Carbon-free Building News | Canary Media

House roofs with solar panels rise above treetops

Geothermal

Geothermal energy keeps utility bills low in this Texas neighborhood

The development outside Austin taps into natural heat deep underground to run heating and cooling systems for the planned 7,500 homes and other buildings.

By Terry L. Jones . 27 June 2025

Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE) gas meter and utility infrastructure against a building wall

Electrification

In California, plans to move low-income neighborhoods off of gas advance

Neighborhood-scale decarbonization is an efficient way to electrify communities that might otherwise be left behind.

By Twilight Greenaway, Inside Climate News . 26 June 2025

A person in tee shirt and baseball cap works on a heat pump unit on a roof with hills and other buildings in the background

Heat pumps

SoCal rejects plan to phase down new gas furnaces and water heaters

After an opposition campaign waged by SoCalGas and others, regulators tanked rules that would’ve encouraged, but not required, a transition to electric heat pumps.

By Alison F. Takemura . 10 June 2025

A treated color image of beige- and terracotta-colored buildings at affordable housing property Foothill Farms

Heat pumps

Electrifying this affordable housing complex made financial sense

In Sacramento, California, property owner BRIDGE Housing moved ahead with a heat-pump-plus retrofit designed to save both itself and its residents money.

By Alison F. Takemura . 30 May 2025

Two people wearing suits walk beside one another

Carbon-free buildings

Why killing home-energy tax credits would be bad for the economy

House Republicans passed a budget bill that would axe consumer tax credits for energy efficiency, solar, and more, a move that could hurt consumers, jobs, and the grid.

By Alison F. Takemura . 22 May 2025

Fossil fuels

Gas stoves increase cancer risk, especially for kids, new study finds

The appliances emit benzene, a potent carcinogen. Exposure varies depending on ventilation and other factors, but there’s no safe level.

By Alison F. Takemura . 16 May 2025

Two people look at the inside of a refrigerator with its door open.

Energy efficiency

Trump’s all-out war on energy efficiency

From targeting Energy Star to pausing more obscure rules, the Trump administration is derailing measures that help save money by reducing energy use.

By Alison F. Takemura . 12 May 2025

A person wearing a face mask stands in front of the charred remains of a building.

Carbon-free buildings

After LA fires, could it be cheaper and faster to rebuild without gas?

The city waived its all-electric building requirement in an effort to fast-track recovery after the January fires. A new report argues that’s the wrong approach.

By Alison F. Takemura . 5 May 2025