By Erin Cosgrove | Wed, May 19, 2021
Welcome to the first installment of a new blog series called Turning Policy into Performance. In this series, we'll take a look at how states can implement decarbonization and climate goals with energy efficiency programs.
State decarbonization goals look to transform the energy system through lowering emissions, relying on new sources of energy (renewable and distributed), and empowering…
By Cecily McChalicher | Wed, May 19, 2021
As states continue to adopt and pursue decarbonization goals, access to and analysis of energy data will be critical to help chart our path towards a decarbonized grid. Detailed energy data can provide a better understanding of the value of energy efficiency, demand response, and other distributed resources, and it can help with demand side resource program planning, grid planning, and energy…
By Carolyn Goldthwaite | Wed, May 19, 2021
On Wednesday, May 12, the Montpelier, Vermont City Council voted unanimously to approve a home energy ordinance. The ordinance will require homeowners who are selling their property to disclose, to real estate agents and prospective buyers, their home’s annual energy costs by creating a Vermont Home Energy Profile (VHEP).
What is VHEP?
The Vermont Home Energy Profile (VHEP) is a free, easy-…
By Darren Port | Wed, May 19, 2021
Connection(s) are everything. It's true in our professional and personal relationships, and now more than ever, it's true for buildings. We have arrived at a time when we are designing and constructing zero energy buildings (houses, commercial buildings, schools) at cost, with a quicker and more significant return on investment than traditional construction. Indeed, we have a way to go before…
By Carolyn Goldthwaite | Wed, April 21, 2021
Last year was a year of turmoil, in many ways. Specifically for the buildings sector, COVID-19 gave us a new lens through which to look at our public buildings, schools, and homes. In all the chaos around in-person vs. hybrid vs. remote learning, there was also a collective struggle in the buildings community to figure out how to take care of our schools – how to care for them while they were…
By Andrew Winslow | Wed, April 21, 2021
Across the NEEP region, eight states, at least eight municipalities, and one county have passed a benchmarking ordinance. The newest state to join this illustrious group holds down the southern border of the NEEP region: West Virginia!
What is Benchmarking?
The existing building stock accounts for 40 percent of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy usage. And targeting this sector…
By Andrew Winslow | Wed, April 21, 2021
The clean energy transition is here and is accelerating with each day. States and communities are strengthening their carbon reduction goals and taking a serious look at new clean and efficient technologies. To stabilize the climate and meet the growing number of binding carbon commitments, the world will need to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. This is an opportunity to create new…
By Derek Koundakjian | Wed, April 21, 2021
NEEP’s cold-climate Air Source Heat Pump (ccASHP) Product List has come a long way in the past few years. Flash back to 2015 (which considering the pandemic year, feels like an eternity ago), and NEEP was just launching an ASHP and smart controls initiative to accelerate adoption of air source heat pumps to meet our long-term market transformation goals by 2025 and 2030. A big piece of this was…
By Darren Port | Fri, March 26, 2021
A March 3, 2021 vote by the International Code Council's (ICC) Board of Directors eliminated the governmental member consensus vote - the final phase of the triannual code update process – for future versions of the International Energy Conservation Code. Instead, the ICC will utilize the ANSI standard development process to promulgate the 2024 IECC.
ICC maintains that the IECC will continue to…
By Emme Luck | Thu, March 25, 2021
As Healthy Schools Day approaches, we are reflecting upon the importance of healthy learning environments and the ways in which we create holistic and productive spaces for our youngest community members. Healthy Schools Day is intended to build public awareness and support for the consideration of health in school design and maintenance.
You may be wondering how healthy schools fit into NEEP’s…