Robin LeBaron

Entrepreneur at the intersection of energy efficiency, renewables, contracting, utility policy and real estate. Former anthropologist. Erringtonian.

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

So if you spends 28% of gross household income on the mortgage, you need $103,029 / yr to afford that median-priced home.

But the median U.S. household income in 2020 was $67,527, and would be spending almost 43% of gross income on that median home.

#realestate #affordability

[JTE Elms @jteelms]

The monthly mortgage payment on the median-asking-price home — which has risen to $408,458 — has hit a record high of $2,404 at the current 5.27% mortgage rate, per Redfin. #realestate

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

Demand for grid electricity hits record low in New England on May 1: more than 1/3 of the region's power comes from distributed #solar

80% of Vermont's power generated by #renewables (w/ #energystorage)

Rooftop solar really does make a difference...

https://t.co/R2ZtUwpUY7

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

Pamela Brookstein’s follow-up: home buyers don’t understand #energyefficient #highperforming home FEATURES and don’t rank them highly. But they love — and rank highly — the BENEFITS.

@JoinBPA #CEDH conf @ElevateNPO

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

Pamela Brookstein of ⁦@ElevateNPO⁩ speaks to the need for engaging marketing materials that communicate the benefits of #highperforming features in the home sale — e.g. a ⁦@pearlcert⁩ home sells for a higher price due to the certification.

⁦@JoinBPA⁩ #CEFH conf

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

“Don’t bury the lede.” ⁦@wcaseymurphy⁩, Senior VP at ⁦@pearlcert⁩, discusses how #energyefficiency and #solar contractors need to connect with homeowners over the things owners care about — not usually energy efficiency or savings.

At ⁦@JoinBPA⁩’s #CEFH conf

[E4TheFuture @e4thefuture]

A great value! #HomePerformance and #EnergyEfficiency / Weatherization orgs will benefit from getting involved.

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

Historic Cali drought halve summer #hydropower output, driving spikes in NG usage, gas prices, & #CO2 emissions. @UtilityDive: CA faces perfect storm regulators have little control over.

Mostly true, but the #solar net metering IS under CPUC's control...

https://t.co/ZYCtaVQrqC

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

Winter storms intensify in the southern hemisphere; reaching intensities not predicted until 2080 by previous climate change models.

Effects could include more rapid warming of south pole, as well as more storm damage in southern hemisphere countries.

#climatechange

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

More than 60 businesses call on state gov'ments to invest $billions of new Federal funds in #energyefficiency initiatives, including #hvac upgrades, efficient water heating, & #weatherization of low-income homes

Signatories include @CeresNews @johnstoncontrols @ikeausa @JoinBPA

[Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) @sweep_org]

An important letter to governors and administration officials in several states today — calling on them to expand #energyefficiency programs to create green jobs, reduce pollution, and cut energy costs. https://t.co/cnyQ1g3tPY (via @CeresNews)

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

Global heat pump market posts rebound in 2021: expands by 15% in the US, and by about 25% in Europe.

Interestingly, in Europe the coldest countries have been driving the fastest growth.

#energyefficiency #heatpumps #HVAC

https://t.co/wbtcXWXDQJ

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

Just figuring out how to incentivize duct sealing and insulation could save up to 2,148 million kWh, according to @NREL's ResStock tool. There's lots more savings in attic and wall @insulation

Paying for performance is a fine approach.

#energyefficiency

https://t.co/aWlAzhtlWl

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

@chrisnelder @energyvoiceau That was the direction I was stumbling in. Homeowners (and other denizens of the grid edge) play crucial roles in creating DERs. Their participation could be facilitated by naming conventions that recognize their participation and investment.

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

@chrisnelder @energyvoiceau I am thinking of two different ways to interpret your comment, and this doesn't quite address either of them, but to make the options just a bit more awful, there's always Consumer Power Resources

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

@chrisnelder @energyvoiceau the bar is low...

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

@chrisnelder Consumer Power (thanks, @energyvoiceau)

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

@msirinagonzalez Just having enough time to relax and think is something fundamental to the human condition that we've almost lost

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

@msirinagonzalez I know so many people in this same general situation. I sometimes think about the 1970s, when I was a kid, and how much more free time there was. Of course, I was a kid, so of course I had time. But it wasn't just me -- my parents had hours to read & garden & spend time with us

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

#Energyefficiency measures reduce energy consumption -- but often not much as predicted, UCLA study finds. Shocker: engineering models get human behavior wrong.

The take-away: don't abandon efficiency programs, but quantify the savings -- and redesign if the savings aren't there

[Magali Delmas @maggiedelmas]

Great write-up from @LA_Colgan on our forthcoming article in @JaereAere https://t.co/lJGtBTjL4t

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

I respect the Biden admin's commitment to the rules. But the some of rules for this #solar #tariff case were enacted during Prohibition, when the world moved at very different speed

This issue needs to be wrapped up quickly: we need the #cleanenergy and the jobs

#renewables

[Canary Media @CanaryMediaInc]

The Commerce Department’s #solar tariff investigation is already leading to a huge dropoff in solar installations. So why is the White House letting it happen?

Read the latest on the Auxin Solar tariff saga from @JulianSpector: https://t.co/bUgyNBUaqI

[Robin LeBaron @RobinLeBaron]

For #energyefficiency and #renewables colleagues, this is admittedly not a cliffhanger, but utterly foundational to the work of building a cleaner energy system.

Congratulations on publishing this, @SynapseEnergy

#cleanenergy #DERs

[National Standard Practice Manual for DERs @NSPM_DERs]

We are excited to announce the publication of our Methods, Tools & Resources handbook - companion resource to the NSPM. Check it out here: https://t.co/Zw5N7b5A3M