Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 4d

Thank you!

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 12d

You can say that again

1

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 12d

My student asked me why I had to assign group projects. I made this completely not-serious guide to surviving them.
Tips:
1 Assign roles by vibes.
2 Set fake deadlines.
3. Present with confidence even if the slides look raccoon-made
Full cursed guide here: destinynox.com/blog/ossies-...

Ossie’s Officially Unapproved Guide to Surviving Group Projects (Without Turning to Necromancy) — Destiny Nox

A hilarious guide for surviving group projects while keeping your sanity in tact.

destinynox.com

1 8

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 19d

If we are ever going to address the energy inequities in this country we need to look at housing stocks inequities and energy infrastructure in the home.

Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · Apr 7

IMO the most interesting finding we had here was getting beyond access to functional cooling usage.

@destenie.bsky.social et al. have found suppressed usage due to affordability burden, but here we also find equipment (AC unit) failures limiting cooling protections.

C.J. Gabbe @cjgabbe.bsky.social · Apr 7

Our new paper in @urbanstudiesonline.com examines thermal inequities for US manufactured housing residents due to (1) less central AC access, (2) more AC breakdowns & (3) greater energy burdens. Terrific collaboration w/ @gregspierce.bsky.social, Matt Barnett & Sara Hughes. doi.org/10.1177/0042...

3 9

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 20d

Very exciting!

1

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 26d

Great tip!

2

Reposted by Destenie Nock, PhD

Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 26d

Last month's total #Arctic sea ice volume averaged the 3rd lowest on record for the month of August. This was about 72% below 1979 levels and 54% below the 1979-2024 August average.

More at zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i.... Data from PIOMAS. 🥼❄️🌊

2 73 180

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 26d

Congratulations! This is amazing and very well deserved

1

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 26d

PNNL researchers showed rooftop solar + storage could offset two-thirds of the savings households try to get by cutting heat, cooling, or even food/health spending
Clean energy can fight climate change and help families live safely & comfortably. nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02517-5 #EnergySky

Rooftop solar and energy storage programs can remediate energy-limiting behaviors of energy insecure households in the United States - Communications Earth & Environment

In the United States, rooftop solar and energy storage programs can provide utility bill relief for households facing energy insecurity and who may be ineligible for traditional assistance, according ...

nature.com

2 29 54

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 26d

When I hear people talk about jobs impacts of AI it is all about loss, rightfully so given the disruption. But I am wondering if we should be talking about the electricians and trades people needed to enable AI. Since I can't google anything without AI these days I don't think its going anywhere.

1 2

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 26d

AI is the next battleground where equity will be tested. We need to build our energy infrastructure in a way to not further burden communities with reliability issues.

1 5

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 26d

It's nice to see something positive popping up on the feed. More housing is a win.

Senator Scott Wiener @scottwiener.bsky.social · 26d

HUGE HOUSING NEWS: The Assembly just passed our bill allowing more homes near public transportation, SB 79!

We need more housing & we need it near transit. It’ll reduce traffic congestion & carbon emissions & increase transit ridership & affordability.

Go housing! Go transit!

3 14

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 26d

Yay! Was a great win.

5

Reposted by Destenie Nock, PhD

Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 26d

Very gratifying to get some actual hopeful news this week

Senator Scott Wiener @scottwiener.bsky.social · 26d

HUGE HOUSING NEWS: The Assembly just passed our bill allowing more homes near public transportation, SB 79!

We need more housing & we need it near transit. It’ll reduce traffic congestion & carbon emissions & increase transit ridership & affordability.

Go housing! Go transit!

2 8 140

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 26d

New research on temperature response functions (TRFs):
We tested how well these models hold up to regression assumptions. 1. Stronger TRFs = better insight into energy programs 2. Results are consistent across ~450k households (FL + Mid-Atlantic). #EnergySky www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Assessing the feasibility of temperature response models for residential energy consumption behavior analysis

Temperature response functions (TRFs) are models used to predict a household’s daily energy consumption from outdoor temperature and other control var…

www.sciencedirect.com

6

Reposted by Destenie Nock, PhD

Kelly Hereid @kellyhereid.bsky.social · 29d

Do you know what's way more expensive than keeping the power on?

Paying for thousands of people to rip up their walls and floors after their pipes burst in a cold snap. Just ask Texas.

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

New paper highlighting impact of energy assistance (LIHEAP): Homes use enough extra energy to heat safely. On-time aid helps prevent energy-limiting behavior

Paper: Heterogeneous impact of low-income home energy assistance program on energy consumption behavior share.google/AaxaTcC8Q4Ex...

4 33 99

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

Very good point!

1 3

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

Any idea how AI will impact this?

1 3

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

New paper highlighting impact of energy assistance (LIHEAP): Homes use enough extra energy to heat safely. On-time aid helps prevent energy-limiting behavior

Paper: Heterogeneous impact of low-income home energy assistance program on energy consumption behavior share.google/AaxaTcC8Q4Ex...

5 14

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

Last winter, 600,000+ households in the Mid-Atlantic relied on LIHEAP to keep the lights on & pipes from freezing.

Now, the federal budget proposes eliminating the program entirely.

LIHEAP saves lives.

Op-Ed here: share.google/wPCWNcPEzkY6...

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is worth funding

Last winter, more than 600,000 households in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and the District of Columbia relied on the Low ‑ Income Home Energy Assistance Program to keep the lights on a...

share.google

7 11

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

Nice!

1

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

Some low-income households may have used their new, efficient ACs more often—suggesting rebates helped them achieve cooling they previously couldn’t afford.

4

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

We looked at how air conditioning rebates affect households in hot climates. Using data from 138,000+ homes in Tallahassee, FL:

Low-income homes saved about $25 per cooling season after rebates. Higher-income homes saved a bit more (about $31).
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Powering fairness in climate adaptation capabilities: Evaluating the influence of air conditioning rebates in a hot climate

Assisting households with maintaining adequate energy supply is one method for improving overall quality of life. Households experiencing energy insec…

www.sciencedirect.com

1 2 10

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

Transportation + electricity = most U.S. emissions. EVs can cut both—if we don’t slam the brakes on investments.

Jeremy Michalek @jmichalek.bsky.social · 29d

Our new @pnas.org study, out today, finds #EVs are not only clean cars, they can be catalysts in building a cleaner power grid too. Here's what that means for the U.S.

study /w Lily Hanig, @destenie.bsky.social & @cdharper.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Trump reversed policies supporting electric vehicles − it will affect the road to clean electricity, too

An analysis finds that fewer electric vehicles will also mean less investment to clean up the electricity sector.

theconversation.com

1 10 18

Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 29d

When Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, U.S. EV investment surged.

But in 2025, “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” killed most incentives—and investment collapsed.

Our study shows this won’t just stall clean cars. Fewer EVs also mean less investment to clean up the grid.

Jeremy Michalek @jmichalek.bsky.social · 29d

Our new @pnas.org study, out today, finds #EVs are not only clean cars, they can be catalysts in building a cleaner power grid too. Here's what that means for the U.S.

study /w Lily Hanig, @destenie.bsky.social & @cdharper.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Trump reversed policies supporting electric vehicles − it will affect the road to clean electricity, too

An analysis finds that fewer electric vehicles will also mean less investment to clean up the electricity sector.

theconversation.com

7 20