Setting the Table for Building Decarbonization

Thanks to NRDC, a longtime partner of NEEP in helping to set new appliance efficiency standards, the challenge of energy waste from television set-top boxes-those ubiquitous devices that receive cable TV signals or digitally record TV shows-is receiving front-page news coverage. The “Better Viewing, Lower Energy Bills, and Less Pollution” report, available here, shows that the 160 million set-…

Where does the time go? It’s already been two years since the Department of Energy (DOE) established the Technical Assistance Network (TAN) to help grantees build strong energy efficiency programs under the requirements of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), State Energy (SEP), and the Better Buildings programs. More than $18 billion has been dedicated to the Building…

Three: One to change it and two to argue over the age of the old one. (*rimshot*) I love a good light bulb joke as much as the next guy in the lighting biz. But the era of light bulb jokes is dimming, and you can blame long-lasting LED lighting. These days, parents can screw an LED light in their child’s nursery and potentially not worry about changing it until they leave for college. LED…

ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 — In the world of advanced building energy codes, it’s a major disappointment. ASHRAE 90.2 is a Residential Energy Standard published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) that provides guidance for meeting minimum energy efficiency requirements in low-rise residential buildings (single…

How the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Is Helping the Northeast Shift to Clean Energy and Reduce Pollution from Fossil Fuels A new report released today from Environment America says that clean energy investments totaling  nearly $450 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has led to over $1 billion in energy savings and has contributed $2.6 billion to economic…

Judging from many of the recent headlines, one might think that the clean energy economy in the Northeast was losing public support. According to a recent survey by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, however, public support for policies that promote clean energy and lower carbon dioxide emissions continues to be quite strong. "Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in May…

See this week's Energy Efficiency Policy Tracker for the latest news in energy efficiency policy, including: New Jersey Leaves the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Connecticut Creates a New Energy and Environment Agency Maine Legislature Takes Step to Roll Back Energy Code More Stretch Code Communities in Massachusetts Newsworthy Reports: ASAP Furnace and AC Standards Fact Sheet and…

Watch video case studies of each of the Business Leaders here. We are very pleased to be honoring 12 outstanding businesses from around the region as Northeast Business Leaders for Energy Efficiency.  Together, these organizations have achieved a cumulative annual cost savings of over $3.3 million by investing in energy efficiency measures. In its 6th year, the Business Leaders…

Free one hour webinar on Tuesday, May 31st (3-4 PM) It is widely accepted that implementing advanced building energy codes presents one of the most cost-effective ways of achieving large scale energy savings and carbon emissions reductions.  However, with ever-changing code regulations and building science modifications, it can seem daunting knowing where to find the most up-to-date…

See our most recent roundup of energy efficiency policy matters at NEEP's Policy Tracker page on our blog.   Some key developments include: New Federal Energy Efficiency Legislation Recent Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Happenings Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Bill in Vermont NYSERDA's SBC IV Technology and Market Development Operating Plan Newsworthy Reports: NRDC Study…