What’s a high integrity offset?

The UN Secretary-General is widely regarded as the world’s top diplomat. So António Guterres’ language at the launch of a High-Level report on Net-Zero Commitments in November spoke volumes: Using bogus ‘net-zero’ pledges to cover up massive fossil fuel expansion is...

Ten action-packed years, so what’s next?

Buildings Alive started out ten years ago with a simple question: what would happen if you provided building operators with clear, daily feedback about the energy and environmental performance of their buildings? Would they find it motivating? Would they experiment?...

The electricity market is about to turn upside down

On 31 August 2018, three public advocacy groups wrote to the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) asking for it to change the rules governing how the Australian electricity market works. Their request? Allow consumers to be paid for electricity they avoid using....

Can HVAC systems spread COVID-19?

All buildings are created for people and building owners must ensure they are safe. But unfortunately, as with most things in life, there is no guidebook setting out the ‘ideal’ way to achieve that outcome. This is especially true in a pandemic. Over recent days,...

The evidence is in: peak demand is “manageable”

Owners and managers of large non-residential buildings usually pay around 15–30% of their (ever-increasing) electricity bills for network ‘capacity’ in most markets. But peak demand savings are rarely a focus for management. Why? Until recently there have been a few...