July 2022 Newsletter

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ICAST Selected as Program Operator to Remove Weatherization Barriers for Low-Income Households in Connecticut 

ICAST is pleased to announce that it is expanding into a new territory to help manage Connecticut’s new Statewide Weatherization Barrier Remediation Program. Over three years, we will collaborate with the State’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Administrator, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), to coordinate health and safety (H&S) and WAP services for low-income (LI) households. H&S risks such as mold and asbestos can make it impossible to deliver WAP retrofits, precluding LI households from accessing services that can reduce their utility bills and increase the health, comfort, and safety of their homes. ICAST will leverage $12.3 million in initial federal funding to coordinate local service providers and facilitate weatherization services in LI communities.


Read the press release from DEEP.

Netherlands to ban fossil heating from 2026, make heat pumps mandatory

The Dutch government intends to ban new fossil fuel-centric heating system installations as of 2026, while introducing the mandatory use of heat pumps or connections to heat networks.

Few countries are as reliant on gas to heat homes as the Netherlands. In 2018, fossil gas covered 71% of residential demand, while the liberal use of greenhouses in agriculture further adds to the situation. Thus, citizens have been hit hard by record gas prices.

“The urgency of sustainability is great, and the pace must be increased. It is also better for everyone’s wallet if we use less natural gas,” explained Hugo de Jonge, minister for housing. 

“That is why the cabinet wants the hybrid heat pump to become the standard from 2026 when the central heating boiler needs to be replaced,” he added.

For the full story, click here.


https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/netherlands-to-ban-fossil-heating-by-2026-make-heat-pumps-mandatory/
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ICAST Policy Blog
White House Announcements

White House Promotes Innovation Efforts in Renewables

On June 28, the White House announced that its current $7.5b investment to create a nationwide electric vehicle charging network will receive an additional $700m in private investment, which will increase the government’s “capacity to manufacture more than 250,000 new electric vehicle chargers each year, add at least 2,000 good-paying jobs, and make EV charging more affordable, accessible, and equitable.”

For the full story, click here.




https://electriccarsreport.com/2022/05/fiat-commits-to-fully-electrified-product-range-from-july-2022/
Cold Climate Heat Pumps Light Up Climate Fight

With supply chain woes clogging up the electric vehicle pipeline, it may seem that the whole global energy transition is spinning its wheels. Not so! Mobility does not own the whole decarbonization space. Buildings also claim a hefty share of greenhouse gas emissions, and the latest breakthrough in the area of cold weather heat pumps for buildings could accomplish more planet-saving cuts in global emissions than a highway full of EVs.

Heat pumps are electrical appliances that can deliver cooling as well as heating to homes and other buildings, with far greater efficiency than other electric heating and cooling systems.

For the full story, click here.

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