By Jeff Luoma |
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…
By Yiran He |
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…
By Kelly O'Connell |
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…
By Christopher McSween |
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…
By Maggie Molina |
Over the past two months, I have prioritized listening to our partners from Maine down to Maryland. I am energized by our talented staff and committed partners who are rising to the demands of this incredibly busy time in the energy efficiency field. Here are a few takeaways of what I have heard so far:
We Must Maximize Federal Funding for Long-Term Efficiency Gains
Major new federal funding…
By David Lis |
The landscape around heat pump performance specifications and data has evolved in recent years and in the process has raised new questions as to where specifications and performance reporting for heat pumps should go in the future. Let’s break down where we’ve been and look at where and how we can forge new frontiers.
NEEP’s regional market transformation initiative for heat pumps was launched…
By Tasneem Osman |
In this blog post, we'll delve into three new NEEP resources, each dedicated to a specific facet of building performance, energy efficiency, and resilience. These resources uncover the intersection between building performance standards (BPS) and building energy codes, aimed at guiding state energy offices, policymakers, and communities. We'll highlight the crucial importance of boosting energy…
By Chase Macpherson |
In early November I attended the Building Performance Association’s New England Home Performance Conference, where we discussed program design, common barriers to building decarbonization, and one recurring theme… workforce. I presented with staff from the Maine Governor’s Energy Office and Maine Housing on this very topic. My presentation highlighted the results of the first year of ReMaine, the…
By Arah Schuur |
This is my last week as NEEP’s Executive Director. As I turn this page, I am reflecting on how much has changed and how much has stayed the same in the world of energy efficiency, and how organizations like NEEP are more critical than ever in ensuring that we continue to utilize the “first fuel” of energy conservation.
The NEEP region – the 12 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District…
By Luke Miller |
To implement the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Home Energy Rebate Programs, state energy offices will need to address how to obtain access to consumer energy data and use it to better inform program design and customer outreach. Energy data can provide insight into customer energy use and behaviors. Unlocking this data can enhance energy efficiency programs by identifying new ways to save energy…