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Author(s)
CALifornia Measurement Advisory Council
Publication Date

This toolkit supplies evaluators doing energy efficiency evaluations in California with the latest versions of the key documents, rulings, and tools, that define, inform or control their evaluation efforts.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Energy Trust of Oregon

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on key challenges and opportunities for working with HVAC contractors to shift toward high-impact energy-efficient HVAC solutions. Speakers include DOE and the Energy Trust of Oregon.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
TC Saves,
Efficiency Maine,
Community Power Works

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on key challenges and opportunities to deploy neighborhood energy programs. Speakers include the City of Orlando, SEEDS, and Research Into Action, Inc.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on behavior change program design and design thinking to increase program reach. It features speakers from See Change Institute, Efficiency Vermont, and Navitas Partners, Inc.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on best practices on upgrades for zero energy ready homes. Speakers include  Florida Solar Energy Center and BIRAenergy.

Author(s)
California Public Utilities Commission
Publication Date

This report presents findings from an impact evaluation of the Universal Audit Tool (UAT). UAT programs provide residential customers with advice on energy efficiency, insight into areas of high energy use, and tips and suggestions for saving both energy and money based on responses to an online survey regarding household appliances, occupancy, and other dwelling characteristics.

Author(s)
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Vermont Home Energy Challenge,
Efficiency Nova Scotia,
Narragansett EnergyWise,
Cool California Challenge,
San Diego Energy Challenge,
Narragansett Residential New Construction Program

Utilities and regulators increasingly rely on behavior change programs as essential parts of their demand side management (DSM) portfolios. This report evaluates the effectiveness of currently available programs, focusing on programs that have been assessed for energy savings. This report focuses on behavior change programs that primarily rely on social-science-based strategies instead of traditional approaches such as incentives, rebates, pricing, or legal and policy strategies. The objective is to help program administrators choose effective behavior change programs for their specific purposes.

Author(s)
Chris Lohmann, U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Build It Green,
Efficiency Vermont,
Illinois Home Performance with Energy Star

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on ensuring contractor networks work for both energy efficiency programs and participating contractors.

Author(s)
California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority
Publication Date

This presentation covers the public process to encourage stakeholder participation and input in developing the criteria  for a comparative assessment of energy efficiency financing programs.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Energize Connecticut

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on how organizations can diversify and grow new revenue streams and types of financing approaches used to make resources stretch further and help homeowners finance upgrades. Speakers include Connecticut Green Bank, Sealed, and Craft3.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Elevate Energy

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on communicating non-energy benefits that homeowners and building owners are most interested in. Speakers include Elevate Energy, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, and Skumatz Economic Research Associates, Inc.

Author(s)
EMI Consulting
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Energy Upgrade California

This report presents the process evaluation results on the statewide Home Upgrade Program and includes findings on program operations, participant engagement, non-energy impacts, contractor characteristics, and contractor-customer interactions.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on the ACEEE Summer Study, which brought together experts to discuss the technological basis for, and practical implementation of, actions to reduce energy use and the climate impacts associated with buildings.

Author(s)
Dale Hoffmeyer, U.S. Department of Energy,
Chris Baker, Arizona Public Service (APS),
Torsten Glidden, Build It Green
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Energy Upgrade California,
Arizona Home Performance with ENERGY STAR

Achieving energy savings goals and improving customer and contractor satisfaction while staying cost-effective makes managing home energy upgrade programs challenging. DOE's Home Upgrade Program Accelerator is working with program administrators to identify strategies that overcome challenges and achieve better results. The Arizona Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program completed process improvements that improved contractor satisfaction and deceased quality assurance labor.  Build It Green implemented software improvements to their utility program's online rebate applications portal to accelerate data processing.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Bridging the Gap,
Nexus Energy Center,
Knoxville Extreme Energy Makeover

This document features lessons learned shared by Better Buildings Residential Network members during Peer Exchange Calls held during Fall 2015.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Bridging the Gap,
Nexus Energy Center,
Knoxville Extreme Energy Makeover

This document features lessons learned shared by Better Buildings Residential Network members during Peer Exchange Calls held in Winter 2016.

Presentation on the Energy Efficiency Reporting Tool for Public Power Utilities

Author(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
American Public Power Association
Publication Date

This presentation discusses the energy efficiency reporting tool for public power utilities. The tool is an Excel-based template is designed to produce consistent, useful metrics on program investments and performance for small to medium-sized administrators of public power efficiency programs.

Setting Baselines for Planning and Evaluation of Efficiency Programs

Author(s)
Robert G. Ozar, Michigan Public Service Commission,
Carmen Best, California Public Utilities Commission,
Jeff Harris, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Publication Date

The key challenge with quantifying savings from end-use efficiency activities is the identification of an accurate baseline from which to determine the savings. Regardless of the protocol or procedure applied, all savings values are determined by estimating likely energy use in the absence of the program or project (the “counterfactual” scenario, or baseline). This webcast provides an introduction to considerations and common practices for defining baselines, the relationship between baselines and savings attribution, and examples of how different jurisdictions are addressing market baseline studies, setting baselines for retrofit measures, and market transformation program baselines.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
EnergySmart,
Bend Energy Challenge,
Mass Save,
Focus on Energy,
Enhabit

This document summarizes top marketing and outreach takeaways shared by Better Buildings Residential Network members during spring 2015 Peer Exchange Calls.

Author(s)
Community Power Works
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Community Power Works

The Community Power Works program in Seattle, WA uses a program dashboard to track progress against targets. This is an example dashboard from March 2015, which is updated on a monthly basis with progress toward goals for sign-ups, energy audits, home energy upgrades, and energy savings.

Author(s)
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA),
Energy Right Solutions for Buisness,
Energy Right Solutions for Industry,
Efficiency Nova Scotia,
National Grid Energy Efficiency Program,
Energy Trust of Oregon,
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs,
Enhabit,
District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility,
BC Hydro,
Ontario Power Authority Industrial Accelerator Program,
Elevate Energy

Among the many benefits ascribed to energy efficiency is the fact that it can help create jobs. Although this is often used to motivate investments in efficiency programs, verifying job creation benefits is more complicated than it might seem at first. This paper identifies some of the issues that contribute to a lack of consistency in attempts to verify efficiency-related job creation. It then proposes an analytically rigorous and tractable framework for program evaluators to use in future assessments.

Author(s)
The Cadmus Group, Inc.
Publication Date

The California investor-owned utilities -- Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), Southern California Gas (SoCalGas), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), referred to collectively as the IOUs or Joint Utilities -- are designing seven energy efficiency financing pilot programs at the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC's) direction. To help inform the pilot design process and subsequent evaluation efforts, this report summarizes a comprehensive review of 15 existing financing programs representing noteworthy program models across the United States and around the globe.

Author(s)
Community Power Works
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Community Power Works

This infographic illustrates program accomplishments between 2011 and 2014.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Energize New York

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on methods, reactions and legal considerations of contractor rating and feedback systems.

Energy Efficiency Cost-Effectiveness Testing

Author(s)
Snuller Price, Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc.,
Tim Woolf, Synapse Energy Economics,
Tom Eckman, Northwest Power and Conservation Council,
Sami Khawaja, The Cadmus Group, Inc.,
Steven Schiller, Schiller Consulting, Inc.
Publication Date

This webcast provides an introduction to cost-effectiveness testing for energy efficiency programs. It also covers key drivers in the cost-effectiveness results and cost-effectiveness tools developed for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Author(s)
RePower Bainbridge,
Conservation Services Group,
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
RePower Kitsap,
RePower Bainbridge,
RePower Bremerton
This guide is designed to serve as a "how-to" reference for island communities (or small, similarly sized, more isolated communities) that want to develop and implement a residential energy-efficiency and conservation program. The purpose of this guide is to help communities chart a course for successful program development based on the lessons learned during implementation and operation of RePower Bainbridge, an energy-efficiency program on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
RePower Kitsap,
RePower Bainbridge,
RePower Bremerton
RePower Bainbridge works with local residents to find creative ways to increase energy awareness, including developing an innovative Island Energy Dashboard, which displays real-time energy use around the island.
Author(s)
Bonneville Power Administration,
Snohomish County Public Utility District,
Puget Sound Energy,
Clark County Utilities
Publication Date

This presentation describes behavior-based energy efficiency programs and the results of the implementation of pilots from the Snohomish County PUD, Puget Sound Energy, and Clark Public Utilities. These program design features included home energy reports, web portals, and social media platforms.

Author(s)
UtilityExchange.org,
Building Performance Institute
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Atlanta SHINE,
DecaturWISE,
CharlestonWISE,
Enhabit,
Energy Upgrade California,
Help My House,
FirstEnergy,
Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP),
NOLA WISE

This paper first details industry best practices for contest administration, including tips for developing an overall contest plan and timeline, product sponsor recruitment, building a dynamic informational website, maximizing customer participation, selecting the winning home, seamless installation management, capturing and documenting project results, conducting a high profile media open house and facilitating customer workshops that educate homeowners and strengthen trade ally relationships. This paper then presents results and key lessons learned from more than 20 contests supported with funds from local community sustainability programs, utility energy efficiency programs, and U.S. Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds between 2008 and 2012.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Community Power Works

This peer exchange call summary focused on the challenges, advantages and disadvantages of using a home scoring system.

Author(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Publication Date

This report contains information on the market for home performance upgrades and the opportunities that exist for new home performance contractors; start-up needs and costs for firms entering the home performance contracting industry; home performance business approaches; and how established home performance contractors attract customers. It also contains detailed profiles of eight successful home performance firms across the United States.

Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date

This report contains guidance on issues and policy options related to providing access to customer energy use information that can be used to support and enhance the provision of energy efficiency services while protecting customer privacy.

Author(s)
Portland State University,
Research Into Action, Inc.,
Earth Advantage Institute
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Seattle City Light

This study focused on homeowner decision-making in response to home energy assessments, combined with the quality of the recommendations, the home energy assessment, and home energy labels. This report analyzes what assessments provide and what homeowners seem to want. It presents the results of a study of an existing home energy audit program pilot offered by Seattle City Light. From mid-2010 to late 2011, approximately 1,350 home energy assessments were completed in Seattle as part of Seattle City Light's program.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Energize Phoenix,
Community Power Works

This peer exchange call summary focused on how to calculate and communicate program activities and results.

Author(s)
California Public Utilities Commission
Publication Date
This report focuses on four utilities in California. The research for this report included reviewing program documents and tracking databases, conducting two rounds of interviews with four investor owned utility program managers, interviewing California Public Utility Commission staff members and an intervener, surveying 76 on-bill financing program participants and 29 vendors who helped deliver the program, interviewing 12 account executives, and conducting six focus groups across California with 46 energy audit participants who had not participated in on-bill financing.
Author(s)
Andrea Petzel, Community Power Works
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Community Power Works
This presentation discusses the new approach to training that Seattle's Community Power Works program is using to support its high-road workforce agreement.
Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date

This report provides information on how access to energy use data can help local governments create policies for benchmarking and disclosing building energy performance for public and private sector buildings.

Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date

This report provides information on how energy use data access can help state governments lead by example through benchmarking and disclosing results and implement benchmarking policies for the private sector.

Author(s)
Kellie Stickney, SustainableWorks
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
SustainableWorks
Presentation on the SustainableWorks non-profit general contractor model for supporting energy upgrades in Washington state and lessons learned for implementing a whole house approach.
Author(s)
Kira Ashby and Hilary Forster, Consortium for Energy Efficiency,
Bruce Ceniceros, Sacramento Municipal Utility District,
Bobbi Wilhelm, Puget Sound Energy,
Kim Friebel, Commonwealth Edison,
Rachel Henschel, National Grid,
Shahana Samiullah, Southern California Edison
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
National Grid,
Southern California Edison,
Puget Sound Energy,
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD),
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComED)

This paper explores ways in which program administrators are using social norms to spur behavior change and, as a result, curb energy use. In recent years, home energy reports (HER) programs have applied the concept of social norms to the energy efficiency context. These feedback programs inform customers of how their energy consumption compares to their neighbors' and provide other information about their usage, with the goal of enticing customers to change their energy use behavior to improve their relative neighborhood ranking.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Energy Upgrade California,
EnergySmart Colorado

This peer exchange call summary focused on multifamily information technology tools for project information, marketing, assessment, tracking and evaluation.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
Energy Upgrade California

This peer exchange call summary focused on adapting and adjusting financing strategies after a program was implemented.

Author(s)
The Cadmus Group, Inc.
Publication Date

Pacific Power contracted with The Cadmus Group, Inc., to conduct impact and process evaluations of its Washington low-income weatherization program for the program period extending from March 2009 through February 2011. The impact evaluation assessed energy savings and cost-effectiveness associated with the program, and in doing so quantified select non-energy benefits. The process evaluation assessed program delivery and efficacy, potential bottlenecks, opportunities for improvements, and participants’ experiences and satisfaction with the program.

Author(s)
Washington State University Energy Program
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Seattle Community Power Works

Evaluation reports from the Seattle Community Power Works program. The city of Seattle worked to encourage efficiency upgrades for single-family and multi-family residences, small businesses, hospitals, and large commercial and municipal buildings.

Author(s)
Washington State University Energy Program
Publication Date

This mid-program evaluation includes extensive analysis of program sectors, including results of surveys of participants, and summarizes lessons learned to date.

Author(s)
Washington State University Energy Program
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Community Power Works
This mid-program evaluation includes extensive analysis of program sectors, including results of surveys of participants, and summarizes lessons learned to date.
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
RePower Bremerton

This peer exchange call summary focused on strategies and challenges of working with rental property owners and tenants on multifamily upgrades.

Author(s)
U.S. Green Building Council
Publication Date

This is the first study to provide statistical evidence that, holding other factors constant, a green label on a single-family home in California provides a market premium compared to a comparable home without the label. The research also indicates that the price premium is influenced by local climate and environmental ideology. To reach these conclusions, researchers conducted an economic analysis of 1.6 million homes sold in California between 2007 and 2012, controlling for other variables known to influence home prices in order to isolate the added value of green home labels.

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy,
Bridgeport Housing Authority Energy Efficiency,
City of Pendleton,
OR,
Enhabit,
ClimateSmart Initiative,
Colorado ENERGY STAR Homes,
Connecticut Solar Lease,
Keystone Home Energy Loan Program (HELP),
Long Island Green Homes,
Montana Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Program,
Palm Desert Energy Independence Program,
Sonoma County Energy Independence Program,
Sustainable Connections: Energy Challenge,
Texas LoanSTAR

This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency resource is intended to help state and local governments design finance programs for their jurisdiction. It describes financing program options, key components of these programs, and factors to consider as they make decisions about getting started or updating their programs.

Author(s)
Energy Upgrade California
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Energy Upgrade California
Survey form used by Energy Upgrade California to assess open house tour attendee interest in obtaining further information about upgrade opportunities.

Financial Program Management for Continuous Improvement

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
EnergySmart Colorado,
emPowerSBC
This webcast discussed financial program management.
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Low Income Energy Efficiency (LIEE) Program

This document constitutes the final report for the 2009-2010 process evaluation of the Low Income Energy Efficiency (LIEE) program operated by the four investor-owned utilities (IOU) of California for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The IOUs include: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), Southern California Gas (SCG), and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E). Although the program is now referred to as Energy Savings Assistance Program (ESAP), this report will employ the nomenclature used for the 2009-2010 program cycle.

Author(s)
Chris Lohmann, U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
emPowerSBC,
EnergySmart Colorado

Presentation providing an overview of financing programs, a strategy for continuous improvement, tools for program management, a risk management strategy, and common risks associated with financing programs.

Author(s)
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD),
Enhabit

This report presents results, recommendations, and case studies of energy efficiency financing programs.

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
This case study describes the experience of HartmanBaldwin, an architecture and construction company in Pasadena, CA, in becoming Home Performance with ENERGY STAR certified contractors. It includes a detailed example of a home performance upgrade from start to finish based on building science and other principles of the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR training program
Author(s)
Earth Advantage Institute
Publication Date

The report presents an analysis of the market performance of third-party certified sustainable residential properties in the Portland and Seattle metropolitan areas. In each location, a sample of third-party certified homes was selected and comparable homes were found. The author documents that certified homes in the Seattle metro area sold at a price premium of 9.6% when compared to noncertified counterparts.

Author(s)
National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency
Publication Date

This report discusses the five standard tests used to assess the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency, how states use the tests, and how the tests can determine the cost-effectiveness of efficiency measures.

Author(s)
KEMA Inc.
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
California Alternate Rate for Energy (CARE) Program,
Low Income Energy Efficiency (LIEE) Program

This report presents the findings of Phase 2 of the California Public Utilities Commission Low Income Needs Assessment Study. The results of the needs assessment suggest that, over time, the programs have effectively targeted and provided services to low-income households that have the greatest need.

Author(s)
KEMA Inc.
Publication Date
Organizations or Programs
California Alternate Rate for Energy (CARE) Program,
Low Income Energy Efficiency (LIEE) Program

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study of the energy-related needs of California’s low-income population. This study was commissioned to direct future policy regarding the various low-income energy programs offered in the state. These programs include the California Alternate Rate for Energy (CARE) Program, which provides a rate discount to qualified low-income customers, and the Low-Income Energy Efficiency (LIEE) Program, which installs weatherization and energy efficiency measures in qualified dwellings at no charge.

Author(s)
KEMA Inc.
Publication Date
This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study of the energy-related needs of CaliforniaÕs low-income population. This study was commissioned to direct future policy regarding the various low-income energy programs offered in the state. These programs include the California Alternate Rate for Energy (CARE) Program, which provides a rate discount to qualified low-income customers, and the Low-Income Energy Efficiency (LIEE) Program, which installs weatherization and energy efficiency measures in qualified dwellings at no charge.