NEEP Policy Highlights

With efficiency programs across the region maturing, states and program administrators are striving to touch more customers and tackle challenging sectors such as the multifamily housing market.

NEEP is pleased to welcome a trio of new faces to our Public Policy and EM&V Teams!

The end of the legislative session brought cliff hangers for major energy efficiency bills in two states- one a stunning bipartisan rebuke of Maine's Governor LePage with passage of an omnibus energy bill.

By next year, there could be a substantial increase in building energy efficiency for interested Vermont cities and towns. In June, Vermont passed Act No. 89, which authorizes the adoption of a “stretch energy code” to be used for new residential buildings. The state is also considering adoption of a commercial stretch code and working with Efficiency Vermont and New Buildings Institute to develop the framework.

Following a long period of frustration for advocates of appliance energy efficiency standards, a series of recent activities at the federal level are cause for cautious optimism. Over the past two years, efficiency advocates became discouraged by the regulatory logjam that had accumulated at the federal regulatory review agency, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  A backlog of regulations, and subsequent deferred implementation of numerous product efficiency standards, resulted in the delayed realization of significant energy savings. The Appliance Standards Awareness Project (

Update: EM&V Forum Cost-Effectiveness Guidance Project  

While many states in our region are national leaders in energy efficiency, there is always room for improvement as efficiency policies are increasingly central to state’s overall policy goals.

In a 9-4 vote, the Boston City Council voted  to adopt energy benchmarking for its large buildings last week. NEEP congratulates Mayor Thomas Menino and the Council for their hard work to advance this landmark energy and environmental initiative.

Stakeholders from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region are recognizing the importance of tackling the unique challenges of energy efficiency in multifamily buildings.

May finds many states in the midst of important legislative and regulatory debates that will impact energy efficiency programs throughout the Northeast region.

With the launch of the Regional Energy Efficiency Database (REED) in February, energy efficiency stakeholders now have a one-stop resource to access energy efficiency program impact data from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.