Setting the Table for Building Decarbonization

As our region strives to meet ambitious energy efficiency and emissions reduction goals, we will need a diversity of savings opportunities, including those from the industrial sector and other large energy users. These projects also bolster the regional economy, job growth, industrial competitiveness, and energy security. Earlier this month, NEEP attended ACEEE’s Industrial Summer Study to…

In May, the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) authorized portfolios for the program administrators’ Energy Efficiency and Building Electrification (EE/BE) Plans for 2026-2030. The PSC issued two orders, one for each of the low- to moderate-income (LMI) and the non-LMI sectors (non-LMI refers to residential, multifamily, and non-residential market segments such as commercial, institutional…

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocates over $8 billion to energy efficiency and electrification through Home Energy Rebates (HER). While many federal energy programs and tax credits have been impacted by recent federal policy changes, this program, which is administered through state energy offices, has remained in development but has run into some roadblocks. This blog post offers a state-…

Electricity prices are going up across the country, but the impacts are perhaps most noticeable in the Northeast region. Over the last few years, electricity prices have been ticking up at a faster pace than inflation according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). But average prices in New England and the Mid-Atlantic have risen the most: prices in both regions are up 19 percent…

The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region is committed to scaling up adoption of high-performance air source heat pumps (ASHPs) in homes to address energy affordability, reduce emissions, and improve comfort and resilience. NEEP recently published a series of reports to examine the current market and provide guidance on how to further scale adoption. The series includes a new market assessment for…

You’ve probably heard this before: you can’t manage what you don’t measure. But you might not have heard that Massachusetts is measuring energy use and emissions in buildings with two new projects that can help manage costs and emissions. The Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Demonstration Program and Large Building Energy Reporting (LBER) were created in 2022 by An Act Driving Clean Energy and…

The Maine Public Utilities Commission has approved Triennial Plan VI, setting in motion the state’s next three-year cycle of energy efficiency programs which will run from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. Administered by Efficiency Maine Trust (EMT), the plan lays out a wide-ranging set of initiatives with a 1-to-3.7 cost-benefit ratio. The table below shows the change in budgets and targets…

New York City’s Local Law 154, established in 2021, sets restrictions on emissions from new construction, including “the combustion of any substance that emits 25 kilograms or more of carbon dioxide per million British thermal units of energy.” Local Law 154 exempts certain manufacturers, laboratories, laundromats, hospitals, crematoria, and commercial kitchens. In December 2023, plaintiffs,…

This post was co-authored with Chase Macpherson, Community Solutions Manager at NEEP.Transportation plays a pivotal role in creating energy-efficient, healthy, and resilient communities. Since 2023, NEEP has led a project with communities in New England to advance mobility, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and community-level capacity building through community-driven transportation plans. In…

As communities across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic seek energy efficiency as a pathway to an efficient, clean, and affordable energy future, the need for practical strategies and effective partnerships to create healthy, resilient, and affordable buildings and infrastructure has never been greater.Advancing these efforts will require leadership from state and local governments; stronger…