Governor Ralph Northam’s new 2018 Virginia Energy Plan (VEP), released earlier this month, rounds out a busy year for clean energy policy in Virginia. It contains policy and program recommendations that will, if thoroughly implemented, deepen energy savings and expand clean energy in the Commonwealth. It proposes that the governor establish a goal to reduce energy consumption in state buildings 20% by 2022, continue robust energy savings performance contracting, and practice more-thorough energy data management. The VEP also proposes a cumulative statewide combined heat and power target and reinforces the value of state and private financing for customer energy efficiency programs. ACEEE is glad the VEP includes several recommendations we put forward in our comments. Now it is time to put them into action.

Read more (American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy)

Blockchain is generating a lot of buzz as a promising system to verify and track peer-to-peer transactions in the energy sector. It could have multiple applications although there is still debate about which, if any, will work well. What’s clear, however, is that companies are already exploring uses of blockchain to save energy. Let me tell you about three applications that show promise.

Companies including Walmart and Maersk are already using blockchain to track products along a supply chain. The technology records every transfer and financial exchange. This reduces processing and administrative costs (which can add up to 20% of overall shipping costs) as well as product spoilage. By matching shippers with carriers, it may also increase equipment utilization and decrease fuel consumption. According to the American Trucking Association, truckers in the United States drive more than 29 billion miles a year with partial or empty truckloads.

Read more (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)

Many of us don’t spend much time thinking about how energy efficiency helps ensure our appliances aren’t wasting energy and that keeping our showers warm doesn’t cause our energy bills to soar. Modern technology ensures we usually don’t have to think about these things. However, many families feel the pinch once the monthly utility bills arrive, and one in five households reduce or forego other necessities such as food and medicine to afford those energy payments.

These facts are especially pertinent in October, which also is known as Energy Awareness Month.

Read more (Utility Dive)

The twelfth edition of the ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard gives a progress report on state energy efficiency policies and programs that save energy and produce environmental and economic benefits. The Scorecard uses data vetted by state energy officials to rank states in six categories—utility programs, transportation, building energy codes, combined heat and power, state initiatives, and appliance standards. The top states in this year’s Scorecard were Massachusetts, California, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut. The most-improved state was New Jersey; other up-and-coming states included Missouri, Colorado, and South Dakota. Energy efficiency is a growing resource in these states and others, with utilities spending more than $7.9 billion in 2017 for efficiency programs nationwide and saving 27.3 million MWh of electricity.

(Read more) American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Energy Efficiency Jobs in America shows that energy efficiency (EE) jobs drive energy employment, representing nearly 35% of all U.S. energy-sector workers. One may assume that most of these opportunities are in major cities, as rural areas offer fewer job options in general. However, certain industries create a larger number of local jobs providing employment for Americans outside metro areas. These jobs can transform people’s lives and be fulfilling careers.

EE is one of these vital industries, offering 2.25 million jobs.^[i] You may not realize, but EE jobs are everywhere. In fact, 99.7% of U.S. counties have energy efficiency jobs. Yes, 3,000 out of 3,007 counties employ EE workers.

(Read more) E4TheFuture

Since early September, I have been eager to share findings from our recently released Energy Efficiency Jobs in America report. One key fact that surfaced is the importance of construction work in the energy efficiency (EE) industry. Overall, 2.25 million Americans are employed in EE. Of these workers, 1.27 million are employed in construction.*

Did you know that 1 in 6 of all United States construction workers spend 50% or more of their time on EE-related tasks? People may think that careers in efficiency are limited to changing light bulbs and installing insulation. But we’ve discovered that most EE construction work is related to installing high efficiency heating and cooling / HVAC systems.

(Read more) E4TheFuture

In just two weeks, on October 5, you can join a nationwide campaign (#EEDay2018) to shout out the multiple benefits of energy efficiency, from reducing energy waste and saving money to lessening pollution and creating jobs.

No need to wait, though. You can let others know now about the third annual Energy Efficiency Dayby emailing colleagues and friends or sharing posts on social media. You can take other steps too, such as replacing an old light bulb with an LED, planning events to spotlight efficiency, or asking local officials to issue a proclamation

If you haven’t done so already, consider signing up as a participant on the campaign’s website, hosted by regional and national groups including ACEEE that want to raise awareness about efficiency’s importance.

(Read more) American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy

Electrification is gaining a lot of attention as efforts mount to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and address climate change. ACEEE sees an important role for energy efficiency in these efforts. In fact, we see beneficial electrification – that which reduces total energy, costs, and emissions – as a form of energy efficiency. It can complement traditional efficiency approaches, and together, they can help meet energy, GHG, and economic goals.

With this in mind, I’ve looked at three recent studies on electrification’s potential impacts on the electric grid and the demand for natural gas. Taken together, these studies indicate that beneficial electrification will likely increase electricity sales (perhaps substantially), affect peak demand (winter peaks in some regions), decrease use of fossil fuels by end-users, and possibly increase use of natural gas for electric generation. However, none of these studies seems to include substantial efforts to use energy efficiency to reduce energy demand. Such efforts could reduce the costs and grid impacts of electrification.

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(American Council For an Energy Efficient Economy)

The Energy Department is asking whether the energy usage of internet-connected home appliances, such as Samsung Family Hub refrigerators that can report the weather and play music, should be regulated.

The department is requesting public feedback on how it should approach regulating the energy efficiency of home appliances such as refrigerators, televisions, dishwashers, and clothing washers and dryers that are wifi-connected.

Energy efficiency advocates welcomed the agency assessing how it handles the growing field of appliances that are internet connected. But appliance manufacturer groups advised that DOE not to issue new regulations that could stifle innovation in the home appliance space.

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(Bloomberg Environment)

From more frequent and intense natural disasters to growing electricity demand and costs, climate-related challenges are on the rise for everyone. Meeting these extraordinary challenges head-on requires an all-hands-on-deck effort to transform our energy future and lower dependence on fossil fuels. At the heart of this challenge lies an opportunity to improve the places where most people spend 90 percent of our time—our buildings.

In the United States, buildings consume more energy than most countries do as a whole. Powering, heating, and cooling our businesses and homes accounts for 40 percent of all energy use and a similar percent of greenhouse gas emissions. In some cities, buildings account for over 70 percent of carbon emissions. These facts make it easy to see why the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals includes an ambitious target of doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.

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(Alliance to Save Energy)