Category Archives: Uncategorized

The DLC sheds some light on LIGHTFAIR2013

Posted on May 6, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Lightfair 2013 When’s the last time you walked into your living room and got excited about your light fixtures? Really? Never? Well, then you’ve clearly never been to a lighting convention before! I had no idea what I was in for. Picture a massive room the size of a football field, covered in intricate booths that showed off the newest lighting technology using an array of colorful, vibrant displays that left my eyes sparkling (and gave me sore feet from trying to visit each and every station, an almost impossible feat…almost). Continue reading →

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Dialogue on Industrial Efficiency and CHP Kicks Off in Baltimore

Posted on March 13, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Good morning from Baltimore, where the U.S. Department of Energy and NEEP have just kicked off our Regional Dialogue on Accelerating Industrial Energy Efficiency and Combined Heat and Power (CHP). This meeting is being held to advance the development and implementation of state-level best practices in both public policies and investment models that address the barriers to greater investments in industrial efficiency and CHP in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region.

Jason Miller, of the National Economic Council and a Special Assistant to President Obama for Manufacturing Policy, welcomed the 160+ participants here in Baltimore by highlighting the President’s Executive Order that sets a national goal of 40 gigawatts of new, cost-effective CHP by 2020. In noting that a revitalized manufacturing sector is a core element of the administration’s economic development agenda, Miller noted the importance of accelerating efficiency and CHP in this sector because “Energy is intertwined with competitiveness. Continue reading →

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Posted in Best Practices, Buildings, Policy News, Uncategorized

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Time is Savings-Connecticut’s Building Code Conundrum

Posted on February 12, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Last week, a damaging bill (HB 5749) for building energy efficiency was heard in Connecticut. The bill describes itself as attempting to “save resources” for the Nutmeg State and creates a “more consistent State Building Code,” when in fact it would accomplish neither! Here is NEEP’s written testimony against the bill.

HB 5749, if passed, would have Connecticut revise the State Building Code only every six years! NEEP strongly recommends that all states update their state building and energy codes at least every three years, corresponding with the International Code Council’s (ICC) update cycle. It’s the surest way to align a state building code with the latest developments in building technologies and practices, and achieve the energy and cost savings, not to mention life/safety requirements, the codes are designed for.

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Posted on December 21, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Happy Holidays from Neep logo no titleNortheast Energy Efficiency Partnerships!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a New Year full of peace and happiness!

From all of us here at NEEP

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LED Streetlights Set to Light the Way on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard

Posted on November 30, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Guest Contribution by Kevin Galligan, Program Manager at Cape Light Compact

When was the last time you paid attention to a street light?  Probably only when one is burned out, right? Most of us don’t think about street lighting because we just expect it to be there when we need it.

But for cities and towns, street lighting is never far from mind.  While most people drive past streetlights and don’t think twice about them, for town officials they are actually a big energy hog. But now, with new lighting technologies, street lighting holds opportunities for huge energy savings.  As part of their mission to promote energy efficiency, Cape Light Compact is working with towns across the Cape and Vineyard to convert town-owned streetlights to LED fixtures. Starting in January 2013, 140 streetlights will be retrofit in both commercial and residential areas. Continue reading →

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DesignLights™ Consortium Adds Eleven New Categories to its Qualified Product List

Posted on September 14, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The DesignLights™ Consortium (DLC), a project managed by NEEP, announced this week the addition of eleven new commercial SSL luminaire categories to its Qualified Products List (QPL).  The QPL now lists products in thirty categories.  New featured categories include Flood and Spot Lighting, Stairwell and Passageway Lighting, as well as eight retrofit kit categories. The new DLC Category Specifications take effect immediately. Continue reading →

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Beyond the TRC: New Perspectives on Cost-effectiveness Testing

Posted on September 14, 2012 by | 1 Comment

A Guest Contribution By Robin LeBaron, Managing Director of the National Home Performance Council

Good regulation, and ensuring that efficiency dollars are well-spent, is in everyone’s interest – from ratepayers to the small contractors that help bring efficiency projects to life.

The problem is that in most states, the current application of cost-effectiveness tests are actually impeding the success of energy efficiency programs as well as broader public policy goals aimed at saving energy, reducing emissions, and growing jobs clean energy sector. Continue reading →

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DLC Qualified Product List – Defining the Standards of a Surging Market

Posted on June 25, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The DesignLights™ Consortium (DLC) Qualified Product List (QPL) (www.designlights.org) provides a central place for manufacturers to submit products for qualification and for utilities and energy efficiency program administrators to distinguish high performing products for use in their incentive programs.  Due to the rapid technological advances in the Solid State  Lighting (SSL) industry, the DLC continues to update and improve its specification criteria and product categories. The DLC last updated its specifications in July 2011, adding specifications for eight additional product categories at the same time. The specification change resulted in 1300 products being dropped from the QPL in April 2012for not meeting the new specs. However, the QPL recovered the number of products in less than a month, bringing the list back to registering over 10,000 products by the end of May 2012.

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The Business Case for Efficiency takes Many Forms

Posted on June 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

This year’s  Northeast Energy Efficiency Summit in Stamford, CT saw a great number of new faces along with those industry veterans sharing perspectives on the central theme, The Business Case for Energy Efficiency.   Our recognized Business Leaders this year are a great example of the impact strong efficiency policies and programs  can have on the wider community. A brief look at the variety of industries these businesses represent and one thing is immediately clear – there is no one business case for efficiency. Continue reading →

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Way to go Philadelphia!

Posted on June 21, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Add Philadelphia to the growing number of jurisdictions that have adopted laws requiring rating and disclosure of building energy performance.

The Philadelphia City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a new ordinance requiring energy benchmarking of large commercial buildings in the city. Thanks to the leadership of Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager will now be used by owners of buildings of greater than 50,000 square feet to benchmark their energy performance. Continue reading →

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