Just In! (from NY-GEO)

1. Geothermal: The Reliable Renewable – The Michigan Renewable Energy Association, with help from WaterFurnace, has put together some comparison slides for homeowner investments in geothermal heat pumps vs. solar and wind electricity generation. Of course, all investments in renewables are helpful in addressing the climate emergency, but we thought these slides were eye opening. For more information on the data presented, contact Will Lange Will.Lange@waterfurnace.com 260-442-2814

2. “Canada’s $170/Ton Carbon Price Makes Heat Pumps Financial Winners” • As part of his ongoing exploration of heat pumps as a wedge on climate change, Michael Barnard assess the fiscal impacts of Canada’s new carbon price of C$170 per ton ($132 per ton) of CO₂ on annual heating costs for them compared to gas furnaces. [CleanTechnica] “The carbon price of $170 per ton of CO2 fundamentally changes the economics of natural gas vs heat pumps… for every province but Alberta, heat pumps reduce greenhouse gas emissions with today’s grid intensity, and for all provinces except Alberta and Saskatchewan, the 2030 annual benefits of heat pumps over natural gas without any other incentives or subsidies range from a couple of hundred dollars to $6,000 per year.

3. Zero Code – “…in 2018, Architecture 2030 created the ZERO Code, a standard for building design and construction that combines efficiency standards with renewable energy to create zero net carbon buildings. In 2019, Architecture 2030 worked with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to get the ZERO Code adopted as a voluntary appendix in the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), resulting in a set of nationally vetted guidelines, the Zero Code Renewable Energy Appendix…’Legislation that requires buildings to reduce and eventually eliminate their carbon footprint drives creative design thinking and market solutions,’ Hiromoto says (Julie Hiromoto, AIA, a principal and director of integration at HKS Architects in Dallas). ‘And the ZERO Code developed by Architecture 2030 is a starting point for local jurisdictions to adopt policies that support zero carbon new construction, working toward the ultimate goal of decarbonization that we so urgently need.’  In June, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis issued a report recommending that Congress incentivize state and local governments to adopt the ZERO code. Full article here.