Setting the Table for Building Decarbonization

Thanks to Greg Cunningham and Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) for this cogent look at the many intricacies of Natural Gas markets and big, related pipeline question marks. The preliminary conclusions are in on Maine’s proposed gambit to invest ratepayer money on natural gas pipeline expansion—it’s not worth the risk. Those were the findings of the Maine Public Utilities…

Are you worried about your winter energy bills? Cold weather, falling snow, and the forthcoming holidays usually give us permission to sing Christmas carols with familiar lyrics like “Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat.” But, in the Northeast, winter also means fat energy bills. Below-freezing temperatures, blistery wind chills, and energy supply constraints due to heavy reliance on…

The ability of an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) to heat homes in the dead of winter may seem too good to be true. This technology is no figment of your imagination - it has us quite excited because it promises to deliver heat in subzero weather. ASHPs warm our houses by extracting heat from the outdoor air. But, if you live in a cold climate, it’s hard to extract warmth from…

Welcome to Highlights! August 2014 While late summer offers a much-needed lull for many of us, there is still some very important work being done by policymakers, regulators and program administrators to advance energy efficiency and address major regional energy issues. One of the biggest of issues: “the winter peak.” States in the heavily natural gas-reliant…

This summer, we’ve seen the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states continue tackle the major themes outlined at last month’s NEEP Summit in Newport: modernizing the electric grid, de-carbonizing the electric sector, and managing electric-gas infrastructure constraints in New England. As you can see, policymakers did not shy away from strong action in June and July — whether it was the EPA releasing…

Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) are one of the fastest growing heating and cooling technologies in our region. They have impressive efficiency profiles, high customer satisfaction reviews and are all electric, which means they can take pressure off fossil fuels and also be integrated with on-site solar generation. As with anything new, there is plenty of room for debate and discussion, and a need…

For quite some time, the zero net energy concept has struggled to reach beyond the domain of policy advocates and pilot projects; but the world is changing. Recent storms of unparalleled intensity, falling costs of distributed generation, and the real world possibility of large-scale energy storage have led to a unique moment in the building energy industry: Daybreak on Net Zero Energy. But…

Greater Energy Savings through Building Energy Performance Policy, a new report by the Department of Energy’s State & Local Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action) provides recommendations for state and local governments to design policies and programs to achieve measurable improvements in efficiency outcomes in commercial buildings. The vision for the document is a future where…

For more background, see our earlier 2014 Building Code Preview Unlike automobiles, appliances, or consumer electronics, 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 these long-term investments by setting minimum requirements for new and renovated buildings. In…

We are fortunate to have three bright college interns working with us in Lexington this summer. Trevor, Lauren, and Erika are learning as much as they are contributing to our work, being exposed to an array of topics, joining external meetings and events, participating in NEEP projects and partnership groups, and generally getting a taste of the wide world of energy efficiency programs and…