Saturday, December 9, 2023

Construction

DetroitHistoric preservationReal EstateUrban Planning

The Ilitch Crusade Continues: When Is Enough Enough?

The latest Ilitch demolition has us all scratching our heads and wondering when we will deserve a better city– for buildings, for historic preservation, and, of course, for Detroiters.

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Energy EfficiencyUtilities

Energy Burden: The Elephant in the Electrification Room

Dr. Destenie Nock and Shuchen Cong presented from Carnegie Mellon University on a new approach they are taking to assess energy burden in communities around the United States. It is important analysis that will help inform how public service commissions develop better energy efficiency policy for utilities, and how utilities assess the needs of their most vulnerable customers.

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ClimateEnergyEnergy EfficiencyPolicyUtilities

Michigan SB 271: Not-So-Lofty Goals Face Off Against Fossil Fuels

Michigan’s Senate is currently working on an energy bill that would require utilities to adopt a 100% renewable portfolio standard by 2035. It’s a good start, but there are a few holes that need to be plugged.

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ClimateEnergyEnergy EfficiencyUtilities

MI Healthy Climate Conference: Is It A New Day In Michigan?

I wrapped up a couple of days at the MI Healthy Climate conference. We talked about decarbonization, public health, and innovation. We even got to see some eBikes!

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ConstructionEnergy EfficiencyHousing

Radiators Vs. Forced Air: Who Will Triumph In Efficiency?

A recent Twitter debate prompted me to think about whether we can’t come up with a better metric to compare the efficiencies of heating systems using radically different methods of thermal transfer. As you can probably guess, there is a better way– but it’s not easy to figure out.

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EnergyEnergy EfficiencyMidwestScience & Research

Remembering George Crabtree (1944-2023)

The energy sector lost a giant this week in the passing of Dr. George Crabtree, who was one of the

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ConstructionEnergyEnergy EfficiencyHome Improvement & DIY

Age of Incompatibility: Fixing Smart Home Tech

A minor saga involving a dysfunctional lightswitch led me to thinking about some of the challenges of integrating smart home technology.

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ConstructionEnergyHistoric preservationTech

Matterport 101 – Three Unusual Use Cases

The Matterport platform offers plenty of opportunities well outside the realm of simply creating virtual tours for real estate listings.

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