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11 results
Electric Rates Can Help or Hinder Heat Pump Progress
This policy brief by RMI argues that current electricity rate designs in the United States often overcharge heat pump users, creating a financial barrier to home electrification. The document explains that because many utility costs are driven by summer peak demand, customers who add electricity demand in the winter (via heat pumps) may pay more than the actual cost of service. RMI proposes several rate reform strategies—including seasonal heating rates, time-varying rates, and separate customer classes—to align electricity pricing with actual system costs and support decarbonization goals.
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Document type: Policy brief
How “Digital Twins” Are Enabling City-Wide Electrification
A case study by RMI detailing how the City of Ithaca used digital building modeling tools, developed by Cornell University’s Environmental System Lab and RMI, to plan the electrification of 5,468 buildings to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
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Document type: Case study
How Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Can Drive Solar Development
This guide by RMI explores how Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) can leverage their extensive rooftop and parking assets to drive solar development, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while increasing shareholder value. It identifies significant untapped capacity, outlines the financial and regulatory barriers to adoption, and proposes community solar as a viable solution to overcome these challenges.
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Document type: Guide
Clean Energy 101: Geothermal Heat Pumps - RMI
This RMI fact sheet explains the technology, benefits, and market opportunities for geothermal heat pumps (also known as ground-source heat pumps) in the United States. It highlights their efficiency in both hot and cold climates, their role in reducing building emissions, and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on lowering installation costs.
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Document type: Fact sheet
TOP STATE ENERGY POLICIES TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS
This report by Energy Innovation and RMI evaluates the impact of five key state-level energy policies on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across six U.S. states using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS). The analysis demonstrates that a coordinated policy approach can significantly reduce emissions, create jobs, and improve public health outcomes.
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Document type: Report
The Economics of Electrifying Buildings: Residential New Construction
An updated analysis by RMI comparing the economic and environmental impacts of all-electric versus mixed-fuel single-family new construction across nine US cities.
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Document type: Report
Clean Energy 101: Heat Pumps
This guide explains the technology, efficiency, and types of heat pumps, highlighting their ability to provide both heating and cooling while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality compared to traditional fossil fuel systems.
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Document type: Guide
MAKING BUILDINGS BETTER
This policy brief by Energy Innovation outlines the building electrification and energy efficiency provisions within the House version of the Build Back Better Act (BBBA). It details $12.5 billion in incentives for residential and commercial building decarbonization, alongside significant investments in affordable housing, workforce training, and the adoption of zero-energy building codes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consumer costs.
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Document type: Policy brief
Eight Benefits of Building Electrification for Households, Communities, and Climate
This fact sheet from RMI outlines the climate, health, and economic advantages of transitioning US buildings from fossil fuels to clean electricity for heating and cooking, arguing that electrification is the only established method to eliminate carbon pollution from residential and commercial appliances.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Massachusetts’ Governor Must Act to Secure Clean, Affordable Buildings
This statement from RMI argues that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's veto of bill S.2995, which included a net-zero stretch code, contradicts state research and economic realities. The document asserts that electrification of new buildings is essential to meet the state's 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target and is already economically viable for single-family homes and affordable housing developers.
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Document type: Statement
California Can’t Wait on All-Electric New Building Code
RMI urges the California Energy Commission (CEC) to mandate all-electric new construction in the 2022 building energy code cycle to avoid significant carbon emissions and financial waste.
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Document type: Statement