Buildings Hub Live

Buildings Hub Live hosts representatives from two leading building decarbonization companies leading the charge to weatherize, decarbonize, and electrify communities across the United States. 

Atlas Public Policy is excited to host our fourth episode of "Buildings Hub Live," where we spotlight the changemakers and technologies leading the charge to electrify our built environment. Join us for a special post-Midterm election conversation on Wednesday, December 14 at 2PM EST where we'll sit down with Julia Pyper, host and producer of the "Political Climate" podcast series, and Justin Worland, Senior Climate Correspondent at TIME Magazine, to discuss the implications of the election outcome for building sector electrification. How might the results change or accelerate the push to decarbonize the US buildings stock on the federal, state and local level? What does the unexpected outcome mean for the future of decarbonization policy over the next two years?

Buildings Hub Live spotlights the changemakers and technologies leading the charge to electrify the built environment.  On this episode, Mark Kresowik, Senior Director for Policy at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and Alisa Petersen, Federal Policy Manager at RMI, discuss the historic opportunity for building electrification outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act. What's in the bill and how will it enable widescale building sector decarbonization?  What rebate programs and tax credits can you apply for? Listen to find out!

Buildings Hub Live spotlights the changemakers and technologies leading the charge to electrify the built environment. Join Atlas Public Policy for Episode 2 on Wednesday, August 31 at 2 PM EST. We have the pleasure of hosting Noah Cordoba, Program Coordinator for Kitchen Electrification at the Building Decarbonization Coalition, and Ram Narayanamurthy, Program Manager with the Emerging Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy, to discuss the the future of the electric kitchen and the transition to induction cooktops.

While many home and commercial chefs believe gas stoves to be superior than their electric counterparts, that perception will need to change as the United States transitions to all-electric buildings. Traditional electric cooking, either coil tops or ceramic glassware, represent the vast majority of electric cooking appliances across U.S. households. However, a safer, higher-performing, more efficient option, induction cooking, is emerging as the future of the electric kitchen. Induction makes use of electromagnetism to heat iron/steel pots and pans, which allows the cooking surface to remain cool to the touch even when fully engaged. Induction stoves can boil water faster than any alternative, including gas, and they generate zero indoor air pollution and pose zero fire risks. With the right policy support and increased awareness, it’s only a matter of time before induction cooking comes to a kitchen near you.

Atlas Public Policy is excited to launch our new podcast series “Buildings Hub Live” where we spotlight the changemakers and technologies leading the charge to electrify our built environment. Join us for our inaugural session on Tuesday, July 12 at 3 PM EST where we’ll drill down with Kathy Hannun, President & Founder of Dandelion Energy, and Alexis McKittrick, Program Manager with the Geothermal Technologies Office at the US Department of Energy, to discuss the role for geothermal heat pumps in decarbonizing the US buildings stock.

Space heating, air conditioning, and water heating are responsible for around 70 percent of US household energy consumption, and buildings generate nearly 15 percent of total US carbon emissions. According to the US Department of Energy, geothermal heat pumps are the most energy-efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly option for home heating and cooling. Under the right conditions, geothermal heat pumps can replace traditional air conditioning units, boilers, furnaces, and water heaters, provide substantial cost savings to homeowners, and reduce household emissions and carbon monoxide risks. Drawing upon the near-constant temperature (~50°) of the shallow subsurface, geothermal heat pumps channel subterranean heat into homes during the winter, and pull heat from buildings and inject it into the ground in the summer.