A Note from the Executive Director
The new year is often a time of transition, and 2023 is no exception. After 11 years of serving as Executive Director, Susan Stratton has wrapped up her tenure at NEEA and embarked on a well-deserved retirement. I am humbled that NEEA’s Board of Directors has chosen me to be NEEA’s next Executive Director and honored to be following in Susan’s footsteps.
Looking back on the fourth quarter of 2022, I’d like to highlight a few major milestones for the region:
- In a unanimous vote by the Natural Gas Advisory Committee, NEEA’s Efficient Rooftop Unit (RTU) program became the first natural gas program to advance to the Market Development phase of NEEA’s initiative lifecycle. Efficient RTUs are 10-40% more efficient than traditional gas-fired packaged rooftop units and represent an important energy savings opportunity for commercial building owners.
- The new ENERGY STAR specification for televisions (version 9) went into effect in October. The specification, developed by NEEA and its partners, introduces a new method for assessing TV energy use. NEEA is anticipating strong market adoption of the specification, as many TV manufacturers have already signed a voluntary agreement to follow the specification and share performance data.
- NEEA’s “Boring But Efficient” consumer awareness campaign for heat pump water heaters (HPWH) successfully engaged audiences across the Northwest. Awareness of HPWHs by customers living in rural areas alone grew by 20%.
More highlights from NEEA’s work in Q4 are available in the Quarterly Report. I also invite regional stakeholders to reach out to NEEA staff directly with questions. This is a dynamic time for our industry and I look forward to working together to advance energy efficiency in 2023!
