A new tool that leverages the capabilities of NAIMA’s 3E Plus pipe insulation thickness calculator for commercial and industrial facilities is now available. Within just a few minutes, the 3E Estimator can give users a ballpark estimate of the energy and emissions savings by adding insulation to the piping in an industrial facility.
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Posts Categorized: Decarbonization
3 Energy Efficiency Stories That Should Be on Your Radar
There’s no shortage of news stories proliferating within building and energy efficiency circles. It can be overwhelming to keep up with developments, so this week, we focus on three stories that we think should be on your radar.
Details »New Guide: Building Decarbonization Using Fiberglass and Mineral Wool
NAIMA has released a new guide that details how builders can use fiberglass and mineral wool insulation to aid in whole building decarbonization activities. “Building Decarbonization Using Fiberglass and Mineral Wool” reviews the two principal objectives of whole building decarbonization — reducing operational and embodied carbon in building materials. It also defines key terms, including:
Details »Report: Couple Envelope & Electrification Work
A new report just published by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) highlights that pairing residential heat pump heating and cooling systems with air sealing and insulation will reduce likely increases in customer costs and strain on the electric grid. The report’s message is timely as states prepare to implement two key programs of the Inflation Reduction Act and offer more than $9 billion in rebates for residential energy efficiency and electrification improvements.
Details »DOE Updates ZERH Specs, Provides 45L Details
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) last month released the latest version of the Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) requirements for single-family homes. Version 2 of the ZERH requirements included an update of the thermal envelope insulation levels to those required by the 2021 Residential IECC, whereas the previous version (V1 Rev 8) stipulated 2015 IECC thermal insulation requirements. DOE also highlighted the new tax credits available to builders through the 45L builder energy efficiency tax incentive.
Details »Home Building’s Inflection Point
With much of the globe witnessing unprecedented heat waves and wildfires, the realities of climate change are undeniable. But how will this impact residential construction? How might builders consider the impacts of climate change on building resilience moving forward? This week we talked to NAIMA Canada Senior Technical Advisor Gary Sharp, a civil engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the building industry. We spoke about why residential construction may have reached an inflection point based on climate change and what that could mean for the future of home building.
Details »Insulation Industry Releases Decarbonization Policy Principles
U.S. and global policymakers are increasingly focused on decarbonization efforts to address climate change. In response, trade associations representing the major U.S. insulation industry organizations recently released a statement of policy principles on building decarbonization. The principles advocate maximizing energy efficiency in buildings and pursuing whole-building embodied carbon reductions in building materials and components.
Details »The $32M DOE Effort to Boost EE
Long-needed energy efficiency improvements in much of America’s public housing means that low-income tenants spend a significant portion of their income on energy costs. Moreover, buildings are the second-largest carbon dioxide emissions source. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks to address this by launching an experiment with architects and public housing agencies to retrofit these homes with heat pumps and insulation upgrades to improve their efficiency.
Details »Decarbonizing Buildings Starts with Energy Efficiency
Responsible for nearly 40 percent of global climate emissions, buildings are critical to the government’s response to climate change. As lawmakers and climate advocates look for new policies that will curb greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment, the old rallying cry for energy efficiency is being replaced by calls for policies that drive building decarbonization. This leads to the question, just where does energy efficiency fit in this broader goal of decarbonization?
Details »2021 Record Year for Clean Energy
Despite the ongoing pandemic, 2021 was a record-breaking year for investment in the energy transition and renewable power, battery storage, and sustainable transportation, according to the 2022 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, published by BloombergNEF (BNEF) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). This tenth annual edition of the Factbook concludes that unprecedented injection of new capital into companies, technologies, and projects, as well as a wave of supportive new policies, drove the growth in clean energy transition and energy efficiency.
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