Posts Categorized: Health

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  Weatherization Without Walkaways: Change is Coming, But Needs a Push

  by Steve Cowell

  Weatherization is in the news more than ever, with infrastructure funds coming and with state and federal legislation proposed to improve buildings.

  Funding is necessary, but not sufficient, to solve our nation’s crisis in substandard housing. We absolutely need smart strategy. If we do not apply funds quickly and effectively, this opportunity could turn into its own crisis. This is what keeps me up at night.

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  Non-Energy Benefits of Distributed Energy Resources

  What I learned during my internship at E4TheFuture

  by Owen Connolly

  Prior to my summer internship, I had some knowledge of the clean energy industry, but knew nothing about distributed energy resources (DERs) and the benefits they can provide. The valuation team of Julie Michals and Shayna Fidler quickly brought me up to speed on the National Standard Practice Manual for the Benefit-Cost Analysis of Distributed Energy Resources  (NSPM for DERs), as well as the Database of Screening Practices (DSP). While the DSP provides details on state cost-effectiveness practices for energy efficiency, my task was to research where and how states are valuing other DERs – with a focus on non-energy benefits (NEBs).

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  Carsharing: The New Challenges and Opportunities Presented by COVID-19

  by Rachel Ehrman

  The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world. It’s affected everyone, every business, every industry. While this time is one that is surely testing us all (hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs vanished in a few short weeks), it is also a time to pause, reflect, and reshape our work to come out of this difficult time more resilient than before. This is especially true of industries that rely on shared use when many people seek every precaution possible to avoid the virus. Despite its environmental and financial benefits, carsharing is struggling. Read More

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  Orchestrating a Better Outcome

  New Playbook Offers Guidance on “Energy-Plus-Health” Programs

  by Julie Michals and Ellen Tohn

  Twentieth-century music giant Sergei Prokofiev wrote the timeless Peter and the Wolf to help teach about the orchestra. We thought it fitting to use Prokofiev’s approach to tell a story. But in place of Peter (his grandfather, the bird, cat, duck, wolf and hunter – all represented by types of instruments) our focus is the potential for energy efficiency and health care industries to play “music” together. (Perhaps a stretch, but stay with us . . .) Read More

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  Healthy Housing – an Emerging Field in Home Performance

  by Julie Michals

  People flocked to healthy homes sessions at the Home Performance Coalition’s largest-ever conference last month. Non-energy benefits associated with energy efficiency upgrades have long been discussed, but this was the first time an HPC conference track was devoted exclusively to healthy housing and indoor air quality (IAQ).

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  Can Energy Efficiency and Health Industries Bring Momentum Mainstream?

  by Julie Michals

  When E4TheFuture decided to explore the health co-benefits of energy efficiency in its November 2016 white paper Occupant Health Benefits of Residential Energy, we had a particular reason for doing so. Our initial focus was to document studies that could help inform cost-effectiveness screening—specifically, to help make the case that important health co-benefits of efficiency exist, and their value is not $0. We were excited to piggyback on a broader research effort undertaken by the US DOE.

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