The Northwest has ambitious energy efficiency targets that were established as a region to meet the growing energy demands of its 12 million energy consumers. NEEA’s work in accelerating the innovation and market adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices is not only an important component for the region to meet these aggressive goals, but it requires a continuous supply of commercially available new energy efficiency technologies and practices. Over the years, NEEA has helped take technologies from the laboratories and bring them into the marketplace. Many of the current success stories in energy efficiency – like compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), energy-efficient clothes washer, super-efficient windows and premium efficiency motors –were the result of development work in emerging technologies in the 1980s and early 1990s that became widespread successes throughout the region and nation. NEEA is currently building the pipeline for future energy efficiency successes through the following initiatives:
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Heat Pump Water Heaters |
According to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 6th Power Plan, heat pump water heaters have the potential to save the region nearly 500 aMW by 2029, the equivalent to powering nearly 350,000 homes each year. To achieve these savings, NEEA collaborates with its utility partners to influence manufacturers to develop a product that is appropriate for northern climates, and to implement a market intervention strategy to overcome market barriers to adoption of this product. NEEA leverages existing market relationships and acts as an aggregator of market resources to represent the Northwest as a buying-block with manufacturers, retailers and distributors to increase product availability and develop and refine a product channel. By helping the market voluntarily adopt a northern climate heat pump water heater, NEEA aims to pave the way for federal standards that would make northern climate specifications standard practice in heat pump water heaters.
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High Performance Windows |
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, NEEA and its utility partners transformed the windows market to increase the market adoption of ENERGY STAR windows. NEEA worked with the region to develop and implement a strategic market intervention strategy to overcome the barriers to adoption of ENERGY STAR windows. Today, ENERGY STAR windows are the standard in the Northwest with many major manufacturers now producing only ENERGY STAR windows in their Northwest plants. NEEA is again working with the region to develop a new strategic market intervention strategy for the next generation of high performance windows. These R5 windows have the potential to save the region 68 aMW of energy savings each year and are nearly 30 percent more efficient than current ENERGY STAR windows on the market today.
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Green Pumps |
With the Green Motors program, NEEA and its utility partners proved that it is possible to save significant energy by refurbishing used motors back to their original, more efficient states. Building on that effort, NEEA is now moving toward standardizing emerging techniques for refurbishing large industrial pumps back to their original state, an initiative that has the potential to save the region another 40 average megawatts (aMW) each year. Once this refurbishing standard is finalized, NEEA will work with more than 40 service companies who are already participating in the Green Motors program to integrate this standard into their business practices.
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Solid State Lighting |
Solid state streetlights use 50 percent less energy than traditional street lighting technologies. Adding control systems to these public lighting sources adds another 50 percent of energy savings potential, creating an energy savings of up to 150 average megawatts (aMW) each year for the Northwest. Outdoor lighting technology has been implemented throughout Europe, but until recently has not been viable for use in the U.S. due to the distance between transformers and electricity poles. NEEA will be leveraging existing data to test visual acuity and cost-effectiveness of combining LED lighting with network control systems in a few pilot locations across the Northwest. NEEA is also providing technical support to the Illuminating Engineering Society, which sets standards for acceptable outdoor lighting illumination levels to help influence illumination standards associated with use of LEDs in solid state lighting.
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