Q1 2026 Quarterly Report
A Note from the Executive Director
In the first quarter, NEEA advanced several foundational efforts to support the region’s long-term energy needs in ways that increase system value and help advance product performance, energy savings and affordability for Northwest utilities and customers. This included launching the first Motor System Stock Assessment since 1999, which will refresh critical data on one of the Northwest’s largest sources of industrial energy use and informing future efficiency opportunities. NEEA also initiated key research and planning activities to ensure that efficiency investments continue to deliver sustained value and long-term savings across all four Northwest states.
This work reflects a deliberate balance between near-term impact and long-term market readiness. In the electric portfolio, NEEA is expediting market interventions while advancing a pipeline of emerging technologies with greater emphasis on peak load reduction and grid connectivity. The alliance’s gas and dual-fuel efforts similarly focused on advancing technologies, fuel-neutral approaches, and codes and standards that lock in performance and savings over time. For example, in Q1, NEEA launched new field demonstrations of advanced commercial water heating systems, including gas heat pumps and dual-fuel configurations, to validate real-world performance and savings. The alliance also continued to strengthen performance-based market signals through the Advanced Heat Pump work, using new research to better reflect how products operate under Northwest conditions.
At the March Board Meeting, the Board continued discussions about how energy efficiency and end-use load flexibility are a critical part of meeting the region’s growing energy needs. This quarter, the End-Use Load Flexibility steering committee approved the project’s 2026-2027 workplan, positioning the work as a strategic system resource that can help manage demand and support reliability.
More details on NEEA’s work are available in the quarterly newsletters and in the 2025 Annual Report. It highlights how the alliance continues to deliver value throughout the Northwest including steps to make efficient smart pumps the industry standard, advancing practical, more efficient natural gas solutions for commercial buildings, and how NEEA’s data-driven approach, combined with market research and evaluation, helps accelerate efficient products’ path to market. Please reach out to NEEA staff directly with questions.