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Incisive commentary from RAP experts
RAP experts keep their finger on the pulse of the energy sector and provide timely analysis of topics impacting stakeholders TODAY.
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May 1, 2023
To Save Energy, Cities Turn to Building Performance Standards
- Kim Cheslak ,
- Erin Beddingfield ,
- Camille Kadoch
When homes and buildings are first constructed, they must meet the building code in place at the time of construction. The median age of U.S. homes is 39 years, which means that most homes are decades out… View Summary +
April 24, 2023
Time for a System Update: Financing our Buildings’ Future
- Cliff Majersik ,
- Caitlin Caplinger
Buildings should last decades or longer, but to do so they must be periodically modernized — and that’s challenging when financing options are limited. This means we are missing opportunities to implement new technologies that support efficiency, health and productivity… View Summary +
April 17, 2023
A Chance to Transform Weatherization Programs
- David Smedick ,
- Camille Kadoch
Across the country, state and local governments are awaiting a windfall investment from the federal government to modernize infrastructure and ensure energy security. Everything from housing to bridges, airports and the electric grid will receive an injection of funds to… View Summary +
April 12, 2023
Flex and the city: Cities need dynamic pricing for public charging
City dwellers without their own parking space, small business owners such as taxi drivers and a growing number of car-sharing users rely on the public charging network to access electric driving. The affordability of electric vehicles (EVs), compared to the… View Summary +
April 10, 2023
Opening the Door: How Officials Can Improve Access to Energy Decision-Making
- Chandra Farley ,
- David Farnsworth
In a representative democracy, all citizens have the right to access government services, to meaningfully contribute to government decisions and to share equitably in the benefits of government programs. The many decisions made in Washington, D.C., have important implications for… View Summary +
April 5, 2023
Tackling the Job of Building Modernization: A Toolkit for State Decision-Makers
- Camille Kadoch ,
- Donna Brutkoski ,
- Jessica Shipley
Energy efficiency and electrification are the dynamic duo of a modern building. Technology advances in both these areas mean that we have the ability to improve the comfort and health of a building’s residents, save them money, reduce air… View Summary +
March 21, 2023
How the energy crisis is boosting heat pumps in Europe
Heat pumps are widely seen as the most important technology when it comes to decarbonising heating. Organisations including the International Energy Agency and McKinsey see heat pumps providing most of our heating… View Summary +
March 17, 2023
Let’s make clean heating a reality for low-income households
The cost of heating leaves many European households feeling burnt. Three-quarters of our heat is still supplied by expensive fossil fuels, and heating homes is Europe’s biggest gas user, which creates a twin dilemma: How do we clean up heat,… View Summary +
February 23, 2023
How to solve the UK’s heat pump problem
With fossil fuel prices skyrocketing, emissions from homes in the UK stubbornly high and the price of clean electricity from renewables tumbling, it’s clear that we are not taking the right approach to heating our buildings. Heating, which is dominated… View Summary +
February 7, 2023
‘Hydrogen-ready’ boilers – a lifeline for fossil fuel heating in Europe
The heating industry is in turmoil. The need to decarbonise energy demand as well as the gas crisis caused by the war in Ukraine have led to governments around Europe setting phase-out dates for the installation of fossil fuel heating… View Summary +