NetZero Insider Weekly Intelligence Report: Buildings, Land & Industry

The all-in costs of electric homes remain above those for natural gas, but that will flip as more homes are electrified, construction techniques improve and the remaining ratebase of gas utilities has to pay more and more of their costs, NetZero Insider’s Jon Lamson reports from Massachusetts.

Our K Kaufmann tells us the federal government is using its buying power to get more demand for carbon-free power in PJM states. The General Services Administration and Department of Defense are looking to buy 2.7 million MWh per year in the 13-state region, the nation’s largest organized market.

In our curated content, we recommend Canary Media’s report that heat pumps outsold gas furnaces by 21% — the largest gap in two decades of data. Sales for both were down in 2023 due to rising inflation and supply-chain issues, but heat pumps grew their lead over furnaces from 2022 when they only outsold the latter by 12%.

Inside Climate News has a story based on recent data from the Department of Agriculture, which shows carbon-intensive farms and large, factory-scale animal operations are getting bigger while the number of farms is dropping. The trend resulted in the loss of schools healthcare facilities and other businesses. The Biden administration says its plan to develop voluntary carbon markets — in which farmers get paid for planting cover crops, stopping tillage and employing “adaptive grazing” that sequester carbon or limit emissions — could help keep smaller operations running.

The Michigan PSC approved a settlement with Consumers Energy, the state Attorney General’s Office and others over its energy efficiency spending, Michigan Advance reported. The utility will spend $9 million helping to retrofit single-family homes and $6 million for multifamily homes. The utility’s investments will favor consumers with high energy burdens: those who spend 6% or more of their income on energy bills.

We have plenty of other interesting stories in this week’s Intelligence Report:

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Agriculture & Land Use
Building Decarbonization

Agriculture & Land Use

Wyoming

OPINION: Fighting climate change is important. But so is protecting our landscapes.

Save Wyoming. Let someone else feel that awe when they stand on the same ridge where you stood so long ago and marveled at the space and light. Let them see a landscape unchanged since the ice age. You owe this to the planet as well. Only in this way, can our Wyoming make it through the next decades of renewable development. Wyoming is not expendable, writes Wyoming state Sen. Cale Case. WyoFile

U.S.

How much carbon can farmers store in their soil? Nobody's sure.

Dirt is a humongous receptacle of carbon, some 2.5 trillion tons of it -- three times more than all the carbon in the atmosphere. The problem is, no one really knows how much carbon farmers can store in their soil, and there's pretty much no good way for a farmer to know how much carbon they're storing on their land. Grist

Agriculture

U.S.

The new Census of Agriculture shows carbon-intensive farms and factory-scale animal operations are only getting bigger

One way to reverse the trend, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, is to boost support for agricultural methods and practices that have climate benefits so farmers can earn money for them. Inside Climate News

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Building Decarbonization

Maryland

Better Buildings Act' would mandate electrification in new Maryland construction

With Maryland's commitment to be carbon neutral by 2045 on the horizon, the General Assembly is taking up the issue of building codes. During this legislative session, the Assembly will consider the Better Buildings Act, which would update the code to require new construction, and buildings undergoing significant improvements to meet energy needs without fossil fuels. Public News Service

Michigan

Michigan Public Service Commission approves settlement for energy efficiency programs

The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a settlement recently between environmental and housing advocates, the Attorney General's Office and Consumers Energy. The agreement will expand investments into energy efficiency building on a previous agreement from 2022. Through the agreement Consumers Energy, one of the state's largest energy companies, will increase investments in communities most impacted by high energy burdens. Michigan Advance

New York

Ithaca wants to electrify all 6,000 of the city's buildings by 2030.

In downtown Ithaca, some businesses and nonprofits have switched to heat pumps. It's a good first step, but the city still has a long way to go. Fast Company

Ohio

Climate action: Cincinnati partners to advance building decarbonization

Cincinnati is the first municipal partner to integrate solar feasibility data into BlocMaps to identify buildings with high potential for solar. The city is working with climate tech firm Blocpower and sustainability alliance Green Umbrella to meet the goals outlined in the 2023 Green Cincinnati Plan. SmartCitiesWorld

U.S.

Heat pumps outsold gas furnaces again last year -- and the gap is growing

According to data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute released last week, Americans bought 21 percent more heat pumps in 2023 than the next-most popular heating appliance, fossil gas furnaces. That's the biggest lead heat pumps have opened up over conventional furnaces in the two decades of data available from the trade group. Canary Media

U.S.

Industrial Heat Pumps Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels

Hard-to-decarbonize industries are next in line for a clean energy makeover, and the U.S. Department of Energy is on it. CleanTechnica

Energy Efficiency

Massachusetts

The Promise Of Passive House Design

The extraordinarily energy-efficient building method slashes climate pollution from homes, hospitals, schools, and high rises. Now it's catching on in Massachusetts and elsewhere. Yale Climate Connections

Space Cooling & Heating

U.S.

Benefits of Heat Pumps Detailed in New NREL Report

Millions of U.S. households would benefit from heat pumps, but the cost of installing the technology needs to come down to make their use a more attractive proposition. National Renewable Energy Laboratory

U.S.

Heat pumps outsold gas furnaces again last year -- and the gap is growing

While sales of both heat pumps and gas furnaces were down in 2023, heat pumps are proving more popular than ever. Canary Media

U.S.

Why a State-Led Coalition to Install More Heat Pumps Is a Big Deal for Climate Change

New York, California and seven other Democratic-led states formed a coalition this week to dramatically increase their statewide sales of heat pumps while phasing out fossil fuel furnaces. Inside Climate News

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