More than 60% of workers would choose fresher, more comfortable air over high-end amenities, according to a new report released by GPS Air, which surveyed 750 U.S. employees working in non-remote environments. More than two-thirds of the workers surveyed said they would be more willing to work in-person if their company communicated the steps it takes to ensure a comfortable, healthy environment. More than 80% of respondents said visible efforts to improve workplace comfort and safety would make them feel more respected as an employee. Read more
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In the quest for sustainable technologies, a groundbreaking study has emerged that seeks to revolutionize how we approach solid-state heat pumps. Researchers have unlocked the potential to finely tune the electro-thermo-mechanical coupling in electroactive nanocomposites, enabling the creation of self-oscillating solid-state heat pumps. This pioneering research could pave the way for more efficient, adaptable, and compact cooling and heating systems that are crucial for the next generation of energy management. Read more
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Rising demand for AI has pushed U.S. data centers to their limits, with operators now facing growing pressure to control energy costs without compromising performance. A research team at Penn State believes AI can help by rethinking how these facilities manage one of their biggest expenses, cooling. The team developed software that uses a physics-based AI model to analyze real-time climate and economic data and then recommends how data centers should adjust cooling to improve efficiency. Read more
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Across 19 states, researchers found that among the large-scale solar and wind projects seeking a permit from a state-based authority that reached a permit outcome, 90% received permit approval, mostly within about a year of applying for a permit. In the states analyzed, permitting processes partially or fully adjudicated at the state level “are not preventing new potential energy from entering the grid,” the researchers said. Read more
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Join Rebecca Norris and William Stober as they explore the unique challenges of controlled environment horticulture and why growing cannabis is particularly energy-intensive.
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By Andy Pearson
Andy Pearson discusses an often-overlooked type of leakage in refrigeration systems: internal leaks. Likened to larceny, these leaks are harder to spot, but they can be equally as damaging to system performance as external leakage. Download here
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Abstract submissions are now being accepted for the 2027 ASHRAE Winter Conference to be held in Chicago, Jan. 23-27, 2027. Abstracts are due May 27, 2026. If accepted, final conference papers are due Sept. 2, 2026. For more information on the call for abstracts and the 2027 ASHRAE Winter Conference, visit ashrae.org/2027Winter. Read more
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AI infrastructure is significantly warming surrounding areas, creating a “data heat island effect” with the potential to impact hundreds of millions of people living nearby, a new working paper found. Using a dataset of land surface temperatures produced by NASA, a research team led by the Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge found from 2004 to 2024, the surrounding areas of more than 6,000 data centers worldwide saw an average increased land temperature of about 2°C (35.6°F). Read more
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