Carbon-free buildings

Policy & regulation

With new draft rules, Vermont’s clean heat standard faces murky future

Last year, Vermont became one of the first states to pass a clean heat law. Now, its regulators and lawmakers are trying to figure out how to implement the policy.

By Carrie Klein . 8 October 2024

Downtown Montpellier, the capital city of Vermont. (John Greim/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Energy efficiency

This simple score can help you find an energy-efficient home

A growing number of cities are mandating Home Energy Scores, a metric that makes it easy for potential renters or homebuyers to grasp a home’s energy use.

By Alison F. Takemura . 8 November 2023
Clean industry

To decarbonize cement, the industry needs a full transformation

Cement production has an enormous carbon footprint. That can be curbed with plug-and-play solutions, but eliminating emissions entirely will require big, ambitious action.

By Jeff St. John . 24 October 2023
Clean industry

6 innovative startups that are kicking CO2 out of cement and concrete

Cement-making is a 150-year-old process. These companies are using new additives, chemistries and methods that could curb the industry's oversize climate impact.

By Maria Gallucci, Jeff St. John . 24 October 2023
Carbon-free buildings

Boston skyscraper named world’s biggest 'Passive House' office

The building, which will use far less energy than a conventional design, is the latest example of the efficiency standard’s growing popularity.

By Alison F. Takemura . 11 October 2023
Energy efficiency

These startups are using AI to cut energy waste from buildings

Buildings use — and waste — an enormous amount of energy. A growing number of startups are trying to wield buzzy AI technologies to fix this problem.

By Jeff St. John . 9 October 2023
Heat pumps

New plan aims to quadruple heat-pump adoption in 25 states

The pledge, which covers 55% of the population, calls for accelerating home decarbonization by deploying 20 million heat pumps by 2030.

By Jeff St. John . 21 September 2023
Clean industry

Startup hits milestone in its bid to cut concrete’s dirtiest ingredient

Demand for clean concrete is rising. CarbonBuilt says it has a potential solution: concrete made without using any Portland cement.

By Maria Gallucci . 21 September 2023
Carbon-free buildings

NYC’s big building-decarbonization law faces its first major test

Landlords and climate activists are sparring over the future of Local Law 97 — the country’s most ambitious citywide mandate to clean up building emissions.

By Jeff St. John . 20 September 2023
Heat pumps

Heat pumps outperform boilers and furnaces — even in the cold

Some utilities and fossil-fuel interests like to say heat pumps don’t work in the cold. A new study provides yet more evidence to debunk that myth.

By Alison F. Takemura . 13 September 2023
Electrification

Your cheat sheet to the climate law’s consumer incentives

The Inflation Reduction Act has a bevy of programs to help you install everything from a heat pump to better insulation. Here’s how to navigate it all.

By Alison F. Takemura . 17 August 2023