Not every action that has a climate impact is an implementation of a disruptive, new technology. The vast majority of actions you can take to reduce your climate impact are implementing existing solutions, that, while not as glamorous as a new technology, often move the needle a good bit more. Climate change is a fight in which every small action matters, and often an upgrade from old to new is all it takes to reduce impact substantially.
In the case of buildings, commercial, residential, and more, the majority across the U.S are old. As of 2018, over half of U.S. building stock was constructed before the year 1980 (”Half of U.S. homes built before 1980,” 2018). While that may not sound old, just think of all the advancements made in energy and construction in the last 40+ years. These buildings are operating at 1980’s efficiency, using much more energy than those built in recent years. This comes from a myriad of factors, the appliances in the homes, their heating and cooling systems, even their insulation and construction itself. Retrofitting is the practice of upgrading various aspects of the building, from its envelope (windows, doors, other openings) to its appliances. By making buildings more energy efficient, we can reduce their percentage of national energy consumption from 40% and carbon emissions from 33% (“Why buildings are the foundation of an energy-efficient future,” 2021).
One company that’s tackling this massive problem is currently seeking investment support on the Raise Green Marketplace. OnPeak Energy is at the center of climate danger in the U.S., based in Miami. The implications of climate change are shocking for Florida’s coastline, with once 100-year floods soon to become commonplace. With billions of dollars of assets at risk of rising sea levels and flooding, climate action cannot come soon enough for Florida (“Miami is the ‘Most Vulnerable’ Coastal City Worldwide,” 2020). OnPeak Energy focuses on making energy efficiency retrofits affordable, accessible, and easy. To date, OnPeak has had great success in their efforts — they’ve completed 150+ projects totaling over 15 million square feet, saved an estimated 75 million kWh of energy usage, and reduced emissions by nearly 58,000 TONS of CO2. OnPeak Energy’s current crowdfunding offering will support 10 new energy efficiency projects, with a pretty big impact:
OnPeak will use the proceeds from the offering to help move projects through their pre-approved pipeline of 10 buildings in need of building management system retrofits. This group of 10 retrofits represent approximately $3.5 million in project value, and will enable a projected $763,777 in energy savings per year over the next 10 years.
The energy savings from these projects are estimated to be the equivalent of 588 US households' energy consumption.
The convenience of the OnPeak solution incentivizes small and medium commercial and industrial business owners who may otherwise not have access to appropriate financing and expertise, to modernize their buildings and reduce their climate impacts.
If you’re looking to invest in and support a company with a proven track record of environmental and economic impact, consider indicating interest in OnPeak Energy. Your investment could help contribute to lowering emissions in one of the most critical, and often overlooked, categories. For more information about energy efficiency retrofits, check out our blog on how BlocPower is Building Back Better.
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