As with building energy codes, equipment standards are a very cost-effective way to save energy by requiring a minimum level of energy efficiency for certain products, thereby transforming the market. Similarly, the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR program has resulted in decades of energy savings supported by relatively little federal spending. However, recent federal changes put both standards and the ENERGY STAR certification at risk. Let's investigate the impacts of these unnecessary changes and their effect on evaluations. What Are Standards? Appliance and equipment standards are minimum efficiency requirements established by the federal or state governments for new products. By…
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I recently bought an electric lawn mower. I’m not one to gush (or really care) about lawn equipment (or my lawn, for that matter), but I must say my electric lawn mower is amazing. I feel like it has changed my life. And apparently I am not alone. I read an ACEEE study recently that highlighted how electric lawn equipment is a gateway technology for further home electrification. Of course, my evaluator brain immediately jumped to wondering about how utility programs claim any savings related to the additional electrification. Why Electric Lawn Mowers Are Awesome According to the EPA’s 2020 National Emissions Inventory (NEI) data,…
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When I was asked a while back to be a guest writer for this blog, it’s not surprising that my ideas kept drifting toward Evaluability Assessments. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I’m a planner and I like to be prepared. (Dare I say over-prepared.) Full disclosure -- I’m a lister, I create outlines and frameworks, and I love roadmaps. I like to have guardrails and structure to help me focus on what is most important. I thrive when I can set a goal in my sights and devise alternative paths to get to my destination. There is…
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Evaluations can sometimes feel like a regulatory checkbox. This can seem especially true for process evaluations which may be required but provide seemingly limited value. However, process evaluations can provide programs with invaluable information if the one-size-fits-all approach is left behind and evaluators customize them with the program’s life cycle in mind. Evaluations of demand-side management programs typically focus on their energy savings and other outcomes. In addition to quantifying the impact of programs, it is also important to put that impact into context by understanding its implementation. Process evaluations explain the key drivers of impact evaluation results, document how…
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In case you haven’t heard, heat pumps are a thing now. As their efficiency and performance in cold climates continue to improve, heat pumps have become the backbone of energy efficiency and decarbonization efforts and are a focal point of the Inflation Reduction Act. The penetration of heat pumps has steadily increased to a majority of new equipment sales. Given heat pumps' increased share of installations, we need to understand their impact, especially when paired with supplemental heating equipment. But what is supplemental heating and how does it differ from primary, backup, and emergency heating? It wasn’t clear to me, so I decided…
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Although, or maybe because Michaels Energy has provided research and evaluation services for about 25 years, I’ve been a consistent critic of evaluation, measurement, and verification (EMV), and I’ll tell you why in several chapters. Chapter 1 Resource Acquisition Evaluation methodologies are predominately based on widget programs, also known as resource acquisition programs. The hypothesis is this: efficient equipment costs more, and that extra cost is the barrier. How to mitigate or remove the barrier? Pay down the incremental cost with a rebate after the purchase or incentive before the purchase. It’s that simple and dumb. The simpleton approach to…
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Recently, I saw news of a study from USC that found the relatively low level of adoption of electric vehicles in California was already resulting in improved air quality and health outcomes. Based on real-world data, the study found that for every 20 EVs added to a community per 1,000 people, there was a 3.2% decrease in asthma-related emergency room visits. This is very interesting because while the non-energy benefits of decarbonization have always been recognized, the impacts are almost always quantified through models rather than observed data. But that made me wonder – how are the non-energy impacts of energy efficiency…
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If we are counting on energy efficiency to account for a large part of reducing carbon emissions, we need to count lifetime savings accurately. Annual CO2 emissions in the US may be leveling off or declining, but CO2 lasts a very long time in the atmosphere and its impacts are cumulative. Additionally, the effects of climate change are time-delayed and will likely be magnified due to feedback loops (e.g., less polar ice to reflect sunlight will lead to higher ocean temperatures). It is therefore crucial to understand how long energy efficient equipment or interventions will last to develop an accurate estimate…
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Earlier this month, Congress passed - and President Biden signed into law - the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest climate bill ever. While slimmed down and altered from the original House bill, the IRA (and, to a lesser extent, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) will result in a huge influx of funding for clean energy, energy efficiency, and electrification. My initial reactions to hearing of the bill’s passing were elation that the US is finally going to be putting in a serious effort into mitigating climate change at the federal level and shock that it actually passed, given all of the false…
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At their core, energy efficiency programs exist to help the market overcome barriers preventing the adoption of energy-efficient equipment or behaviors. Some barriers, like the high first cost of equipment, are obvious and often targeted, but they may mask other obstacles that are even harder to overcome. Better understanding and addressing these overlooked barriers can help programs increase their participation and savings. Commonly Addressed Barriers When developing a program, the program administrator should create a program theory/logic model (PTLM) to list the barriers preventing the adoption of energy efficiency, followed by the activities to help the market overcome these barriers, then the…
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