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Andrew Iliff

@andrewiliff.bsky.social
216 followers 238 following 42 posts

Thermal Policy @ HEET, J.P. Bike Dad, vinyl hoarder, one third of The Boundary Objects.

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Reposted by Andrew Iliff
Phil McKenna @mckennapr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ground-source heat pumps are one of the most efficient ways to heat and cool homes, but upfront costs are high. A new residential development in suburban Denver offers a new way forward. My latest; insideclimatenews.org/news/2609202...
insideclimatenews.org
New Colorado Neighborhood Could Offer Glimpse into the Future of Home Energy Use - Inside Climate News
The partners behind a project in suburban Denver think they’ve found a way to accelerate the adoption of residential geothermal heating and cooling.
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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We need a crash program to get New England off of oil heat. Stat.
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Jonathan Buonocore @jjbuonocore.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
@gruberte.bsky.social 's new paper in ERL is brilliant. again. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1... Efficiency of electrification is going to be key to make sure that not only can we meet demand using renewables, but that we can meet demand during extreme events.
iopscience.iop.org
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Worth noting: the Dept of Public Utilities has allowed gas companies to spend money instead on thermal networks and other “non-gas pipeline alternatives”…
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Josh Lappen @jlappen1.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
As more rain has fallen, people have looked for something to blame. Many have landed on umbrellas. (this is a really good article.)
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Sick burn
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Justin Gundlach @justingundlach.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
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"
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Jigar Shah @jigarshahdc.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
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...
energyintel.com
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.
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Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 13/03/2026
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.
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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
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.
podcasts.apple.com
The fate of fossil fuel systems in the
Podcast Episode · Volts · March 4 · 1h 15m
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
@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
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
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...
insideclimatenews.org
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.
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Justin Gundlach @justingundlach.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
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
Affordability Primers
Across the country, the price of residential gas is up 3.4x the rate of inflation year-over-year. We have heard from regulators and policymakers across the US that they would like to better understand what is driving these increases. 

Over the coming months, the Future of Heat Initiative will release a set of state-specific Affordability Primers that explain and document the leading cause of residential rate increases—record levels of capital spending.

The primers are posted below, with additional state analyses to be released on a rolling basis throughout January and February 2026.

California
Illinois
Massachusetts
New York
Washington, D.C.
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Dom Ervolina @dominicervolina.com · 10/01/2026
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
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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
It’s oddly sweet how bad Apple Music is at surfacing new releases.
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Phil McKenna @mckennapr.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
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...
insideclimatenews.org
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.
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John Smillie @johnsmillie42.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
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.
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
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.
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
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!
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Phil McKenna @mckennapr.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
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...
bostonglobe.com
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...
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Zeyneb Magavi @zeynebmagavi.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
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.
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
That was fun and thought provoking @fuckupnightsboston.bsky.social
Nejem and Andrew holding a “fuckup” sign
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Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
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...
abc.net.au
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.
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Canary Media Inc. @canarymedia.com · 23/08/2025
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.
canarymedia.com
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…
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🇺🇦 Joe LaRusso 🔌 🕳️ 🐇 @jglarusso.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
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.
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
This is Rio. She rules my family now. We couldn’t be happier about that. Even if her #BunnyVigilance is sometimes exhausting.
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Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 25/07/2025
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.
canarymedia.com
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…
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
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.
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Jonathan Buonocore @jjbuonocore.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Boston is so hot today, it's almost too hot to e-bike....
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Inside Climate News @insideclimatenews.org · 20/06/2025
“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?
insideclimatenews.org
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.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 18/05/2025
Historically low power demand on the New England grid. Why? Rooftop solar.
reuters.com
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.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 26/04/2025
"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.
powerlines.org
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...
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
Busy commute this morning
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 28/03/2025
All credit to @johndelurey.bsky.social of @votesolar.bsky.social!
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RM @dorsalstream.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
HIERARCHY OF SCHOOLING: -K-12: Here are the facts -College: Here are the theories -Grad School: [closes door] Actually we know almost nothing
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Gintautas Dumcius @gintautasd.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
NEW WU POLL: Mayor Wu up over challenger Josh Kraft, 65% to 25%, per Wu source briefed on internal poll Poll of likely voters also has her winning 72% of Black voters and 73% of Latino voters 56% say Boston is heading in right direction, 38% say wrong direction
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
We’re back (again) baby! We’re going to play the first song Nejem ever wrote, you’ll want to be able to say you were there when it went down… thehavenjp.com/2025/02/the-...
thehavenjp.com
The Boundary Objects LIVE at The Haven Thursday 2/27!
Stop in Thursday night to catch The Boundary Objects LIVE onstage in The Assembly Room! No cover. Music on from 8 PM.
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weeder @weeder.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Oh hey Mr. Canary, you takin' a little canary nap? You deserve it, workin' so hard down here in the dark.
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Derrick ♎ 🟧 🟦#BLM 🏳️‍🌈 @spawn03.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
DEI is responsible for me forgetting my lunch at home today.
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
My band The Boundary Objects played #TheHavenJP last night in what is becoming a regular gig. I swear we’re going to get better at being on the internet too…
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
I don’t mean to boast but
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 16/01/2025
The ineluctable fact is, if you want the most eyeballs, the most clicks, the most "happy users," good journalism is a *terrible strategy*. Truth is expensive to obtain, slow to reveal itself, complicated, nuanced, often orthogonal to neat ideological conclusions. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/b...
nytimes.com
The Washington Post’s New Mission: Reach ‘All of America’
This week, The Post began trying out a new mission statement: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.”
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Tough week for the #mbta Orange Line got me missing the OrangeLineProblems account from back when The Bad Place was kinda good…
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Elizabeth Kolbert @elizkolbert.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
A lesson we never seem to learn: you can't cut emissions just by building out renewables. You also have to stop burning fossil fuels. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/c...
nytimes.com
U.S. Efforts to Cut Emissions Stalled in 2024 as Power Demand Surged
After staying flat for nearly two decades, electricity use is starting to rise again, and the boom in wind and solar power hasn’t kept pace.
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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
republicans immediately blamed the fire on democratic environmental policy and leadership. democrats have not said anything about the fire's connection to years of gop climate denialism. this is kind of a fundamental difference to how both sides approach politics.
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Yeah what Geoff said.
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Good morning to fellow fans of Dave/Volts! I look forward to partaking of more energy nerdery with you here, esp #gastogeo, integrated energy, ethical electrification… with apologies for spamming yr feed w bonus #JPBikeDad / #nowspinning / The Boundary Objects type content…
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 02/01/2025
New report finds: "The Inflation Reduction Act could deliver over $2.7 trillion in net benefits from 2025 to 2035, against $656 billion in costs."
utilitydive.com
The IRA will deliver a fourfold return on taxpayer investment, says ACP
The Inflation Reduction Act could generate $2.7 trillion in U.S. economic benefits from 2025 to 2035, says a report commissioned by the American Clean Power Association.
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Andrew Iliff @andrewiliff.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
We’re on Volts baby! For an emerging energy nerd this is basically Mt Rushmore. Volts and David understood the thermal network vision early on - no better way to kick off the new year than sharing HEET’s story with the world, and how we’re starting to change the world. “The new hotness” ok!
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Dropped Mike @rebrafsim.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
2004: google answers your question 2014: google offers to sell you something that will answer your question 2024: google makes up an answer to your question 2034: google tells you your question is impermissible and summarily executes you
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