Policy Highlights

We in NEEP's policy shop are constantly tracking state energy efficiency happenings- from legislation and regulatory proceedings to spending and savings data. Now we've released our first Regional Roundup, a new report examining overall trends and which states are leading and lagging in capturing cost-effective energy efficiency over the last year.

The report provides a summary and analysis of some of the biggest building energy efficiency successes and setbacks in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, including key energy efficiency laws and regulations, and changes in funding levels and savings goals for customer energy efficiency programs. We see the Roundup as a nice complement to ACEEE's 2011 State Scorecard, and congratulate six of the states in our region for making ACEEE's top ten!

Some of our key findings:

• States are grappling with the same challenges - how to fund efficiency for oil heated homes, how to coordinate state-wide programs to make access easier for customers, how to reach more homes and businesses and go deeper with efficiency projects.
• In states like NH, ME, NJ and PA, Tea Party style views threaten states' efforts to harness efficiency as the most cost-effective energy resource.
• In states like MA, VT, NY, CT and RI, major efficiency commitments are helping to drive down utility costs for all, create local jobs and build the clean energy economy.
• Even in challenging times, much of the region continues to ramp up efficiency, with investment levels expected to reach $2.5 billion this year

We hope you find the comparative charts handy, and the graphs insightful. Download the full report here, and please let us know if you have any questions or comments. As always, thank you for reading Highlights!

Policy News & Views

In Focus

New Resources

The national news has been focused lately on some high profile renewable energy failures. But they've been missing out on the bigger picture: clean energy jobs, powered by energy efficiency, are growing and here to stay. A recent report from Mark Muro and Jonathan Rothwell of the Brookings Institution shows that clean energy jobs are a robust and growing source of employment across the nation. According to the report, "The clean economy, which employs some 2.7 million workers, encompasses a significant number of jobs in establishments spread across a diverse group of industries."
Read more about energy efficiency's role in creating jobs across the Northeast

With the first effective date of new EISA efficiency requirements for light bulbs just weeks away on January 1, consumer awareness and understanding of the coming changes remains low. One of Boston's local television news stations, WCVB Channel 5, recently addressed these issues through a televised piece and invited NEEP's Dave Lis to help tell the story. Dave manages the Appliance Standards Project at NEEP and has been working throughout the year to ensure accurate information is finding its way to consumers.
Learn more about what NEEP is saying about EISA

NEEP's High Performance Buildings team has launched two important collaborative projects to identify steps that the Northeast can take to advance policies that promote healthy, energy efficient, "net zero" public buildings. The first project is a Policy Assessment that takes a close look at existing state policies that require new state-funded buildings and the second project looks further into the future - creating a roadmap for states to achieve net zero energy buildings as a baseline construction and renovation practice.
Read more about these exciting new projects & how you can provide input