maryland Sets One of the Most Ambitious Energy-Efficiency Targets In the Nation!
Maryland regulators deserve particular praise, and more attention than they’re receiving, for their decision to set one of the most ambitious energy-efficiency targets in the nation. - At NIST Net-Zero Energy House, Energy Efficiency, Clean Air Are Compatible Goals
After 15 months of monitoring, researchers report that even with its airtight construction, air quality inside the two-story house-cum-laboratory bests the air quality in new, conventionally built houses. - How Stevens’ SURE HOUSE Responds to Hurricane Sandy
Welcome to the SURE HOUSE, Stevens Institute of Technology’s entry into the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2015 Solar Decathlon competition. - Saving Water with Plastics
JM Eagle is pushing for more use of plastic pipes to replace aging pipes that leak and waste water in drought-stricken areas. - Zero Energy Homes – Made Possible by Plastics
And according to NIST, some “states are taking steps toward encouraging or even requiring construction of net-zero energy homes in the future…That is going to require help from a lot of plastics. - Spray-foam Insulation: Preserving and Protecting Cleveland’s Theater District
The buildings now benefit from a trusted product that has been a staple in the restoration and preservation of the area’s historic gems for the last four decades, versatile spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation. - Spray Polyurethane Foam Showcased in Top Designs of Competition for Energy-Efficient Homes
SPF was recently featured in a competition for graduate and undergraduate students, along with faculty advisers, to design a high-performance, energy-efficient home that can offset the majority – if not all – of its annual energy consumption. - Couple Travels Country in 130-Square-Foot Tiny House Sponsored by Dow Chemical
Michael Peaden, a technical sales representative for Dow, met the couple at an energy efficiency conference and took an interest in their big plans to build and then live in a tiny house on wheels. - What Are We Learning from Energy Benchmarking Programs?
How can the data be analyzed, and what impacts do the policies themselves have on building energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and the local economies? - Highlighting Spray Polyurethane Foam at West Coast’s Largest Homebuilding Trade Show
More than 10,000 participants are expected to visit the two-day event, including builders, developers, architects, remodelers, designers, contractors, dealers/distributors and suppliers/manufacturers. - Video: Minnesota Vikings Turn to Plastics to Prevent Leaks in New Stadium Roof
The Minnesota Vikings are turning to plastics to prevent leaks and melt snow. - PVC Pipe Carries Clean Water to Remote Honduran Villages
The Vinyl Institute helps bring clean water to Honduran villages. - How Chemistry Helps Architects Elevate Design Projects
Architects rely on the products of chemistry to help maximize performance, energy efficiency, and durability. - Center for the Polyurethanes Industry Helps Lead Industry with Education and Training
ACC’s Center for the Polyurethanes Industry sponsored an ASTM International symposium focused on standardizing methods to measure emissions from spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation. - ACC Welcomes Senate Hearing on Energy Efficiency Legislation
ACC welcomed the hearing, which reaffirmed that there is strong, bipartisan support for energy efficiency. - Spray Foam Coalition Sponsors Event to Inspire Next Generation of Clean Energy Leaders
The Coalition is sponsoring a competition for students to design energy efficient, high performance homes. - Widespread 3D Printed Homes in 5 Years, High-Rises in 10 Years
One of the most exciting areas within the 3D printing space is the fabrication of structures such as homes and offices. - Living Walls…With Help from Plastics
These benefits of plastics don’t merely create aesthetically pleasing design features—living walls made with plastics can help us lighten our environmental footprint. - ACC Commends Senators Portman and Shaheen for Reintroducing Energy Efficiency Bill
The American Chemistry Council commended Senators Portman and Shaheen for their steadfast efforts to ensure that energy efficiency has a prominent place on the nation’s energy policy agenda.
- Andrey Rudenko Plans to 3D Print a 2-Story “Zero Energy” House in 5 Days with Advanced 3D Printer
“Homes built using my technology, if done correctly, will use close to zero energy,” Rudenko explained. - Builders’ New Power Play: Net-Zero Homes
Net-zero homes are going mainstream, if the home-building industry has anything to do with it. - Shanghai-based WinSun 3D Prints 6-Story Apartment Building and an Incredible Home
The 3D printed home is an accomplishment which many architects and designers have at least been contemplating for a few years now. - Drive By Shoots Capture Real Energy Efficiency
Boston-based company Essess is able to analyze thousands of buildings an hour and predict which households are most likely to buy new insulation. - Welcome to the SURE House: Students Respond to Climate Change
Will the plastics be in the walls, windows, solar panels, radiant heating, counters, and cabinets? Tune into this 2015 Solar Decathlon House to find out. - ChoroGenesis to 3D Print an Entire Resort Using Their 6D Digital Fabrication Platform
There are numerous projects underway currently to develop the technology necessary for the construction of large-scale objects via an additive manufacturing platform, but none of them seem as promising as the project currently being worked on by a London-based company called Chorogenesis. - Help Save Energy and Reduce Waste with Innovative Plastic Home Improvement Products
Here are some examples of products and projects that can make a difference for you and the environment—made possible by plastics. - Plastic Rope Pulls Its Weight to New Elevator Heights
Skyscrapers will be able to soar to greater heights with help from plastic in the latest lift technology developed by Kone Corp. - When to Do an LCA
As the environmental, social and economic impacts of a product over its entire life cycle receive increased attention, many companies are wondering about conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA). Should they conduct an LCA? And if so, when and how? - GreenBuildingSolutions Team Lead Interviewed in GreenBuildingNews on Insulation Energy Efficiency
Q&A: Insulation Trends That Save on Energy. - The Future is Still Plastics – Maybe More Than Ever
In the 1967 movie “The Graduate,” the title character got this career advice: just one word…plastics. It was so long ago, yet a futuristic remake would give the same advice. Plastic keeps evolving, gaining new properties and new uses. - Chemisty Can Help Save Energy in NYC Buildings
Working together, cities and states can drive greater adoption of energy efficient technologies that enable innovation, provide cost savings, and reduce emissions. - Green Building Initiative (GBI) to Offer Free Web Instruction on Continual
Improvement of Existing Buildings
Retrofits for energy efficiency dominate because of the size of the market compared to new construction. See how to use GBI methods to improve building performance throughout its life cycle. For more information please contact: Dianne Elliott, 503-274-0448 x105, Dianne@thegbi.org. - Plastics Help Enable Printable Solar Panels
Australian scientists claim they are extremely close to having printable solar panels available for market. - USGBC and ACC to Work Together to Advance LEED
Initiative brings together leaders of the green building movement at USGBC with risk- and science-based decision-making expertise of ACC. - Polyurethane Foam That Is More Than Insulation!
A low-cost material could allow robots to easily shift between fluid and rigid states. - Saving Energy and Money: Go Team Go! See Energy Efficiency Charts for DC Schools Saving Energy
A spirit of competition has helped schools in the District of Columbia save more than 76,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. - Permanent Change: Plastics in Architecture and Engineering
Almost every industry in the world has benefited from the invention of plastics, but it is only in the recent past that they have begun to be appreciated as architectural materials in their own right. - Study Suggests Building Codes Can Cut Energy Use—at a Price
Tougher standards reduce electricity and natural-gas consumption in Florida city. - Drexel Study Proves LEED Certification Much More Costly than GBI
The Green Building Initiative announced that GBI’s Green Globes certification process is significantly less expensive to conduct and faster to complete than LEED certification, according to GBI president Jerry Yudelson. - A 3D-Printed House Is Being Built Right Now in Amsterdam
Using what’s essentially a large-scale version of a desktop 3D printer, Dus Architects is building what will eventually be a 13-room Dutch canal house made of interlocking plastic parts. - 2014 Green Building Policy Outlook
With strong progress in 2013 and early accomplishments in 2014, the green building community and Congress are jointly positioned to finally make the improvements needed to advance our nation’s energy efficiency goals and set the policy needed for long term sustainability. - The House Is Actually Set To Pass a Bipartisan Energy Bill This Week
The bill would establish a new voluntary efficiency standard for commercial buildings, direct the federal government to set efficiency goals for its data centers, and require buildings leased by the federal government to disclose their energy usage data. - Are There Better Ways to Compute Carbon Footprint?
Calculating carbon footprint can be a tricky exercise. But, there are number of methods, which can offer better insights into it. - LEED Green-Building Certification Under Attack By Lawmakers, Rival
Now LEED has a rival — a controversial, Portland, Ore.-based rating system known as Green Globes, which markets itself as a simpler, less-expensive alternative. - Polystyrene Homes Aim to Take Pressure Off Kenya’s Forests
While architects describe the EPS technology as a ‘cheap’ way for Kenyans living on the margins to own decent homes, conservationists say it’s also a way for Kenya to continue building without putting undue pressure on its forests. - Q&A: The Weatherization Assistance Program
Weatherization services are cost-effective, energy efficiency measures for existing residential and multifamily housing with income-eligible residents. - Filling in the Cracks Can Save Homeowners Billions of Dollars in Energy Costs
Many of the energy-saving materials and technologies that can make homes better rely on the innovations of chemistry. - Newly Adopted Energy Efficiency Standards Will Improve New Homes
The small, added cost of energy-efficient new construction more than pays for itself in monthly energy savings that benefit homeowners for years to come. - Students Educate the Public on Building Efficiency at DOE’s 2013 Solar Decathlon
Through the use of energy-efficient technologies—many of them made possible by chemistry—the participating students showcase the benefits of investing in building efficiency. - Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Even Used for Banknotes
The decision to introduce polymer banknotes by the Bank of England would reduce the environmental impact of our currency, according to the results of a lifecycle assessment. - Spray Polyurethane Foam Can Help Make Buildings Stronger, More Durable
While spray polyurethane foam’s (SPF) insulation and air sealing benefits are well known, many building owners may be unaware of its other properties that can help strengthen buildings and make them more durable. - Spray Polyurethane Foam Delivers Energy Efficiency for High-Performing Buildings
It’s a great time for homeowners to get ahead of the season and think about using a professional contractor to install spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation for a more comfortable indoor experience, no matter the conditions outside. - Growth of Polyurethanes in Commercial Applications
Polyurethane insulation products continue to grow in popularity as they provide some of the highest thermal resistance values, contributing to high energy efficient building envelopes. - Green Globes Cuts Multiple-Building Projects Certification Costs09/28/2016A new volume program offered by the Green Globes online rating tool is designed to streamline the process and slash the direct cost of sustainability assessments by up to 75 percent for clients seeking green building certification on multiple buildings of a similar design.
- Elon Musk Shimmies into the Solar Shingles Market09/29/2016Billionaire Elon Musk says Solar Panels to together like "peanut butter and jelly". Read aobut his new new shingles that "are integrated into the roof" like Dow's shingle product did.
