The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted with NMR Group to conduct a review of several alternative approaches to evaluating NEEA’s influence on the outcomes of state energy code processes in the Northwest. The objective of this assessment was to support NEEA in identifying ways to assess its codes efforts that more accurately document and describe NEEA’s approach and influence. Building on information collected during interviews with NEEA staff and a literature review of codes and standards evaluations from NEEA and elsewhere in the country, NMR reviewed current codes evaluation methods and assessed the feasibility and merit of several alternatives to the current approaches proposed by NEEA.
NMR determined that significant changes are not necessary to the approach NEEA uses to estimate influence over state energy code outcomes. In addition, NMR provided recommended refinements to NEEA’s market progress evaluation report (MPER) process for codes that can be integrated into existing study designs and evaluation cycles to generate more robust findings about NEEA’s influence on code outcomes. NEEA intends to accept all of NMR’s recommendations in full.
