The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted with Michaels Energy to assess NEEA and its partners’ influence on the federal standard for uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). NEEA engages in federal standards processes to support the adoption of standards that advance the efficiency of equipment and appliances available in the market. Between October 2021 and February 2022, Michaels Energy reviewed documents and conducted interviews with key stakeholders to inform two assessments: 1) a qualitative assessment of NEEA and its partners’ influence on the UPS standard, and 2) a quantitative estimate of the share of savings resulting from the standard that were influenced by the combined efforts of NEEA and its partners.
Michaels Energy reported that NEEA and its partners’ influence on the UPS standard occurred primarily through their engagement in the California state standard for UPS, because the passing of the state standard led the U.S. Department of Energy to open proceedings for a federal standard. Michaels Energy estimated that NEEA and its partners influenced 6% of the total energy savings for the UPS standard.