Turning Policy into Performance: Measuring Equity to Achieve Restorative Justice

These days in the energy world, meters are getting a lot of media exposure. With spot meters, smart appliances, building management systems, utility billing meters, and smart meters (which are also known as advanced metering infrastructure or AMI), the energy industry may start drowning in data. And yet, people are asking: do we have enough? Meters Matter So why do meters matter? Meters are the…

My grandparents used to live in an 1821 Connecticut farmhouse. The property was beautiful – original wood floors and beams, nine acres of yard, a horse shed, big garden, small creek, and towering maple and oak trees. We always considered spending the holiday season there, but never did; mold, mildew, and rot that had grown throughout the structure triggered allergic reactions and severely limited…

Last fall, just as the weather started to turn, my old AC condenser met its death. It was a sad time – not because I needed to worry about cooling my house, but because all I saw was a future filled with dollar signs and stress. Thankfully, I work at NEEP, and know all about the benefits of heat pumps. An air source heat pump (ASHP) seemed like the logical, no-brainer next step. Turns out, this…

As 2019 comes to a close and we look towards the start of a new decade, there is a lot on which to reflect. I think about the calendar year turning to 2020 and know that leaves us with just 10 years to drastically reduce our emissions to prevent catastrophic climate impacts. Ten years doesn’t seem like a long time, yet so much can happen in that time. During the last 10 years, I graduated high…

When you think of energy efficient buildings, who are the critical market actors that come to mind? Perhaps it’s those that are responsible for the design and construction of buildings – the architects, engineers, and contractors. Or maybe it’s your local utility company that offers some form of a rebate or incentive for installing energy efficient equipment. The true unsung heroes of the…

A History of Climate Leadership In 2009, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to adopt an above-code appendix to its “base” building energy code. This appendix was called 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, more colloquially known as the “Stretch Code”. The adoption of the Stretch Code came on the heels of Massachusetts also becoming one of the first states to sign the Global Warming…

Welcome to the latest REED Rendering issue, a series of blogs where we bring your attention to interesting trends that we see in the data and the stories behind those trends. This is an exciting time for the Regional Energy Efficiency Database (REED) team here at NEEP! In keeping with NEEP’s core mission and practice of collaboration, last month we hosted a stakeholder meeting to…

In October, the Bloomberg Philanthropies released the American Cities Climate Challenge Climate Action Playbook, a strategic guide to accelerate and deepen climate action in cities. The Playbook highlights 30 important strategies that are currently being implemented in U.S. cities through the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge that other cities can follow. American Cities…

This article is the last in a series referencing a paper Sue Coakley and I authored for the Electricity Journal. This special edition of the Electricity Journal titled “Energy Optimization is the Key to Affordable, Reliable Decarbonization” was coordinated by the Regulatory Assistance Project. NEEP’s contribution, Transforming our Buildings for a Low-Carbon Era: Five Key Strategies, discusses…

This article is the third in a series referencing a paper Sue Coakley and I authored for the Electricity Journal. This special edition of the Electricity Journal titled “Energy Optimization is the Key to Affordable, Reliable Decarbonization” was coordinated by the Regulatory Assistance Project. NEEP’s contribution, Transforming our Buildings for a Low-Carbon Era: Five Key Strategies, discusses…