Setting the Table for Building Decarbonization

Refrigerant is the lifeblood of an HVAC system, absorbing and releasing heat to keep our homes and buildings cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This “juice” that runs through the refrigeration cycle comes in many chemical forms, each with particular safety considerations. Throughout history, scientists have chased safer refrigerants. With the invention of modern air conditioning in the…

It’s amazing to think about where we were this time last year – in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. States were scrambling to protect their citizens and mitigate economic damage. Energy discussions were focused on how to keep the lights on and help low-income customers pay for utilities. As the vaccine roll out accelerates and many begin easing back into “normal” life, climate change is back…

Welcome to the first installment of a new blog series called Turning Policy into Performance. In this series, we'll take a look at how states can implement decarbonization and climate goals with energy efficiency programs. State decarbonization goals look to transform the energy system through lowering emissions, relying on new sources of energy (renewable and distributed), and empowering…

As states continue to adopt and pursue decarbonization goals, access to and analysis of energy data will be critical to help chart our path towards a decarbonized grid. Detailed energy data can provide a better understanding of the value of energy efficiency, demand response, and other distributed resources, and it can help with demand side resource program planning, grid planning, and energy…

On Wednesday, May 12, the Montpelier, Vermont City Council voted unanimously to approve a home energy ordinance. The ordinance will require homeowners who are selling their property to disclose, to real estate agents and prospective buyers, their home’s annual energy costs by creating a Vermont Home Energy Profile (VHEP). What is VHEP? The Vermont Home Energy Profile…

Connection(s) are everything. It's true in our professional and personal relationships, and now more than ever, it's true for buildings. We have arrived at a time when we are designing and constructing zero energy buildings (houses, commercial buildings, schools) at cost, with a quicker and more significant return on investment than traditional construction. Indeed, we have a way to go before…

Last year was a year of turmoil, in many ways. Specifically for the buildings sector, COVID-19 gave us a new lens through which to look at our public buildings, schools, and homes. In all the chaos around in-person vs. hybrid vs. remote learning, there was also a collective struggle in the buildings community to figure out how to take care of our schools – how to care for them while they were…

Across the NEEP region, eight states, at least eight municipalities, and one county have passed a benchmarking ordinance. The newest state to join this illustrious group holds down the southern border of the NEEP region: West Virginia! What is Benchmarking? The existing building stock accounts for 40 percent of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy usage. And targeting this sector…

The clean energy transition is here and is accelerating with each day. States and communities are strengthening their carbon reduction goals and taking a serious look at new clean and efficient technologies. To stabilize the climate and meet the growing number of binding carbon commitments, the world will need to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. This is an opportunity to create new…

NEEP’s cold-climate Air Source Heat Pump (ccASHP) Product List has come a long way in the past few years. Flash back to 2015 (which considering the pandemic year, feels like an eternity ago), and NEEP was just launching an ASHP and smart controls initiative to accelerate adoption of air source heat pumps to meet our long-term market transformation goals by 2025 and 2030. A big piece of this was…