Like many small business owners in the energy efficiency and construction industries, I have spent months writing letters to my senators in support of the home energy retrofit legislation called Home Star. Tomorrow, Congress will determine whether the Home Star Retrofit Act of 2010 will make its way to the...

Last week the House of Representatives passed legislation aimed at pulling the hard-hit construction industry out of depression. With over 2 million jobs lost in the construction trades since 2006 and an unemployment rate of about 25%, now is the time for Congress to act. The bi-partisan legislation (H.R. 5019),...

President Obama attracted national attention in December when he declared that "insulation is sexy stuff." To those of us in the energy efficiency industry, the President's nod to insulation confirmed our belief that energy conservation is quickly becoming mainstream.

Increasing the R-value of the insulation in your home makes...

For years now, builders could claim a $2,000 tax credit for building energy efficient homes that met certain above-code requirements under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (or "EPAct") Builders Tax Credit. This tax credit has been effective at incentivizing builders to increase the energy performance of homes and has...

What is the 2030 Challenge and why should we care about residential energy codes? Architecture 2030 is an organization dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of the built environment. Given the environmental impact of buildings, dramatically reducing the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with residential and commercial buildings...

Yes, okay. I admit it. I miss the paycheck. But, the good news is that I've replaced the green I used to see in my bank account, with the kind of green that makes it easy to sleep at night. In May of this year, I left my post as...

The Department of Energy came to Denver this week, promoting its Builders Challenge initiative, which seeks to promote affordable, zero energy homes for all Americans by 2030. Ed Pollock, the Residential Team Leader for the U.S. Department of Energy hosted the Builders Challenge tour at the EEBA Conference which...

In truth, my discontent started much, much earlier than I would ever let on. In the beginning, the plan was simple: three years at a law firm, eating ramen, repenting for the sins of private, adjustable-rate law school loans. Then I could do what I really wanted: pursue those entrepreneur...