News and Articles on Sustainable Construction & Retrofits

City Bans Demolitions to Cut Construction Waste

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

The construction industry produces a huge amount of waste. In the US alone, about 40 percent of solid waste comes from construction and demolition (C&D). To combat this, one US city is taking the unique approach of banning home demolitions, which it says will encourage the reuse of building materials ... Read more »

Building Efficiency Supports Renewable Energy

July 7, 2016 by Richard Gerbe

Renewable energy is slowly gaining ground in the overall energy mix, but it still faces many hurdles before it can be widely adopted and overtake fossil fuels as a primary source. That’s where building efficiency can step in and provide the backing renewables need to be successful. Building efficiency matters because without it, renewables will continue to face a steep

Dow Cuts Solar Shingle Line, Notifies Builders

July 6, 2016July 6, 2016 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

Dow Chemical will stop making its rooftop solar shingles, called the Powerhouse Solar line, less than five years after it launched the product. A July 28 letter sent to builders says Dow will accept orders for its Powerhouse Solar System 2.0 through July 28, reports MLive. Dow spokesperson Jamie Ellis ... Read more »

The Software Solution to Enterprise Efficiency: Don’t Overlook Midsize Buildings

June 21, 2016 by Ken Silverstein

The brain of the intelligent building, or the building energy management system (BEMS), gives customers the software analytics that translate more data into better information.

Innovations In Commercial Duct Sealing

June 14, 2016 by Ken Silverstein

Even newly built properties are, more often than not, plagued with leaky ducts – leaks that obstruct ventilation, reduce HVAC efficiency, significantly increase monthly utility bills and, in many cases, jeopardize entire construction projects.

Led by Affordable Housing, Peabody Properties Aims to Cut Energy Spending by 20%

June 8, 2016August 2, 2019 by Carl Weinschenk

An active area for energy efficiency is affordable housing. That sounds ironic: How can a sector in which end users are cash-constrained be a hotbed of activity? The answer is simple: The reality that tenants are on a set income makes those that serve them look elsewhere for profits -- and energy efficiency is one of those areas.

Updating the Army: Retrofitting Energy and Water Systems at the Tobyhanna Depot

June 6, 2016August 2, 2019 by Carl Weinschenk

The U.S. Army facility that Honeywell is retrofitting near Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, traces its roots back more than a century. While it is virtually impossible that any energy or water systems – or even the buildings themselves – that were there at the start are in use, the base does still rely in part on Word War II-era infrastructure.

Net Zero Training Institute Dedicated in L.A.

June 6, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

The Net Zero Plus Electric Training Institute in metro Los Angeles has been dedicated. The company said that the 144,000-square-foot demonstration center and “living laboratory” is the largest net-zero commercial building retrofit in the country.

OpTerra Upgrades The City Crescent Building in Baltimore

June 6, 2016 by Carl Weinschenk

OpTerra Energy Services’ Commercial and Industrial Division has completed a project that will significantly reduce energy consumption at the City Crescent Building, a historical structure in Baltimore.

Clean Energy Commitment in the Corporate and Local Small Business Sphere

May 27, 2016August 2, 2019 by Ken Silverstein

Forward thinking businesses such as Google Inc are leading the charge in the use of renewable energy in the corporate sphere. They power 100% of their operations with renewable energy.

Circular Economy Principles in Construction Sector

The Building Sector’s ‘Trillion-Dollar’ Circular Economy Opportunity

May 16, 2016May 13, 2016 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

Using closed-loop circular design principles — reusing discarded asphalt products as road-building materials and waste lumber as wooden flooring material, for example — is one of the approaches that could, and should, shape the sector’s future, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.

Solar Mandates: As Goes California, So Goes the Building Sector?

May 11, 2016May 11, 2016 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

As California goes, according to the old adage, but does it apply to solar energy mandates for new buildings? Last month San Francisco and Santa Monica approved ordinances requiring rooftop solar systems for new construction. San Francisco’s law, which applies to all new commercial and residential buildings with 10 floors ... Read more »

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