Working as a collaboration of utilities, efficiency organizations, and other strategic market partners to advance innovation, the alliance operates a portfolio of market transformation programs. Within each product group in the portfolio, the alliance develops and implements programs, emerging technologies and enabling infrastructure activities with the potential to deliver significant energy savings opportunities for the region.
Accelerates the adoption of more efficient motor driven products, such as pumps, fans, and compressors in end markets with significant savings potential.
Fifty-five percent of Northwest homes have electric water heaters. The alliance is increasing availability of high-efficiency heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) specifically designed for the Northern climate, with a goal of influencing the passage of a federal standard requiring HPWHs for all electric storage tanks greater than 45 gallons by 2025.
NEEA and its partners are engaged in a “Retail Product Portfolio” initiative that uses mid-stream incentives to influence retail stocking practices, making more qualified products available on store shelves.
Northwest consumers own six million electric clothes dryers, the largest energy-consuming standard appliance in most homes. NEEA is supporting manufacturer development and entry of super-efficient dryers to the U.S. market and collecting data needed to influence better federal test protocols and federal efficiency standards.
The region is working to accelerate the market adoption of ductless heat pumps (DHPs) in electrically-heated Northwest homes, which can save homeowners 25-50% on electric heating costs.
The High-Performance HVAC program is a recent addition to NEEA’s portfolio, and will focus on Very High Efficiency Dedicated Outside Air Systems (VHE DOAS) as its first technology. Building on the DOAS concept of separating the ventilation from the heating and cooling system, VHE DOAS includes heat recovery ventilation and focuses on increased equipment efficiency and optimized system design. This combination yields significant whole building energy savings in new and existing small and medium commercial buildings while providing better indoor air quality and greater occupant comfort.
Luminaire Level Lighting Controls (LLLC) combine LEDs, controls, connectivity, and data to create a lighting product that is both efficient and easy to install, and offers improved occupant comfort and space utilization. NEEA is working with its partners to accelerate market adoption of LLLC technology by developing best practice specifications and increasing market awareness of the benefits of LLLCs in retrofit applications.
The region has identified the need for a set of common resources and best practices to guide businesses in strategically managing their energy. NEEA is working to address this need by developing a holistic set of tools and an online community, SEM Hub, that support utilities and the market in building market capability, awareness and demand for Strategic Energy Management (SEM).
This program’s NXT Level Training builds lighting contractor skills and provides a designation that enables utility programs to effectively leverage this base of trade allies, delivering deep energy savings through quality, advanced C&I lighting retrofit projects.
NEEA’s Window Attachments program encourages the installation of high-performance, commercial and residential window attachments as a standard practice in Northwest buildings and homes. The program is currently targeting commercial secondary glazing systems and residential low-e storm windows.
The long-term goal of NEEA’s market transformation programs is often to lock in energy savings through progressively effective energy codes and standards. NEEA supports regional stakeholders in energy code development and adoption, training and implementation. Program staff serve as technical experts during U.S. Department of Energy rulemakings, to encourage the adoption of federal appliance and equipment efficiency standards.
The Commercial Code Enhancement program bridges the gap between market practices and state policies by identifying, assessing, and validating the feasibility and affordability of the next-generation commercial technologies and practices.
The region is working together to demonstrate success for a new voluntary above code specification (NEEM 2.0) in the market prior to a HUD code change, providing manufacturers/retailers with the tools and resources they need to drive consumer demand.
NEEA’s Next Step Homes program is working to increase the adoption of advanced energy-efficient building practices in the Northwest and accelerate code adoption for single-family homes.