Can We Afford to Ignore Embodied Carbon in our Buildings?

NEEP Summit 2026 brought together state energy offices, utilities, regulators, advocates, and industry leaders to explore a wide range of topics shaping the region's energy future. Across sessions, participants discussed topics such as energy affordability, virtual power plants, workforce development, and strategies for meeting growing electricity demand while also putting people first.…

Energy affordability was a major theme at this year’s NEEP Summit 2026 | The Power of Us. Across the region, rising energy bills are straining household budgets, and policymakers are being asked to deliver solutions that address both immediate needs and long-term structural challenges. Energy efficiency programs, long valued for cost effective savings, play a critical role in advancing equity,…

Energy affordability is a priority for states across the country – and Maryland is no exception. Last month, Maryland legislators passed the Utility RELIEF Act, a wide-ranging law that reforms several policy areas, including utility ratemaking, data center tariffs, solar permitting, energy efficiency, and utility bill assistance.  State leaders describe the law as a way to help reduce…

Across the Northeast and Mid‑Atlantic, the energy landscape is changing in ways that demand collective attention: Rising energy costs are putting pressure on households and businesses; rapid load growth from data centers is testing planning assumptions; and climate impacts are compounding operational stress. Demand‑side resources, including energy efficiency, demand flexibility, and efficient…

States across the Northeast and MidAtlantic have spent years strengthening equity in their energy efficiency programs. Community partnerships have grown, participation gaps have narrowed, and policies have evolved to ensure that underserved households and small businesses gain access to the benefits of energy savings.  But new proposals to cut, cap, or divert efficiency funding threaten to…

As states in the Northeast and MidAtlantic work to improve affordability for residential customers, energy efficiency in multifamily buildings has become an area of focus for practitioners and policymakers. However, the multifamily sector is diverse, complex, and dynamic, varying widely in building typology, ownership structure, retrofit financing strategies, and…

Every few years the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is updated, helping to shape the buildings where we live, work, and gather. The IECC influences home comfort and affordability, whether buildings are prepared for modern energy systems, and whether states and communities have a clear path to adopt stronger energy standards over time.  The foundation for the 2030 IECC is…

Blaming energy efficiency for rising energy prices is a myth that is unfortunately gaining traction. It’s a convenient narrative, but the data simply doesn’t support it. The real drivers of rising prices are far more complex.  Across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the urgency to address high energy bills is unfortunately leading to misguided attacks on energy efficiency fueled by this false…

When measuring the climate benefits of energy efficiency in buildings, we often focus on the reduced emissions associated with heating, cooling, and powering the building, or its operational carbon emissions. However, these emissions do not tell the whole carbon story and the associated costs of our built environment. Embodied carbon refers to the sum of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced…

As states across the Northeast look for ways to improve energy affordability, they should take a fresh look at the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and its success in using energy efficiency to lower customer bills. RGGI is a longstanding regional cap-and-invest program that lowers carbon emissions while reducing bills for ratepayers. Through a cooperative effort among New England and…