ratepayer programs

Building upon decades of successful ratepayer-funded efficiency program administration, efforts to bring private, public, and philanthropic capital to energy efficiency are trending throughout the Northeast region and beyond. But, can private finance and ratepayer funded energy efficiency programs peacefully co-exist in a single market?  Or should one market mechanism’s rising support signal the retreat of the other?  Here are some thoughts on this growing debate.

A Market in Development

We buy clothes, books, and airplane tickets online. We virtually hail taxis, bank, and make international phone calls. We share photos of cats and start viral revolutions with bytes of data. Energy efficiency may be fashionably late to this e-party, but with strong partnerships and a focus on customer convenience, the movement is underway to transform how this least-cost resource is captured online.

So how are shoppers discovering energy efficient products online?

What ingredients are propelling Delaware, and what could ensure progress in New Hampshire? The following 2015 Regional Roundup case study takes a closer look at the paths these states are taking to capture all cost-effective energy efficiency.

NEEP joined friends in Delaware and fellow supporters of energy efficiency from around the nation in cheering a landmark bill passed in the final hours of the state’s legislative session. Included as an amendment to Senate Bill 150, the legislation set the stage for the state’s ratepayer-funded electric and gas efficiency programs to be administered by utility providers.

At the tail end of October 2013, I hit the ground running  as NEEP’s new Public Relations Manager. I quickly learned about NEEP staffers, their roles, and how they all connected together to make our projects move forward. I studied NEEP whitepapers, workshops, and business plans. I looked up acronym after acronym. I met (via email, phone, and in person) scores of NEEP partners and sponsors.