Turning Policy into Performance: Measuring Equity to Achieve Restorative Justice

There is mounting evidence of the negative impact of fossil fuels on both the climate and human health. To mitigate these impacts in buildings, we need energy-efficient and electric ready measures to conserve energy, reduce emissions, and create healthier living environments. The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) has long served as a cornerstone for promoting building practices that…

Not only is 2024 the year for Inflation Reduction Act funds, but it is also for planning customer-funded energy efficiency programs! Five states in the NEEP region will set new, multi-year energy efficiency plans. If approved, these plans will invest at least $16 billion over the next several years in the region’s energy efficiency programs to help customers save energy and money, reduce…

In the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region, multifamily buildings account for up to 39 percent of total housing, almost 10 percent above the national average. Multifamily buildings are more likely to house low-income residents, with over 19 million low-income households residing in them. Multifamily buildings are unique because they possess characteristics of both residential and commercial…

You’ve heard all about heat pumps – they're in the news more than ever lately and are being installed in more homes than ever. In fact, nine states (including six states in NEEP’s region) recently set ambitious goals for 90 percent of all residential heating, air conditioning and water heating sales to be heat pumps by 2040. To meet these goals, states must make…

Monumental. Seismic. A once- in-a-lifetime opportunity.The list of metaphors to describe the anticipated outcomes of recent federal investments in the multifamily housing sector has grown ever longer over the past two years. Provisions within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aimed at modernizing apartment dwellings in the United States constitute an…

Who doesn't like winning a prize? Recently, 45 communities across the country were the lucky winners of a prize through the Buildings UP program by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP), through DOE’s Building Technologies Office (BTO), supports the adoption of community-based retrofit programs through cash prizes. The program is administered by the…

States in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have established ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions. A large slice of the reduction pie is to heat buildings and provide hot water efficiently with limited to no use of fossil fuels. Heat pumps have the capacity to do this – even in Northeast winters. There are now hundreds of options for cold climate heat pumps. Heat pump units have outsold gas…

When designing long-running energy efficiency programs, state energy offices have an opportunity to meaningfully engage communities and labor groups early in the process. Meaningful engagement is beneficial for all stakeholders: programs will increase their reach towards all population segments, more households and businesses will benefit from upgraded buildings, and the work will be executed…

In the last few days of 2023, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) published the state’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan, the product of months of collaboration and public input.The plan builds on the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 60 percent from 2006 levels by 2031 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, by proposing over…

This blog was co-authored by NEEP fall intern Jimena Muzio.The need for a more energy efficient building sector has led to the adoption of increasingly stringent building codes. With this, the relevance of professions such as Code Enforcement Officials or Licenses and Inspection Officials will soar. However, there is skepticism regarding the availability of inspectors prepared to meet the…