NEEP commits to expand energy efficiency in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Lexington, MA Thursday, May 28, 2015 – The Energy Department announced Thursday a Better Buildings Home Energy Information Accelerator, which will convene leaders to expand awareness of and support market adoption and use of home energy ratings and labels. By highlighting the energy efficiency features of homes, such energy ratings and labels support the inclusion of efficiency in assessing the market value of residential properties.
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) joined 25 other US DOE Partners in the Home Energy Information Accelerator with a commitment to bring together Northeast and Mid-Atlantic leaders in real estate and energy efficiency to expand the availability and use of reliable home energy information at relevant points in residential real estate transactions. NEEP, with other Accelerator Partners, will help to develop and demonstrate replicable, sustainable approaches that make energy-related information—such as a home’s efficiency certification or its estimated energy usage – easily available through multiple listing services and other reports.
“NEEP is pleased to support US DOE’s Home Energy Information Accelerator to encourage investments that improve the energy efficiency in homes across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic,” said Susan Coakley, NEEP’s Executive Director. “This region is a national leader for energy efficiency, and home energy ratings and labels provide an important resource to make visible the value of these efficiency investments.”
Working with regional partners (state energy offices, utility program administrators, real estate professionals, and local MLS firms), NEEP will convene these stakeholders to create a best practice exchange, to develop tools and resources such as the recently released real estate checklist, and to find solutions for creating comfortable healthy living environments that will lower the overall cost of home ownership.
Better Buildings Accelerators convene leaders across sectors and building types to address persistent barriers that stand in the way of greater efficiency. As Better Buildings Home Energy Information Accelerator partners share their successes with the market, resources will be posted in the Better Buildings Residential Program Solution Center. The Solution Center is an online tool designed to help organizations explore the solutions tested and proven by partners.
“By improving the efficiency of buildings across the country, Better Buildings partners are saving money by saving energy, creating more sustainable communities, and helping to protect future generations from the impacts of climate change,” said Under Secretary for Science and Energy Franklin Orr. “Expanding the program to include water savings and the residential sector means that American families can be a part of this successful partnership that cuts costs and pollution.”
As a cornerstone of the President's Climate Action Plan, the Better Buildings Initiative aims to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings 20% more energy efficient over the next decade. This means saving hundreds of billions of dollars on energy bills, reducing GHG emissions, and creating thousands of jobs. Through Better Buildings, public and private sector organizations across the country are working together to share and replicate positive gains in energy efficiency.
Visit NEEP's Building Energy Rating page for more information.
ABOUT NEEP
NEEP was founded in 1996 as a non-profit whose mission is to serve the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to accelerate energy efficiency in the building sector through public policy, program strategies and education. Our vision is that the region will fully embrace energy efficiency as a cornerstone of sustainable energy policy to help achieve a cleaner environment and a more reliable and affordable energy system. For more information visit our website, blog, or follow us on Twitter.