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At least 37 records · Page 2

The NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency program

A review is provided of the goals, objectives, and recent progress in each of six aircraft energy efficiency programs aimed at improved propulsive, aerodynamic and structural efficiency for future transport aircraft. Attention is given to engine component improvement, an energy efficient turbofan engine, advanced turboprops, revolutionary gains in aerodynamic efficiency for aircraft of the late 1990s, laminar flow control, and composite primary aircraft structures.

Klineberg, J. M.↗

A Case Study in Market Transformation for Residential Energy Efficiency Programs

This case study describes how the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) partnered with gas and electric utilities in Iowa to establish the Iowa residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning System Adjustment and Verified Efficiency (HVAC SAVE) program, taking it to scale improving the performance and energy efficiency of HVAC systems, growing businesses, and gaining consumer trust.

Federal efficiency standards, installation practic↗

Estimating the cost of saving electricity through U.S. utility customer-funded energy efficiency programs

The program administrator and total cost of saved energy allow comparison of the cost of efficiency across utilities, states, and program types, and can identify potential performance improvements. Comparing program administrator cost with the total cost of saved energy can indicate the degree to which programs leverage investment by participants. Based on reported total costs and savings information for U.S. utility efficiency programs from 2009 to 2013, here we estimate the savings-weighted average total cost of saved electricity across 20 states at 0.046 per kilowatt-hour (kW h), comparing favorably with energy supply costs and retail rates. Programs targeted on the residential market averaged 0.030 per kW h compared to 0.053 per kW h for non-residential programs. Lighting programs, with an average total cost of 0.018 per kW h, drove lower savings costs in the residential market. We provide estimates for the most common program types and find that program administrators and participants on average are splitting the costs of efficiency in half. More consistent, standardized and complete reporting on efficiency programs is needed. Differing definitions and quantification of costs, savings and savings lifetimes pose challenges for comparing program results. Reducing these uncertainties could increase confidence in efficiency as a resource among planners and policymakers.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Energy Efficiency Program Financing

In this technical brief we characterize the programmatic energy efficiency financing market from a quantitative perspective. Financing in this report refers to provision of capital—which is paid back over time—to cover upfront costs of energy efficiency. It does not refer to rebates and other types of incentives. We gather and report data on the volume of capital for energy efficiency financing that originated from five programmatic sources: on-bill programs; other utility financing programs; property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs; state energy office (SEO) revolving loan funds (RLF); and energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) programs. We estimate the amount of investment moving through EE financing programs, the sources of capital they employ, and program availability and activity by geography and market sector (residential and non-residential). We also present information on trends in investment by program type, and on the presence or absence of certain program design features, such as credit enhancements and interest rate buydowns. The result is a much more comprehensive accounting of programmatic energy efficiency financing activity than exists elsewhere.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Education, Training and Career Pathway Opportunities for Buildings Energy Efficiency Programs Within the Corps Network

The Corps Network (TCN) is a national association that represents more than 150 local organizations around the country that work to provide job training and employment to individuals working on projects that provide community benefits. Through its partnership in the Better Buildings Workforce Accelerator, TCN requested technical assistance from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to support Corps organizations involved in – or interested in developing – programs related to energy efficiency in buildings. The goal of this project is to provide industry-recognized energy efficiency education/training models and resources that can be tailored and replicated by Corps across the country, and which can best prepare Corpsmembers to enter the energy efficiency workforce when they complete their terms of service.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Kentucky: Using LEAD Tool Data to Fund Energy Efficiency Programs

The Kentucky Office of Energy Policy (OEP) applied the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) web-based Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool to identify areas of their state with energy affordability needs. Kentucky OEP staff used the LEAD Tool to identify counties in Kentucky with the highest energy burden, which is the percentage of household income spent on energy. With this knowledge, Kentucky OEP staff allocated funds to relevant nonprofit organizations that provide home repairs, weatherization upgrades, and other solutions in areas where these services have the highest potential energy saving benefits and can reduce energy burden.

Low-Income Energy Affordability Data Tool, LEAD To↗

The Cost of Saving Electricity Through Energy Efficiency Programs Funded by Utility Customers: 2009–2015

The average cost to utilities to save a kilowatt-hour (kWh) in the United States is 2.5 cents, according to the most comprehensive assessment to date of the cost performance of energy efficiency programs funded by electricity customers. These costs are similar to those documented earlier. Cost-effective efficiency programs help ensure electricity system reliability at the most affordable cost as part of utility planning and implementation activities for resource adequacy. Building on prior studies, Berkeley Lab analyzed the cost performance of 8,790 electricity efficiency programs between 2009 and 2015 for 116 investor-owned utilities and other program administrators in 41 states. The Berkeley Lab database includes programs representing about three-quarters of total spending on electricity efficiency programs in the United States.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Quantifying the Co-benefits of Energy-Efficiency Programs: A Case Study of the Cement Industry in Shandong Province, China

China’s cement industry accounted for more than half of the world’s total cement production in 2010. The cement industry is one of the most energy-intensive and highest carbon dioxide (CO2)-emitting industries and one of the key industrial contributors to air pollution in China. For example, it is the largest source of particulate matter (PM) emissions in China, accounting for 40 percent of industrial PM emissions and 27 percent of total national PM emissions. Although specific regulations and policies are needed to reduce the pollutant emissions from the cement industry, air pollution can also be reduced as a co-benefit of energy efficiency and climate-change mitigation policies and programs. Quantifying and accounting for these co-benefits when evaluating energy efficiency and climate-change mitigation programs reveals benefits beyond the programs’ energy and global warming impacts and adds to their cost effectiveness. In this study, we quantify the co-benefits of PM10 and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions reductions that result from energy-saving measures in China’s cement industry.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit”: Creating Alignment between Cities and Utility Energy Efficiency Programs

Cities are significantly acting as market catalysts to encourage and require building owners to improve energy performance. Yet, cities implementing building performance policies that require actions like audits or re-tuning may experience conflicts with their regulated utilities’ efficiency programs, which depend on energy savings being additional—not attributable to market adoption or preexisting laws. These utility programs preclude free ridership, meaning that the energy savings should be achieved by someone who otherwise would not have acted in the absence of the incentive or rebate. Utilities may decline to offer incentives where cities require particular actions, in turn dissuading cities from enacting ordinances that would lead to further efficiency improvements. This regulatory challenge impedes what could otherwise be a shared goal of improving energy efficiency. Finding solutions that allow city ordinances and utility programs to coexist is vital as cities are taking climate and energy matters into their own hands. Cities and utilities have so far navigated this problem informally. One potential approach is to apply established models from the world of energy codes, where some state regulators have permitted utilities to earn energy savings credit from supporting adoption of energy codes, or from improving code compliance. We consider how this approach and other frameworks could be applied to building performance policies. More specifically, this paper lays out a theory for how utilities can collaborate with local partners to drive deeper energy savings, with oversight from regulators, and examines the question of attributing the savings between the city and utility.

Crandall, Kelly↗

Energy Efficiency Program Best Practices

Presents best practices for operating successful portfolio-level efficiency programs, including assessing efficiency potential, cost-effectiveness screening, and developing a portfolio of approaches.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Setting Energy Savings Targets for Utilities

Helps policymakers understand how electric and natural gas utilities can achieve greater efficiency by establishing numeric energy savings targets and goals for energy efficiency programs.

energy efficiency programs↗

Evolution of Energy Efficiency Programs Over Time: The Case of Standby Power

Issued in 2001, Presidential Executive Order 13221 directed federal agencies to purchase products with low standby power, with the goal of 1) reducing energy consumption in federal facilities, and 2) drawing attention to the problem of high standby power consumption, with guidance provided by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). At that time, standby power was newly recognized as an increasing building energy load. Since then, procurement of products with low standby power have been set in place in acquisition processes, and the purchasing power of the federal government continues to influence manufacturers design decisions related to standby power. In recent years, FEMP has shifted effort from direct manufacturer outreach for data collection, to integrating low standby requirement into broader acquisition programs including Energy Star and Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). Another milestone has been the labeling of low standby products on the GSA Advantage website to simplify and enhance compliance. Looking forward into the program?s future, this question arises How do we design programs over time to reflect market and technology changes, by adjusting programmatic requirements while maintaining effectiveness? This paper discusses that question for the case of standby power, which transitioned from covering a single to multiple environmental attributes, both in the context of the program's past and future.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗