Energy Efficiency

Pedestrians walk in Brooklyn on an unseasonably warm afternoon in February 2017, when temperatures reached near 60 degrees. To take action against climate change, New York City is requiring large buildings to retrofit their structures to improve energy ef

To Fight Climate Change, New York City Will Push Skyscrapers To Slash Emissions

7:04pm April 23, 2019

by Camila Domonoske

A law — the first in the world — will require retrofits of large buildings, with a price tag in the billions. Buildings are responsible for about 70% of the city's greenhouse gas emissions.

Queue Listen Now

Dishwashers have come a long way since this 1921 model, which was designed mainly to help minimize the drudgery of housework. But today's sleek models are also designed with water conservation in mind.

To Save Water, Should You Wash Your Hands Of Hand Washing Dishes?

4:51pm November 24, 2017

by Natalie Jacewicz

The sustainable choice between the dishwasher and a manual scrub-down may just boil down to your washing style — but it's hard to beat today's efficient machines.

The Energy Star program started in 1992 to rate the efficiency of computer monitors and now covers dozens of product categories.

Energy Star Program For Homes And Appliances Is On Trump's Chopping Block

9:38am April 26, 2017

by Grace Hood

Appliance makers and home builders are in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the energy efficiency program. Energy Star is among 50 EPA programs that would be eliminated under the president's budget plan.

A building called Sustainability Base, at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., has an energy-efficient design that allows in sunlight. So for most of the year, the interior is illuminated by natural light.

NASA Uses Lessons From Space To Design An Efficient Building

7:24pm November 30, 2015

by Joe Palca

Named Sustainability Base, a NASA facility in California is a model for energy-efficient federal buildings. It's powered by a fuel cell like those used on spacecraft and recycles water for flushing.

Queue Listen Now

Environment

Energy Summit Focuses on Cost Savings For Colleges

10:58pm July 16, 2015

A 150-foot wind turbine towers from the top of a mountain that overlooks Appalachian State University.

Queue Listen Now

Solar Sunflowers, an art installation, greets visitors to Mueller's commercial and retail hub off of Interstate 35. The panels power a nightly light display and return power to the grid. When the development is complete, five miles of granite trails will

With Porches And Parks, A Texas Community Aims For Urban Utopia

12:25pm February 17, 2015

by John Burnett

Austin's Mueller neighborhood is a new-urbanist dream, designed to be convivial, walkable and energy-efficient. Every house has a porch or stoop, and all the cars are hidden away.

Queue Listen Now

A woman in Senegal charges her cellphone using a port in her solar-powered LED lantern.

World News

LED Lights Are A 'Transformative Technology' In The Developing World

1:58pm October 14, 2014

by Christopher Shea

This year's Nobel Prize in physics went to scientists who invented the blue light-emitting diode. Paired with solar power, the energy-efficient LED is bringing affordable light to places off the grid.