Turning Policy into Performance: Measuring Equity to Achieve Restorative Justice

NEEP’s Regional Energy Efficiency Database now includes program year 2012 data from nine jurisdictions in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions! 300,000? That's a lot of homes... The 2012 data reveals the continued strong performance of energy efficiency programs, with two REED states, Massachusetts and Vermont, achieving net annual electric energy savings exceeding 2% of retail electric…

Multi-family Housing Residential Multi-family properties represent not only a significant share of the housing stock in NEEP’s region, but a significant opportunity to capture energy efficiency savings through cost-effective retrofit measures. The white paper entitled  “Increasing Energy Efficiency in Small Multifamily Properties in the Northeast: Recommendations for Policy Action”  …

Full house at APM Over 100 evaluators, regulators, program administrators, and other interested stakeholders from across the NEEP region gathered in cozy Portsmouth, New Hampshire on December 12, 2013 for the 5th Regional EM&V Forum Annual Public Meeting (APM). NEEP’s Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification (EM&V) Forum team, along with Forum leadership and participants, brought…

Unlike automobiles, appliances, or other consumer devices, buildings constructed today will still have an impact on U.S. energy use 50 to 100 years from now— if not longer. Building energy codes improve the energy efficiency of the built environment by setting minimum efficiency requirements for new and renovated buildings. In addition to lowering energy bills, energy codes reduce the demand…

Darren Port, Energy Codes Manager  NEEP is pleased to welcome Darren Port, Energy Codes Manager, who joined the staff in January. Prior to joining NEEP, Darren worked as the Green Building Administrator for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, where he provided technical assistance, analysis and policy recommendations related to green/high…

Hint: efficiency standards! 2014 is shaping up to be an active year at the Department of Energy (DOE) when it comes to federal appliance efficiency standards.  According to their own agenda, DOE plans to conduct rule-making activity to develop new or revise existing efficiency standards for over a dozen products “covered” by the Department. Adding to the urgency at the Department is…

Here’s our brief rundown on key developments in energy efficiency policy from around the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states NEEP is keeping tabs on. Data Moment: Electricity Use Decoupling from Economic Growth, BP Finds Source: BP, Annual Energy Outlook for 2035, p. 16 Last month, Brad Plumer of the Washington Post reported that BP found in its Annual Energy Outlook for 2035 that energy…

Thanks to Jim Merriam, and his team at Efficiency Vermont, for contributing this great piece comparing ROIs of some common investments with energy efficiency investments. Jim Merriam, Director of Efficiency Vermont When the Efficiency Vermont team works with our customers in businesses and homes, we acknowledge that the choice to use energy more wisely is often an investment. Sometimes…

As NEEP bids farewell to the incandescent light bulb, and congratulates ten cities in the United States for their embrace of efficient lighting, Congress has, unfortunately, yielded to obstinate consumers. Congress’ recent budget deal denies the U.S. Department of Energy funding to enforce new efficient lighting standards for lamps, which have disqualified the traditional incandescent light bulb…

Dave McMahon, Co-Executive Director of Dismas House Energy costs can be an enormous burden to social service providers who typically operate on a shoe-string, and often in older, in-efficient facilities. Finding ways to save energy is crucial to stretching our budgets and increasing comfort for residents— while also reducing environmental impact of our buildings. The Worcester Green Low…