Change is afoot in the patterns of US energy consumption.
Some quick thoughts to share from a conversation I just had with Skylar Swinford, Hammer & Hand’s lead building scientist.
A sea change in energy use is upon us. Today the building sector consumes nearly 50% of US energy, and over 75% of US electricity. And as the transportation sector transitions from internal combustion to electric power, new demands are being placed on the grid. A conventional reaction is to build expensive and environmentally-costly power plants. But a huge reserve of domestic energy sits largely untapped – the energy performance of our buildings.
That’s what Clean Energy Works Oregon retrofits, Passive House, and high performance building strategies are all about.
– Zack
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