Leaders across the region agree to common reporting guidelines for efficiency savings.
Energy utility commissioners and energy efficiency leaders in the Northeast and Mid- Atlantic regions have agreed to implement a common set of statewide guidelines for reporting energy efficiency savings and associated costs, emissions and job impacts. This agreement by the Regional Evaluation, Measurement, & Verification Forum's (EM&V Forum) Steering Committee marks a significant milestone in laying the groundwork for building greater transparency and credibility of energy efficiency as a reliable, plentiful energy resource in the region and further drives the energy efficiency agenda nationally.
The newly adopted Reporting Guidelines come at a time when states are making unprecedented investments in energy efficiency to meet a range of policy objectives. Unlike the consistent reporting of electricity, natural gas, and oil use, energy efficiency impacts are currently largely reported differently from state to state, making it difficult to accurately track and compare the impacts of efficiency programs and policies across the region.
Reporting efficiency savings in a unified way which transcends state boundaries fosters the credibility of efficiency as a viable resource through a common currency for reporting program impacts.
"The intent of the Reporting Guidelines is to provide consistency and transparency in the reporting of electric and natural gas energy-efficiency program and emission savings, associated costs, and job impacts across the region," says Rich Sedano, Forum Steering Committee Co-Chair, and Director at Regulatory Assistance Project. "The EMV Forum has paved a new path for states to optimize policies that recognize energy efficiency as a reliable, cost-effective energy commodity."
"Until now, states have worked autonomously in setting measurement and reporting guidelines," says Sue Coakley, Executive Director of Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships. "In just two years, the EM&V Forum has brought the top level of energy leaders in each state together to develop, and agree on a number of key initiatives which lay the foundation for a common language for energy efficiency across the region."
During 2011, the EM&V Forum will develop an online reporting tool building on the Reporting Guidelines, and will provide technical support to Forum participating states to use the online tool to report their respective statewide efficiency impacts starting in 2012 (for program year 2011). The EMV Forum will also work with the regional energy system planners and air quality planners to build awareness and increase use of the reporting tool.
"As efficiency becomes an increasingly prominent strategy in energy policy and climate change mitigation efforts across the country, the Forum will work to encourage other states and federal agencies to refer to these Guidelines to inform similar efforts in other regions and nationally," said Julie Michals, Director of the EM&V Forum.
Download the Common Statewide Energy Efficiency Reporting Guidelines at http://neep.org/emvforum/ forum-products-and-guidelines.
ABOUT NEEP
NEEP is a non-profit organization that transforms the way we use and think about energy. Through advocacy, collaboration and education we focus on three areas where we believe energy efficiency can have the greatest impact: buildings, high efficiency products & best practices. Our unique approach helps bring together all stakeholders to accelerate energy efficiency and highlight its impacts on the region, the economy, and the planet. For more information, visit www.neep.org.
ABOUT the EVALUATION MEASUREMENT & VERIFICATION FORUM
Launched in 2008, the Evaluation, Measurement, & Verification (EM&V) Forum is a project facilitated by NEEP, whose purpose is to support the development and use of consistent protocols to evaluate, measure, verify, and report the savings, costs, and emission impacts of energy efficiency and other demand-side resources.