Researchers Calculated How Many Lives Energy-Efficient Buildings Could Save

An intensive push to improve energy efficiency in buildings throughout the United States could prevent 1,800 to 3,600 premature deaths every year, according to a new modeling study. What’s more, combining this with efforts to achieve better indoor air quality in homes could prevent 2,900 to 5,100 deaths annually.

The Climate Future We Envisioned Is Already Here

Leaving Yosemite National Park and traveling west along California State Route 140, you’ll wind down out of the Sierras, into the rolling foothills, and eventually cross the table-flat Central Valley. If you were driving that route on August 12, as I was, you would have been stopped in traffic Merced River by a fairly dramatic operation.

Fed Creates Office for Climate, Health, and Equity

The connection between public health and the climate crisis now has a specific home in the federal government. On Monday, the Biden administration announced the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, housed within the Department of Health and Human Services. This week’s announcement came as wildfires are creating hazardous air quality in the West and Hurricane Ida barrels inland after making landfall in Louisiana, which is facing a public health emergency. The office has three focus areas to start:

• building resilience to climate health impacts

• working with hospitals to reduce their emissions and build resiliency

• combining climate resilience with health equity

LADWP to Provide $72.5 Million Dollars to LAUSD for Energy and Water Conservation Measures Through Renewed Partnership

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will provide up to $72.5 million dollars to help the nation’s second largest school district save energy and water, while reducing their utility bills, under a renewed agreement that will continue through 2025.

Webinar: Benchmarking Energy Use and Assessing Energy and GHG Performance During a Pandemic: Strategies from Award-Winning Partners

Are you wondering how to tackle the challenge of benchmarking your energy data during the pandemic due to atypical energy use and occupancy patterns? Curious how to assess your energy and GHG performance for 2020 and 2021? Join this webinar to hear perspectives from two ENERGY STAR partners.

When: September 9, 10 a.m. PST