Andrew Iliff
@andrewiliff.bsky.social
Thermal Policy @ HEET, J.P. Bike Dad, vinyl hoarder, one third of The Boundary Objects.
Worth noting: the Dept of Public Utilities has allowed gas companies to spend money instead on thermal networks and other “non-gas pipeline alternatives”…
Justin Gundlach@justingundlach.bsky.social · last mo.🚨Future of Heat Initiative blogpost🚨 There's a legislative proposal in Massachusetts that would restore a level of scrutiny to gas utility infrastructure spending that was standard until 2014. Since then, spending has grown apace, but safety outcomes haven't really changed. 1/3
As more rain has fallen, people have looked for something to blame. Many have landed on umbrellas. (this is a really good article.)
Miriam Wasser@miriamwasser.bsky.social · 2mo agoAs utility bills soared over the last year and a half, people across Massachusetts have been looking for something to blame Many have landed on the state's energy efficiency program, Mass Save In my latest story for @wbur.org, I trace how that happened www.wbur.org/news/2026/06... #energysky
Washington ordered soldiers in the Continental Army to be inoculated against small pox in 1777, 11 years before the Constitution was ratified, so I'm not sure what he means by "restoring"
One of the most persistent myths in energy is that high-renewables grids require months or even years of backup to survive “dunkelflaute” — those rare periods of low wind and solar output. That claim is often far more ideology than analysis. www.energyintel.com/00000194-848...
Can Nuclear Help Europe’s ‘Dunkelflaute’ Renewables Challenge?
Low wind and sun in the North Sea increase electricity price volatility in Northern Europe, fueling debate over nuclear energy's role in stabilizing renewables.
energyintel.com
TL;DR: If we really believe that we'll clean up the grid and electrify everything, then we should accept public takeover and managed decline of some fossil businesses as necessary. Better to do that while the businesses are still profitable than to wait until all they can offer is risk & liability.
Amen to this much-needed conversation between @gruberte.bsky.social & @volts.wtf. As I think about it: we can have a managed transition from fossil fuels or a chaos transition. This conversation brings wisdom to that choice—and what comes next.
The fate of fossil fuel systems in the
Podcast Episode · Volts · March 4 · 1h 15m
podcasts.apple.com
@gruberte.bsky.social gives such a great description of the motivation for my work on the gas to geo transition - we have to land the fossil plane safely and equitably while building the clean energy future. It’s hard, but harder if you don’t see what needs doing. #gastogeo #midtransition
Emily Grubert@gruberte.bsky.social · 5mo agothanks to @volts.wtf for having me on to talk about coordinating and planning fossil phase out to build a better and actually decarbonized world. there‘s a lot we can do if we imagine a people-centered, service oriented future — and a LOT we miss if we don’t.
Colorado Mesa University is the OG Thermal Network, blazing a trail for much of what I now work on. @mckennapr.bsky.social has the story. This is how the clean energy transition starts - folks trying good ideas before knowing for absolutely certain they work! insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202...
A Groundbreaking Geothermal Heating and Cooling Network Saves This Colorado College Money and Water - Inside Climate News
When a former oil and gas developer partnered with Colorado Mesa University on geothermal, the school saved millions and set a new standard for energy-efficient buildings.
insideclimatenews.org
We, your friends at The Future of Heat Initiative, have posted quick, accessible, here's-what-you-need-to-know analyses of rising utility-delivered gas bills in five (5) jurisdictions: CA, IL, MA, NY, and DC. More are on the way. Here's the link: thefutureofheat.com/publications
A woman recording an ICE agent tells him "Shame on you." The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?" "Learned what?" she asks Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
It’s oddly sweet how bad Apple Music is at surfacing new releases.
My latest: A common anesthetic is also a climate super pollutant that is helping to cook the planet. A growing number of hospitals and countries are dropping the drug. insideclimatenews.org/news/0501202...
Health Care Providers Are Dropping a Common Anesthesia Drug That’s Also a Climate Super Pollutant - Inside Climate News
Limiting use of desflurane helps hospitals reduce their greenhouse gas emissions; the European Union now prohibits its use during most procedures.
insideclimatenews.org
Geothermal for direct heat is the single biggest exception to electrify everything. Energy use is about 50% heat, 30% transportation, and 20% electricity. The less heat you have to put on a winter peaking electric grid, the better.
Adrian Hiel@adrianhiel.bsky.social · 8mo agoGeothermal energy for heat (for greenhouses, district heating, industrial processes) is going to grow in the EU a lot in the next few years (Munich, for example, is drilling like crazy at the moment). Geothermal electricity generation is still much more of an open question. Good reporting here.
Just going to brag a little that I just logged my 100th @volts.wtf podcast, and it's the 5th anniversary of the pod, and I love it, and not just because Dave GETS thermal networks, but because of what a warm, goofy, curious vibe he brings to urgent, teeth-grinding, fascinating world of clean energy.
We’re building the future today! @mckennapr.bsky.social reports on HEET’s partnership to expand the geothermal heating and cooling system in Framingham, MA, driving down unit costs and building out the utility business model while keeping customers comfy. Thermal nerds, your time is now!
Phil McKenna@mckennapr.bsky.social · 8mo agoMy latest, for @insideclimatenews.org & @bostonglobe.com; A first-in-the-nation clean energy project will soon double in size as the Trump administration moves forward with a Biden-era grant for geothermal www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/s...
My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org & @bostonglobe.com; A first-in-the-nation clean energy project will soon double in size as the Trump administration moves forward with a Biden-era grant for geothermal www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/s...
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump administration funds expansion of geothermal network in Framingham - The Boston Globe
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Framingham is set to double in size as the Trump administration continues support for geothermal energy, despite cutting billions for other clean e...
bostonglobe.com
The HEET team won ‘Nonprofit of the Year’ at the NREC Gala last Friday! So grateful to celebrate together with such a wonderful community and work every day with such a wonderful team.
Australia has so much clean energy they're literally giving it away. Meanwhile, GOP is in all-out war to stamp out solar www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Australian households to get free electricity three hours a day
Saying there is enough solar power for everyone in the daytime, the federal government will direct retailers to provide three hours of free power every day to consumers.
abc.net.au
Colorado is making sure its residents know the dangers of gas stoves. Its new law sticks yellow warning labels on new gas ranges warning of their “air quality implications” — and other states may soon follow.
Colorado now requires health warning labels on gas stoves
The state is the first to put labels on the appliances pointing consumers to evidence about the harms of cooking with gas. Appliance manufacturers are…
canarymedia.com
Fun fact: 91% of Massachusetts homes have already installed heat pumps!!! Not-so-fun fact: 88% of those MA homes have heat pumps that only work one way—they’re air conditioners. Even-less-fun fact: The 3% of MA homes with heat pumps that heat AND cool have been subsidizing their AC-only neighbors.
This is Rio. She rules my family now. We couldn’t be happier about that. Even if her #BunnyVigilance is sometimes exhausting.
In cold climates, households that switch to heat pumps often pay more than their fair share on utility bills due to high electricity use in winter. Massachusetts may (and should) correct this inequity by discounting winter electricity for heat pump owners. This could accelerate heat pump adoption.
Massachusetts could give heat pump owners a huge discount on…
The state will lower electricity rates for heat pump owners this winter, and is considering even deeper cuts to encourage residents to ditch fossil-fueled…
canarymedia.com
Father Nathan is leading one of the most ambitious, imaginative, and community-oriented thermal network projects I know of - and we’re lucky to have Phil on the thermal beat to share the non-linear path towards making it happen.
Phil McKenna@mckennapr.bsky.social · last yr.“Heaven and Earth”: Can community solar and geothermal heating and cooling provide a new path forward for a historic church and its neighbors in Salem, Mass.? My latest for @insideclimatenews.org, now also in @bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/26/s...
Boston is so hot today, it's almost too hot to e-bike....
“Heaven and Earth”: When a church’s heating bill spiked from $100 to $3,000 a month, its leaders decided it was time to ditch fossil fuels for solar and geothermal. Can its plan help its neighbors, too?
Can Solar and Geothermal Energy Help a Church and Its Neighbors Wean Off Fossil Fuels? - Inside Climate News
Spurred by rising utility bills, St. Peter’s-San Pedro Episcopal Church in Salem, Mass., looked for alternatives. Its “Heaven and Earth” plan would loop in much of downtown Salem.
insideclimatenews.org
Historically low power demand on the New England grid. Why? Rooftop solar.
New England grid demand hits record low as rooftop solar kicks in
Power grid use in the far northeast United States registered an all-time low over the weekend as mild weather and rooftop solar panels slashed demand on the regional electrical system, grid operator ISO New England said on Tuesday.
reuters.com
"Three in five (60%) Americans say they are not familiar with the state or local regulatory body that determines their utility bills. In a separate open-ended question, around 9 in 10 respondents could not correctly name their specific regulatory body." Time to make PUCs famous.
Skyrocketing Utility Bills Nationwide Leave American Consumers Feeling Stressed, Powerless - PowerLines
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new poll from nonpartisan consumer education nonprofit PowerLines, conducted in partnership with Ipsos, finds that three in four (73%) Americans are concerned about electric and g...
powerlines.org
