Ep.59: New Energy Opportunities with Jacob Corvidae

“Going green” has been a part of the remodeling and building industries for a while. But much of the eco-conscious activity has been reactive. There’s real movement now to be proactive, and that’s especially true in the energy industry. It’s undergoing a massive disruption — and that has big implications for remodelers and builders.

In this episode, Jacob Corvidae talks about what’s coming in the energy industry, and what it will mean for your business, with Tim and Steve.

Jacob is a principal in the Buildings Program at Rocky Mountain Institute, where he leads the Residential Energy+ initiative. After nearly two decades of work in sustainable community development in Michigan, he now works from RMI’s Boulder, CO, office. He’s also a co-author of The Carbon-Free City Handbook, and The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook, two guides to help local governments around the world take action faster, and reports to support contractors and builders.

Jacob’s focus is on practical methods to get to a cleaner, more prosperous energy future. The discussion ranges from macro to micro topics — from the global impacts to why residential gas stoves can cause asthma attacks. Find out what changes in energy production and infrastructure will mean to the building and remodeling industries, including:

• What the dropping price of solar may mean for you
• Changes in utility rates
• How energy-efficient building will save, and possibly, earn money
• Solar on homes as part of a community “farm”
• The economics of clean energy
• Infrastructure challenges and solutions
• The rise of the all-electric house
• Enforcement of energy-efficiency through local standards and codes
• Staying ahead of the curve to become a local market leader
• Educating your customers
• The sales opportunities for you
• Getting a strategy together
• Reaching out to manufacturers
• And more …

Including where to go for more information and education. To start, Jacob recommends his own organization and additional resources:

• RMI’s Economics of Zero-Energy Homes
• Energy and Environmental Building Alliance
• U.S. Dept. of Energy’s  Zero Energy Ready Homes