July 2019 Newsletter

Image
Image

ICAST Receives Help From a Deaf Youth-Build
crew on a Recent Rehab Project.


ICAST recently completed energy efficiency upgrades on 6 USDA-RD properties owned by Medlock Properties Inc. in Dona Ana County, New Mexico.  The upgrades will save over $72,000 in utility costs over the life of the upgrades installed.  What makes the project noteworthy however was the wonderful group of deaf youth from the El Paso Youth-Build organization who were part of the ICAST team implementing these projects.

Click here to read more about this Project: Here


Hawaii’s Financing Program Unlocks
Energy Upgrades for the Masses.


Hawaii has a new program that enables renters and low-income households to install solar and energy-saving equipment with no upfront costs and where the payment is transferable to the next renter. The Green Money $aver (GEM$) on-bill financing program creatively solves the split incentive problem by tying the repayment obligation for energy efficiency upgrades to the utility meter rather than an individual.

 Click here to learn more

Image
Image

Lego Pioneers Sugarcane-Based Bricks
in Move Away From Plastic..


For 60 years, Lego made its signature building blocks from oil-based plastic. In 2018, the company launched its first pieces made from plant-based plastic, sourced from sugarcane. By the end of this year just under 2% of Lego bricks will use the new polyethylene. While the percentage sounds small, Lego sells 75 billion elements every year. Lego has, by its self-imposed deadline, 12 more years to figure out how to utilize sustainable materials to make the remaining 98 percent of its plastic elements.

Click here for more

Image

ICAST Wins a Washington DC Contract for 
Net Zero Design Assistance


 ICAST was recently awarded a contract with the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment to provide net zero energy (NZE) project design assistance to the H Street CDC (HSCDC), a nonprofit MFAH property owner. ICAST will analyze one of HSCDC’s apartment buildings with the goal of designing a retrofit that will significantly reduce energy use while generating enough energy to achieve a near NZE design for the property. ICAST will also work with HSCDC to help identify potential financial mechanisms to implement the retrofit. DC recently passed one of the most ambitious clean energy laws in the country and the NZE Design Assistance Project will help owners understand how to achieve NZE in advance of the new building codes.

Sign Up for the ICAST Newsletter

Gain access to job and internship postings, innovative industry news, and
information about ICAST events.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.