Carbon-free buildings

Newark Airport’s historic terminal gets an all-electric makeover

Historic buildings are hard to electrify. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey pulled it off for a landmark structure while preserving its Art Deco flair.

By Alison F. Takemura . 15 September 2025

Art Deco entrance to a building — The all-electric retrofit of the nearly century-old Building One included installing heat pumps, EV chargers, and electric boilers. (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey)

Heat pumps

This startup says it can halve the cost of a heat pump — here’s how

The Vancouver-based Jetson has a simple cost-cutting formula: lots of tech, no middlemen. Today, it’s launching its own heat pump product.

By Alison F. Takemura . 9 September 2025
Electrification

This campaign will help you go electric before federal tax credits end

As the GOP kills incentives, Rewiring America is offering free online tools and weekly calls to get more clean energy and efficient appliances into homes.

By Alison F. Takemura . 2 September 2025
Fossil fuels

Colorado now requires health warning labels on gas stoves

The state is the first to put labels on the appliances pointing consumers to evidence about the harms of cooking with gas. Appliance manufacturers are suing.

By Alison F. Takemura . 19 August 2025
Carbon-free buildings

Building electrification and fast, affordable construction can coexist

Opponents of gas bans and all-electric building requirements say they’ll make housing unaffordable. That doesn’t have to be true.

By Kathryn Krawczyk . 8 August 2025
Carbon-free buildings

San Francisco fast-tracks all-electric standard for major renovations

With the state set to pause code updates in October, the city is racing to close what some saw as a loophole in its existing all-electric building code.

By Alison F. Takemura . 8 August 2025
Electrification

This Massachusetts town banned gas — and housing boomed anyway

Critics say stringent, pro-electrification building codes and restrictions on natural gas will impede housing developers. A Boston suburb is proving them wrong.

By Sarah Shemkus . 6 August 2025
Carbon-free buildings

California halts building code updates in a blow to electrification

Local jurisdictions may still be able to adopt ambitious codes that help homes ditch gas and promote heat pumps under exceptions in the new law, AB 130.

By Alison F. Takemura . 4 August 2025
Carbon-free buildings

New York becomes first state to commit to all-electric new buildings

The state finalized rules ensuring most new edifices will install electric heat pumps and stoves instead of gas appliances, lowering costs and improving air quality.

By Alison F. Takemura . 30 July 2025
Electrification

Massachusetts test shows big savings from free heat pumps and solar

Low-income residents on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard who participated in a home electrification pilot saw their utility bills drop by more than half.

By Sarah Shemkus . 17 July 2025
Heat pumps

Need air conditioning? Consider the heat pump.

Heat pumps provide both cooling and heating, typically pay for themselves in energy bill savings, and can allow you to sidestep the cost of replacing a furnace.

By Alison F. Takemura . 3 July 2025