By Cornelia Wu |
Total Energy Pathways (TEP)
For homeowners interested in home energy retrofits, there are a variety of issues they must consider, such as weatherization, HVAC, strategic electrification, and solar photovoltaics. This can mean hiring several contractors, and coordinating multiple schedules. Total Energy Pathways (TEP) is a program that bundles all of these trades and offers them to homeowners as…
By Erin Cosgrove |
Vermont’s legislature is considering the first of its kind Clean Heat Standard (CHS). A Clean Heat Standard seeks to reduce and regulate emissions from natural gas, fuel oil, and propane distributors by creating a cap-and-trade mechanism. This mechanism operates similar to California’s transportation fuel cap-and-trade initiative and Colorado’s Clean Heat Standard for natural gas, but unlike…
By David Lis |
Last winter, staff from NEEP’s Heating Electrification Initiative and staff from NYSERDA’s Clean Heating and Cooling teams realized we shared similar ideas about how we could enable better practices related to sizing and selecting air source heat pumps. With NYSERDA’s direct support, NEEP began working to realize these visions.
After about a year of conceptualizing, designing, and iterating,…
By Cornelia Wu |
By now we’ve all heard that buildings are a big energy user and emit a large proportion of greenhouse gases in both the U.S. and the world. But do buildings need to be a climate change problem? How can off-site construction be part of the solution?
What is on-site construction? It is the most common method of construction, where all of the construction materials - such as cast-in-place concrete…
By Bryan Evans |
I spent one recent Sunday night going to my storage unit to get a box full of dress clothes. Working from home the past two years, it has been over 14 months since I last attended an in-person conference and even longer since I have put on a suit jacket. I was very appreciative to attend the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) BuildingEnergy Boston 2022 conference hosted recently at…
By Erin Cosgrove |
Welcome to the newest 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.
Achieving decarbonization goals will require a paradigm shift in energy efficiency program planning – away from short-term energy savings and towards long-term carbon savings…
By Bryan Evans |
I can remember when my twin and I used to run around our home as children, turn off all the lights, unplug all the appliances, and scream, “saving electricity!” While I do not know the origin of why we started doing this, I am sure my parents enjoyed saving some power. Years later in university, I learned about all the work that goes into “keeping the lights on” and having the grid run…
By Emme Luck |
As energy efficiency leaders embark on the journey to make more equitable decisions, it is critical to understand the landscape of energy inequities in one's jurisdiction before moving to solutions. This blog will outline NEEP's newest resources – a story map, brief, and glossary – on implementing equitable policies. These resources identify the state of energy inequities in the Northeast and Mid…
By Kai Palmer-Dunning |
Building code boards and code officials around the region are tasked with developing and adopting building codes that improve the minimum life-safety standards of buildings. Life safety of buildings refers to the fire, electrical and structural safety of the built environment. As the effects of climate change continue to impact people’s lives, infrastructure, and buildings, building officials…
By Emme Luck |
UPDATE: New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed H.B. 549 on Thursday, February 24.
Over the past few months, the state of energy efficiency in New Hampshire has taken some dramatic turns. The state’s energy efficiency programs have historically brought significant energy savings and workforce stimulation, yet after the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) order in November of 2021, their…