Michigan at a Crossroad: Charting a Future for Affordable Heating

Posted by Meron Lemmi on Feb 26, 2024 10:00:00 AM

New Study Shows Gas Bills Set to Surge

Everyone deserves access to home heating that doesn’t burn a hole in their pockets. Yet, a recent study by Strategen conducted for Advanced Energy United sounds the alarm for Consumers Energy customers in Michigan. Monthly home heating bills, an already significant burden for many, are forecasted to rise — from an average of $75 in 2021 to between $114 and $131 in 2030.

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Topics: Energy Efficiency, Michigan, Building Decarbonization

Outdated Energy Laws are Costing New Yorkers Hundreds of Millions Each Year

Posted by Sarah Steinberg on Jan 8, 2024 9:30:00 AM

Repealing 100-Foot Rule is Key to Protecting Ratepayers’ Wallets 2

According to local legend, in New York, it’s still illegal to put an ice cream cone in one’s back pocket while in public on Sundays. As the story goes, this law was enacted to prevent thieves from subtly luring a horse away from its rightful owner before the dawn of the motor vehicle. Though silly, this example is indicative of a larger trend: old laws from the 19th and 20th centuries often remain on the books because it’s more of a hassle to repeal them than to simply stop enforcing them. This can happen as social norms change, or as new technologies eclipse old ones.  

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Topics: Energy Efficiency, New York, Building Electrification, Building Decarbonization

The 2023 State of the Building Energy Transition – A Year of Reckoning

Posted by Sarah Steinberg on Dec 18, 2023 1:30:00 PM

States Prepare for Future of Home & Business Electrification 2

2023 was the year it became obvious – and undeniably so – that the status quo no longer serves us when it comes to heating our homes and businesses. Several trends have come into irreconcilable conflict. In particular, rising gas costs, vulnerabilities in the gas supply chain, and increasing gas infrastructure spending are juxtaposed against new, highly efficient electric appliance options, made ever more accessible by the 2022 federal Inflation Reduction Act as well as continued market growth and innovation. Consumer preferences continue to shift, and, for the second year in a row, electric-powered heat pump sales have surpassed those of gas furnaces.  

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Topics: Energy Efficiency, Building Electrification

Amidst Record Heat and Energy Demand, We Look Ahead to 2023’s Energy Efficiency Day

Posted by Natalie Vaughan on Oct 2, 2023 10:00:00 AM

Celebrating the Unsung Powerhouse of a Clean Energy Future 1

Since 2016, the United States has acknowledged every first Wednesday in October to celebrate one of the most essential players in combating climate change: energy efficiency. Bringing energy efficiency to the forefront of national observances spurs celebration of the benefits that come with it, such as lowering energy bills, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Pairing these benefits with improving grid resilience and reliability can create a healthier future for our communities and a true “powerhouse” climate solution.  

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Topics: Energy Efficiency

A Toolkit to Help Make the Most of the Federal Home Energy Rebates

Posted by Harry Godfrey on Sep 28, 2023 12:33:27 PM

A guide to maximizing the IRA efficiency & electrification rebatesThe Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contained a variety of incentives, grants programs, and policies to help catalyze not only the growth of clean generation, but also energy efficiency and building electrification. Among the notable measures in the landmark law were a pair of residential rebate programs - the Home Efficiency Rebates and the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Programs – for which the IRA provided $8.6 billion.

Now, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is prepared to begin allocating these funds out to all 50 states and tribes across the country, to help them provide upfront rebates on efficiency projects, new heat-pump HVAC systems, smart electric panels, and more. While Congress and DOE have attached some requirements to these funds, state energy offices (SEOs) are responsible for designing specific rebate programs. They will decide which households receive rebates, which technologies they finance, and how the rebate programs serve larger public policy goals.  

To help states navigate the application process for these funds, and design effective programs, Advanced Energy United and Rewiring America teamed up to produce a new guide: “Making the Most of the Federal Home Energy Rebates.” Informed by the experience and expertise of companies, advocates, and industry experts working in the efficiency, electrification, and distributed energy resource (DER) space this guide is crafted to help states serve low- and moderate-income consumers while also spurring a larger market for residential efficiency, electrification, and DERs broadly.  

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Topics: Federal Policy, Energy Efficiency, Manufacturing and Infrastructure

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