Research that Informs Business and Public Policy
In 1960 only 2% of U.S. homes were heated with electricity. Today it’s 38%. U.S. households burn vast amounts of fossil fuels on-site for home heating: 2.7 trillion cubic feet … Continue Reading Electrification? We Are Already On The Way
It won’t reduce energy use much, but it can fundamentally alter where that energy comes from. A decade ago, there seemed to be a Kumbaya trend in climate policy. Politicians … Continue Reading What Can Carbon Pricing Do?
U.S. energy-efficiency requirements for air conditioners illustrate the inherent limitations of standards. This was a hot summer. July 2019 was the hottest month ever recorded globally. Even in temperate Oakland, … Continue Reading Limitations of Standards
Saving energy and saving the climate are not the same thing. A couple years ago I took Severin’s advice and proactively replaced many of my still-working incandescent light bulbs with … Continue Reading Redirecting Energy Efficiency Policies for the Climate
Is Berkeley’s newest initiative paving the way for an all-electric future? I like economics. But I love cooking. I recall making jams using berries from the garden with my mom at … Continue Reading Outlawing Gas
Policymakers have options to reduce price impacts and save lives. I left the place where bad weather was invented – Northern Bavaria – in my youth to migrate West. I … Continue Reading High Wintertime Energy Prices Kill People
With more engaged consumers we may find we need less. It’s a golden age for natural gas in the US. Production is soaring. In 2017 the country became a net … Continue Reading Do We Really Need All This Natural Gas Infrastructure?
