American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) News

The 887-page Project 2025 policy agenda for a conservative administration swings an axe at federal clean energy programs. The Heritage Foundation-led plan would repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and eliminate many Department of Energy programs. That includes efficiency tax credits, home energy rebates, industrial demonstrations, appliance standards, the entire Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, ARPA-E research, loans for clean energ...

Regulators in Massachusetts recently approved a utility’s plan to offer households with heat pumps a lower electric rate during the winter and to offer a further discounted rate for low-income households. This approach from Unitil, which serves a small portion of the commonwealth, should be improved upon and replicated across the country as regulators consider similar proposals from other utilities.   principles and goals  To maximize benefits for energy-burdened househo...

Artificial intelligence will either add to the burden on their already-strained electrical grid or people can use it to solve their most complex demand optimization problems, paving the way to a secure energy future. The choice is theirs. It is encouraging to see American homes, vehicles, and new industrial facilities moving away from fossil fuels in favor of clean electricity. A less welcome trend is the rapid growth in electricity demand that the power grid is unprepared for. The proliferatio...

Nearly two dozen efficiency programs are helping builders and designers construct growing numbers of new homes and buildings that can produce at least as much energy as they consume or be modified to do so in the future. If the United States is to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, users need new homes and buildings to minimize energy use and emissions. A new ACEEE white paper identifies 22 programs advancing zero-energy, zero-carbon, or zero-energy-ready buildings, including 14 resi...

Investments in U.S. manufacturing surged by an impressive 63% in 2023, the most substantial industrial sector expansion in nearly 75 years. The industry is likely to become the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States if new manufacturing investments are not paired with rapid deployment of decarbonization solutions. Directly electrifying industrial process heat to avoid the combustion of fossil fuels is essential. Some green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage will be...

Efficiency Vermont sent a press release last month touting the state’s leadership in installing the most heat pumps per capita among states in the Northeast. That might have been a subtle dig at Maine, which has more heat pumps overall and has been installing them at a faster clip, or Massachusetts, which has big ambitions but lags behind. Each of those states is part of the U.S. Climate Alliance, which has set a goal of accelerating deployment of heat pumps, and incentive programs a...

The International Code Council is violating its own policies in service of special interests that want to remove key energy efficiency and decarbonization measures from a pending model energy code. ACEEE and allies are calling for an urgent remedy. Thanks to the local government’s strong support for energy efficiency and decarbonization, the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) finally made significant strides to advance energy efficiency in new buildings in what had become...

State and local governments are increasingly turning to building performance standards (BPS) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy use in existing buildings. BPS requires some existing large and midsized commercial and residential buildings—including multifamily housing—to lower their energy use intensity, GHG emissions intensity, or both. Energy efficiency improvements A new report ACEEE released outlines the unique challenges affordable housing faces with BPS compl...

New Hampshire utilities last week proposed to refine their energy efficiency programs under the banner “NHSaves,” and extend them for three years. The state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) will be reviewing the proposal but has in recent years taken a skeptical stance on the value of energy efficiency. In a time of concerns about inflation, the proposal would ensure the continuation of cost-saving programs without the risk of interruption, and the PUC ought to approv...

Danfoss’ EnVisioneering Exchange podcast series, now in its third season, continues to explore the megatrends shaping our future with a lineup of guests from all facets of the HVACR industry. February’s episodes feature discussions on heat pumps, their role in decarbonization, and how the industry and policymakers can encourage their adoption. The Role of Heat Pumps in Decarbonization In “The Role of Heat Pumps in Decarbonization,” released on February 2, Steve Nadel,...

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released the following statement from Steven Nadel, its Executive Director, in response to Senate Democrats releasing the text of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: "We need bold action to address both the climate crisis and the challenges of high energy bills. This plan includes historic investments to reduce energy waste, cut costs for homes and businesses, and slash greenhouse gas emissions." efficiency and electrification upgra...

Electric heat pumps generally offer the cheapest way to cleanly heat and cool single-family homes in all but the coldest parts of the United States of America (USA) in coming decades, according to research released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). In very cold places, the analysis finds, electric heat pumps with an alternative fuel backup for frigid periods minimize costs. As states and utilities look to reduce planet-warming emissions, they need to help househol...

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released the following statement from Steven Nadel, its Executive Director, in response to news reports on Senator Joe Manchin’s comments on enacting major climate and energy investments, “Congress has been considering historic investments to help mitigate the climate crisis, including investments in energy efficiency that would reduce energy costs for households and businesses." Steven Nadel adds, "Jettisoning those plans...

The Biden administration proposed to phase out the most inefficient gas furnaces, which would significantly reduce household costs and climate-warming emissions. The plan arrives as millions of U.S. families may face a spike in gas prices for home heating later this year spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that its landmark efficiency standard for home furnaces—potentially the first meaningful update in 35 years—would reduce costs...

The Biden administration could save many low- and moderate-income households thousands of dollars - and cut greenhouse gas emissions - by updating energy efficiency requirements for new federally supported homes, according to a study carried out by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The US Congress directed federal agencies to periodically update efficiency criteria for new homes purchased with the support of federally backed mortgages and federal housing programs. Bu...

Biden administration standards for manufactured homes will boost the efficiency of more than half of new units, but in a major shortcoming, will require little improvement for smaller models, leaving future low-income residents with high energy bills. single-wide models The long-awaited standards from the Department of Energy (DOE) will require a majority of new manufactured homes (often known as mobile homes) to have significantly more insulation than they must today, as well as other energy-...

Prospective renters would be more likely to choose an energy-efficient home if they could compare rental units’ energy costs, according to a first-of-its-kind experiment. The study, published by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), shows that local or state policies requiring landlords to disclose efficiency information in rental listings could help tenants find lower-cost housing and spur building owners to make energy-saving improvements. Energy costs ...

Light bulb efficiency standards announced by the Biden administration will phase out energy-wasting bulbs, significantly reducing many households’ electric bills and averting needless greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The rules from the Department of Energy (DOE) will ensure that commonly used light bulbs, including the iconic pear-shaped ones, meet an efficiency standard easily achieved by today’s LEDs. efficiency standard The new standards will save consumers near...

Despite an intensifying climate crisis and global uncertainty in energy markets, the world’s largest energy-using countries are making only limited progress in reducing energy waste and planet-warming emissions, according to the 2022 International Energy Efficiency Scorecard, published by the non-profit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). To meet their climate goals, the report says, countries will need to rapidly scale their efficiency efforts. No country came close...

A. O. Smith Corporation, a platinum sponsor for the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Hot Water Forum, will participate at the only national conference focused exclusively on the water heating industry. This year’s event will highlight ways water systems can help save money, decrease building greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduce harmful pathogens. The virtual conference runs March 21-23 and will bring together manufacturers, utility professionals, government of...