A Sustainable Landmark Rises on the Boston Skyline
Winthrop Center’s energy-efficient design is setting a new standard, and helping it attract anchor tenants, too.
Akamai Wants Our HQ to Be Part of the Climate Solution. The Legislature Can Help
It’s going to take robust statewide policy to ensure that every building owner and operator can take advantage of this opportunity and help the state meet its climate targets.
New Energy-Use Rules Require Better Energy Management Tools
Today, the city of Boston has some of the most ambitious climate goals in the country, with institutions across the city grappling with ways to maximize energy and financial efficiency during a pivotal moment in the ongoing national discourse on the environment.
Cutting Carbon Footprints and Costs in Real Estate
Chris Gray looks at commercial properties through an energy efficiency lens to help Boston-based Taurus Investment Holdings evaluate potential acquisitions, at a time when landlords are creating efficiencies through operational upgrades, and reducing their exposure for capital upgrades.
Building Designs Respond to Climate and COVID Crises
People are increasingly concerned about how their immediate environs impact their health, with special attention to the indoor air quality of spaces we inhabit every day.
Boston Commercial Landlords, Tenants Get Energy Efficiency Help
Eversource and Boston officials have launched a new online resource center for building owners, facility managers and tenants of large- and medium-sized buildings in the city who want to find ways to make their spaces more efficient.
A Journey from Client to CEO
In a decade, Rachel White went from a customer of Newton-based design-build firm Byggmeister, whose background includes a Ph.D. in religious studies, to its CEO.
Senate OKs ‘Net Zero’ Building Code With Climate Change Bill
A provision in the bills allows cities and towns to adopt a “stretch” net-zero building code, which real estate industry groups said would be technically difficult to implement given the cost of energy efficiency and HVAC technology.
Monetizing Zero-Carbon Retrofits on Residential Investment Properties
Massachusetts investors who retrofit zero-carbon technologies will both help fight climate change and realize short-term returns.
Bill Would Require Carbon Pricing for Commercial Buildings by 2025
The Massachusetts Senate next week plans to take up a far-reaching package of climate bills whose major components include carbon-pricing mechanisms for transportation, homes and commercial buildings.
Brookline Could Ban Gas Service in New Buildings, Gut Rehabs
Brookline Town Meeting is scheduled to vote tonight on an article that would ban many new gas hookups and oil-fired boilers in the city.
State Climate Change Bill Expected in 2020, Will Cover Buildings
Senate leaders say a “major” bill that addresses clean energy, clean vehicles and buildings will “probably” come before the state Senate in January of next year.
Diversifying to Ride Out Real Estate Cycles
One of the 10 largest construction firms in Massachusetts, the 94-year-old Columbia Construction Co. has an annual volume of over $260 million. Its president, Shaun Lover, got his introduction to the building industry as a Northeastern University coop at Turner Construction and worked on projects including the Seaport East office tower before joining Columbia as a superintendent in 2003.
More Aggressive State Carbon Goals Could Include Real Estate Sector
Energy Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said Tuesday that the Baker administration is exploring more aggressive carbon reduction targets for Massachusetts, including what it would take to go net-zero by 2050, but would not commit to lawmakers to speeding up the state’s emission reduction goals.
This is ‘Who we R®’
Here are the Massachusetts Association of Realtors 2019-2020 legislative priorities that we advocated for at our 34th Annual Margaret C. Carlson Realtor Day on Beacon Hill on June 12.
State to Encourage Homeowners to Switch to Cleaner Heat Sources
State utility overseers approved a new three-year energy efficiency plan and changes to the Mass Save home energy efficiency program Tuesday, including a focus on getting homeowners to switch to cheaper and more environmentally-friendly fuel sources.
Boston Report Backs Home Renovations to Shrink Carbon Emissions
Boston must improve energy efficiency and convert completely to cleanly produced electricity in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, according to the new Carbon Free Boston Report.
Baker Plan Proposes ‘Home Energy Scorecard’ to Fight Climate Change
The plan suggests a “Home Energy Score Card” program as a market incentive for consumers to invest in energy efficiency home improvements.
Hot Property: Bentley Arena
Thanks to the combination of the rooftop solar technology and energy-efficient mechanical design, the overall grid energy required to power the arena will be less than half of what it would take to power a building of a similar size.
Realtors Dug in Against Guv’s Home Energy Audit Bill
Gov. Charlie Baker’s top environmental official reached beyond the “low-hanging fruit” of existing programs that have made Massachusetts a perennial leader in energy efficiency, he said Wednesday.
