GAB Report library
Net Zero
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Replacing Delivered Fuels with Heat Pumps Saves Maryland Homes $1,600 Annually
An RMI study reveals that Maryland single-family households switching from heating oil and propane to high-efficiency heat pumps reduce annual energy bills by $1,200 to $1,600. Combined with EmPOWER rebates and state funding, delivered-fuel retrofits offer immediate operating cost reductions, especially across rural and exurban service territories.
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Willohaus Scales Passivhaus Classic for 100 Salford Affordable Homes
Salix Homes and the English Cities Fund have handed over Willohaus, a 100-unit, fully affordable residential scheme in Salford built to certified Passivhaus Classic standards. The all-electric development uses a compact form factor, structural framing infill, and continuous heat recovery ventilation to suppress operational energy demand and protect tenants against fuel poverty.
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Obama Presidential Center Cuts Fossil Fuels with Deep Geothermal Network
Opening on Chicago’s South Side, the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center demonstrates how demanding, museum-grade institutional buildings can completely eliminate on-site combustion in cold climates using a 160-borehole ground heat exchanger, advanced envelope modeling, and extensive stormwater capture.
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Washington High School Proves All-Electric Net-Zero Design at Scale
Washington, D.C. achieved LEED v4 Platinum certification for the new Benjamin Banneker Academic High School by combining an airtight building envelope, a 950-kilowatt solar array, and deep geothermal wells. The 175,000-square-foot facility now operates at an EUI below 20 kBTU per square foot.
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Engineers Unify Power and Cooling Rules to Absorb Surging AI Computing Loads
ASHRAE, NEMA, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have released the AI Data Center Energy Performance Framework. Developed with more than 50 industrial partners, the living reference synchronizes HVAC thermal envelopes, electrical equipment standards, and grid-interactive controls to manage rising rack densities and ease severe power constraints.
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Midwestern Adaptive Reuse Proves Closed-Loop Water and Net-Positive Power
Three years of post-occupancy operations at the Stanley Center for Peace and Security in Muscatine, Iowa, show how deep adaptive reuse achieved net-positive energy, closed-loop water autonomy, and significant commercial supply chain reform.
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National Lab Funds Four Pilots Linking Building Retrofits to Grid Capacity
The National Laboratory of the Rockies and the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator have selected four organizations to pilot high-efficiency building envelopes, multi-family demand flexibility, cooling center storage, and automated grid interconnection. The initiative deploys federal research tools directly into operational real estate and utility portfolios.
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ASHRAE Pivots Decarbonization Focus Toward Deep Building Retrofits
ASHRAE has unveiled the technical curriculum for its sixth Building Decarbonization Conference, focusing directly on the engineering mechanics of retrofitting existing commercial facilities. The program addresses pressing challenges including electrical panel capacity limits, heat pump conversions, and binding municipal performance caps.
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Inaugural ESG & Decarbonizing Real Estate Forum
Editor’s Foreword: How can we do our part in keeping the commitment to achieve the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target? The real estate and investment markets play a key role in this commitment as the buildings they build, manage and invest in, account for nearly 40% of annual global CO2 emissions. While the concept of Environmental,…
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Zero Energy and Zero Carbon Buildings Can Accelerate Climate Solutions