NEEP's Partners help to support our work in building a regional efficiency infrastructure with consistent policies, requirements and programs. This diverse group of organizations are also doing their part to make energy efficiency happen - read about their work here!

Appliance Recycling Centers of America

As part of its continued effort to bring large-scale appliance recycling programs to communities across the U.S., Appliance Recycling Centers of America (ARCA) was recently awarded a three-year contract by the City of San Antonio, Texas, acting through its City Public Service Board (CPS Energy), to provide refrigerator and freezer recycling services for CPS Energy's electric customers. Through this program, participating utility customers who turn in operating but energy inefficient refrigerators and freezers will be eligible for a $35.00 credit to their CPS Energy account. Additionally, customers who purchase new ENERGY STAR®-qualified refrigerators and freezers and recycle the replaced unit will receive a $100.00 credit to their CPS Energy account. The credits are an incentive to encourage the utility's electric customers to replace retired units with more efficient ENERGY STAR®-qualified models; permanently retire old, energy inefficient units from service; and recycle the old appliances in an environmentally sound manner. CPS Energy anticipates that the removal of energy-wasting refrigerators and freezers throughout their service territory will deliver long-term electrical energy savings and peak demand reduction. ARCA currently operates over 20 energy efficiency programs for utilities across the U.S. and Canada, and has recycled more than 2.5 million appliances since 1976.

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Conservation Services Group (CSG) and the Massachusetts Oilheat Council (MOC) recently announced a $1.7 million contract for the State's Department of Energy Resources (DOER). The Oil Heat Efficiency Program (OHEP) is made possible by federal stimulus funds to support energy efficiency programs in the State and is the first pilot program of its kind in the U.S., acting as a comprehensive residential energy efficiency program for homeowners with low to moderate incomes. OHEP is financed by stimulus funds to provide rebates for the installation of new, high efficiency oil-fired heating equipment for about 500 homes in Massachusetts that use heating oil for space heating and will also provide rebates of up to $4,000 on high efficiency, oil-fired forced hot water boilers, water heaters and warm air furnaces. OHEP is unique in offering a rebate large enough that it could cover half the cost of a heating system upgrade. Add on the savings from lower heating costs, and this stimulus program should continue to keep money in the pockets of hundreds of Massachusetts homeowners for years to come. CSG is working with the MOC to train several oil heating service technicians in energy efficiency and the "house-as-system" approach. The program intends to boost the local economy by providing work for oil heat retailers and their technicians, due to increased demand for equipment installations.

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Cree continues to forge ahead in the LED market with two significant developments over the past month. In early July, Cree and Philips signed a comprehensive, worldwide patent cross-license agreement designed to further accelerate the growth of the LED lighting market. Both companies hold broad and substantial optoelectronic patent portfolios which are important to their respective businesses. This agreement covers patents from both companies in the fields of blue LED chip technology, white LEDs and phosphors (including remote phosphors), control systems, LED luminaires and lamps as well as LED backlighting of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and patents in the Philips LED Luminaire Licensing Program. Later in the month Cree announced the addition of the industry's smallest warm and neutral bins to its award-winning multichip XLamp® MP-L and MC-E EasyWhite™ LEDs. This latest innovation in LED lighting technology provides a solution to the challenge of providing consumers with LED efficacy that offers traditional incandescent color consistency. EasyWhite binning is a unique feature of Cree lighting-class multi-chip LED components that enables customers to specify a color temperature and lumen output, simplifying LED system design and improving LED-to-LED color consistency. Cree hopes that this latest technology will lower customer cost and speed market adoption.

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Following the successful completion of Phase 1 of a pilot project in collaboration with Cape Light Compact that tracked energy monitoring, consumer behavior and consumption levels, GroundedPower has moved ahead with introduction of a "Glance" in-home display that, at a glance, can tell consumers how their real time power use is matching their goals. In the Cape Cod pilot, participants who monitored their energy consumption in real time reduced their usage by an average of nearly 10 percent from a year prior. GroundedPower's founder and president, Carl Gustin, wrote an article for Power Grid International that was featured on July 9 where he addressed the issues that motivate consumers to lower their energy consumption. While many studies have focused on price as the primary motivator, he argues that factors such as environmental concerns, competition, community well-being and rewards might be as powerful motivators as price signals, noting that the Cape pilot did not include time-based prices. GroundedPower now has nine pilots underway covering some 500 households and municipal buildings.

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In keeping with its goals of advancing energy-efficiency and demand response among electric utilities; promoting the sharing of information, ideas, and experiences in energy efficiency and demand response in the power sector; and developing a resource base of effective business models, practices, and processes, the Institute for Electric Efficiency (IEE) continues to track issues relevant to utilities. In June the Institute released The Impact of Dynamic Pricing on Low Income Customers, a study prepared by the Brattle Group, which provides new information about how low income customers respond to dynamic prices based on empirical results from 4 dynamic pricing pilot programs from across the nation and one full scale dynamic pricing rollout in CA. Earlier in the spring two major studies were released. The Summary of Ratepayer-Funded Electric Efficiency Impacts, Expenditures, and Budgets, which summarizes industry data collected in collaboration with the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, highlights the fact that investor-owned electric utilities are responsible for over 85% of energy efficiency program expenditures nationwide. Implementing Energy Efficiency: Program Delivery Comparison Study compares the ability of utilities and state entities to administer EE programs and examines the relative pros and cons of each. The study stresses the importance of establishing standardized EM&V methods and reporting requirements to facilitate future comparison of EE programs and support gains in energy efficiency nationwide. IEE's website is a valuable resource for stakeholders providing links to the reports mentioned as well as to various presentations and other reference materials.

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JACO is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with EcoSolutions of Laval, Quebec for Northeastern operations and Canada as well as the addition of Dick Bacon as the Northeast Regional Manager for appliance recycling programs throughout the region. Dick most recently served as the Residential Program Manager of Efficiency Maine where he spearheaded many initiatives, including one of the first statewide CFL recycling programs in the U.S. for which he received international recognition. Under Dick's leadership, JACO is now operating a regional appliance effort including statewide, multi-sponsor programs in MA, NH, NJ, RI and VT with significant programs in NY. In conjunction with local utilities, JACO and EcoSolutions operate advanced recycling facilities in the Boston metro area, Syracuse, NY and NJ. In addition to U.S. programs JACO has a Canadian presence, offering province-wide appliance recycling programs in Quebec and Nova Scotia. Dick's contact information is:

Richard Bacon
JACO Environmental, Inc.
Northeast Regional Manager
140 Snow Pond Road
Oakland, Me. 04963
Office 207-465-9664
Cell 207-465-5777
Dickb@jacoinc.net
www.jacoinc.net

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