NOTE: This report was updated in June 2023.
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted with Apex Analytics to review NEEA’s efforts to influence the residential refrigerator and freezer markets through support of the 2020/2021 ENERGY STAR® Emerging Technology Award (ETA) for refrigerators and freezers and the accompanying alternative test procedure. Apex also reviewed the assumptions underlying NEEA’s naturally occurring baselines for refrigerators and freezers meeting the ETA and the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient (ESME) specification, which NEEA primarily supports through midstream incentives. Apex’s original assessment was published in June 2022, and NEEA requested an update to the assessment to address new market share estimates that indicate that the pre-ETA market share of qualifying products was higher than originally believed. In the updated report, Apex concluded that NEEA influenced adoption of the ETA, which, in turn, increased availability of qualified products. Apex also provided updated recommendations for NEEA’s naturally occurring baselines, which NEEA plans to implement.
