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/ Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz,
FAIA – Licensed architect and entrepreneur www.advfirm.com
T
The Inflation Reduction Act Promotes Sustainable Design
he Inflation Reduction Act marks a monumental moment in the fight against climate change and its effects on human health and well-being. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 is a recently approved bill designed to deliver the largest investment in climate action in U.S. history. Congress has directed nearly $370 billion over the next decade to quickly scale up renewable energy production and drive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The historic legislation makes urgent investments to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs, incentivize affordable clean technology energy monitoring and electric vehicle (EVs), to create more opportunities for working families, small businesses, and innovative startups. The IRA will ultimately steer design toward a more environmentally friendly future. The Act has a loan program called the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program to help retool, repower, repurpose, or replace nonoperating and operating energy infrastructures to improve energy efficiency. Eligible projects will require controls or technologies to avoid, reduce, utilize, or sequester air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. This loan incentivizes designers to implement sustainable and efficient solutions in their projects. IRA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will help finance clean energy technologies and emission-cutting infrastructure, such as rooftop solar panels. Not only do solar panels reduce our carbon footprint, but they also provide people with reliable energy at a lower cost. This incentive fund encourages designers to include solar panels and other clean energy technologies in their designs. Another way the IRA promotes sustainable design is by creating additional funding for consumer programs. This includes energy-saving systems that help regulate indoor temperatures and improve energy efficiency. This incentivizes designers to add temperatureregulating measures to their projects, such as window films to reduce solar heat from the outside, reduce hot and cold spots inside, and help prevent energy from escaping. Since the Inflation Reduction Act provides incentives to scale up renewable energy production and drives substantial reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions, the demand for smart, clean technology will become more prevalent and connected living will become more affordable. Investing in intelligent daylight harvesting systems, water filtration systems, and air purifying technology will allow residents and workers to monitor and save energy. Designers are already interacting more with intelligent technology and identifying new ways to integrate these energy-efficient systems into their designs. The IRA has promoted intelligent, sustainable design with fully connected energy management ecosystems to drive efficiency. People are already beginning to include smart, sustainable technologies as a standard. As a result, the work of design professionals is transforming to meet the growing demand for greener and more connected homes and businesses. The Inflation Reduction Act is a historic step toward a greener future. Its energy-related funding for high-tech solutions incentivizes sustainable practices to fight against climate
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 is a recently approved bill designed to deliver the largest investment in climate action in U.S. history. change. By making clean technology more affordable, people will be able to prioritize residential energy efficiency while designers deliver well-planned, quality projects that integrate smart and sustainable innovations.