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This week in buildings, land and industry news, the Department of Energy released updated energy efficiency standards for residential and commercial light bulbs. NetZero Insider’s James Downing reports the standards will save consumers $27 billion over the next 30 years and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 70 million metric tons.
DOE also reported that it has started to roll out $8.8 billion in funding for home energy efficiency and electrification rebates. New York state had its application approved to start funding home retrofits, while another 11 states have submitted applications and DOE expects more to file in the coming months.
The New York Times wrote an explainer on heat pumps for the New York City area, which notes that Consolidated Edison is investing in its transmission and distribution system, expecting electrification to drive up demand in coming years. Air-source heat pumps are going to dominate the market because geothermal pumps will be impractical with the dense infrastructure below the streets.
Canary Media also weighs in on heat pumps, with a story on DOE’s efforts to get new models out that can efficiently serve larger, commercial customers. The department is convening manufacturers and customers to work together to roll out new models as soon as 2027. Less than 15% of the six million commercial buildings currently have heat pumps, so the market has plenty of room to grow.
The Biden administration is taking its time to issue new regulations for energy efficient construction that are a condition to getting federally insured loans, Huffington Post reports. The new codes would add about $560 million to building costs annually, but the thicker insulation and modern windows mandated under the latest model building codes would save $1.5 billion in energy costs over the period a buyer would pay off a house. The timing is important because regulations that come out this summer could be overturned through the Congressional Review Act should Republicans win the White House and Congress this fall.
The Rocky Mountain Institute has released a new tool designed to help calculate the savings from energy efficient and electrification upgrades to homes and cars, and Canary Media has the details. The calculator covers rooftop solar, home batteries, air-source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, induction stoves, electric cars, e-bikes, and other upgrades.
Read all that more in this week’s Intelligence Report:
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