heat pumps

Close-up of worker installing white electric heat pump outdoors.

Decarbonizing Homes: The Case for Electrifying Residential Heating

A new MIT study finds that transitioning residential heating from natural gas to electric heat pumps can significantly reduce carbon emissions and operational costs.

March 4, 2025 - MIT News

Row of homes in Durango, Colorado covered in snow.

Colorado Launches New Efficiency and Weatherization Rebate Program

The state is using federal funds to assist homeowners in replacing inefficient appliances and making their homes more climate-friendly and resilient.

November 4, 2024 - Colorado Public Radio

HVAC technician on roof installing heat pump with tools in foreground.

Seattle Expands Heat Pump Rebates

Moderate-income households can access up to $8,000 in incentives to switch from oil heating systems to more efficient electric heat pumps.

September 24, 2024 - Smart Cities Dive

Underground parking garage full of parked cars.

An Untapped Energy Source: Underground Garages

A European study measured ambient air and groundwater temperatures in underground parking garages and found that the heat generated by these structures could potentially power thousands of households.

November 14, 2023 - Anthropocene Magazine

Natural Gas

California Takes Step Toward Replacing Gas with Electricity in Buildings

Two weeks after Berkeley became the nation's first city to outlaw natural gas lines in new buildings, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to update an old regulation to allow funding for 'fuel switching' from gas to electric appliances.

August 7, 2019 - Utility Dive

East Bay Area

Another Berkeley 'First': Banning Natural Gas Lines in New Buildings

On Tuesday night, the City Council of Berkeley, Calif., unanimously voted to ban natural gas infrastructure from new buildings starting next year, the first city in the U.S. to pass such an ordinance. Fifty cities in the state could be next.

July 22, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Protected Bike Lane

British Columbia's Climate Plan Bans Sales of Gas and Diesel Passenger Vehicles by 2040

Ten years ago, British Columbia launched North America's first carbon tax. This month, Premier John Horgan unveiled the long awaited climate plan, CleanBC, that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 2007 levels by 2030.

December 26, 2018 - Vancouver Sun

Could the Humble Heat Pump Be a Decarbonization Hero?

Buildings are responsible for a little less than half of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Break this figure down further and you'll find that building heating accounts for about a fifth of all U.S. emissions.

September 18, 2017 - Doggerel

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.