Centering Equity with Metrics (Full Report)
Historically marginalized and/or excluded communities experience disproportionate harms from our energy system. Research has shown that the harmful environmental impacts of the energy system are more…
Performance Incentives that Align with Equity Priorities
Performance incentive mechanisms (PIMs) are financial incentives or penalties that encourage program administrators to achieve certain targets or performance levels. If performance incentives are…
Creating Equity-Centered Program Goals
Oftentimes, equity of treatment, program access, and outcomes are expressed as a policy but not as a program requirement. Policymakers can change this dynamic by creating goals that align with energy…
Identifying Equity-Centered Tracking Metrics
Equity-related tracking efforts, whether in the energy efficiency space or beyond, are important ways to better understand current practices, identify gaps, see trends over time, and provide…
Accounting for Equity in Cost-Benefit Analysis
Current cost-benefit analysis practices ensure energy efficiency programs deliver cost-effective energy savings. This means inputs to the cost-benefit analysis look only at energy costs and savings,…
Identifying Disparities with an Equity Gap Analysis
An equity gap analysis can help regulators and program implementers understand inequities in access to the benefits of energy efficiency programs. A gap analysis is an important step in understanding…
Creating a Process for Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement
The first step to centering equity metrics in energy efficiency programs is for policymakers to create a process for meaningful stakeholder engagement that allows for members of historically…
Massachusetts Commercial Energy-Zero (E-Z) Code Summary
The MA Commercial E-Z Code offers multiple compliance paths for the design of commercial zero-energy buildings: a prescriptive path, a performance path (wit prescriptive backstops), and a Passive…