NEEA has ensured new homes constructed in the Northwest are energy efficient through the Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes program. A key barrier to adoption of the ENERGY STAR label has been a clear understanding of the value of an energy-efficient home by builders, the real estate community, as well as home buyers. NEEA is overcoming this barrier by recruiting and training home performance testers, ENERGY STAR Homes verifiers and builders, and marketing the national ENERGY STAR homes brand. Today, the Northwest enjoys the highest ENERGY STAR standard in the nation. NEEA and its utility partners continue to grow market share for ENERGY STAR homes in the region.

The world has evolved and so has NEEA’s work in new construction. In addition to leveraging ENERGY STAR products, NEEA is now encouraging other major green building programs to include or maintain higher energy efficiency specifications within their own programs. NEEA is also providing marketing and training support to help these new programs achieve greater success within the region.

Consumer product purchases and use are among the most direct ways in which consumers can affect their individual energy consumption. NEEA has several residential consumer product initiatives that work to increase the number of energy-efficient products that are available and promoted to Northwest consumers. Below are NEEA’s current residential consumer product initiatives: 

Consumer Electronics
Across the nation, consumer electronics represent one of the fastest growing energy uses in the home. Twenty percent of the total electricity consumed in the residential sector alone comes from consumer electronic products such as televisions and computer monitors. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council forecasts a potential 500 aMW of achievable energy savings from consumer electronics by 2030—the equivalent to powering 365,000 homes, or the cities of Seattle and Spokane, each year. 

To meet this growing energy demand, NEEA is working in tandem with California utilities, other energy efficiency organizations and ENERGY STAR on an initiative to help promote and drive sales of the most energy-efficient consumer electronics. A focus of these efforts in 2010 is on flat screen televisions. In 2009, NEEA worked with its utility and industry partners to provide incentives directly to retailers to carry and promote TVs that were  30 percent more energy efficient than ENERGY STAR specifications. NEEA and its partners also collaborated with the Environmental Protection Agency to raise the ENERGY STAR specifications for the next generation of televisions that will be produced over the next two years. In 2010, NEEA and its utility and industry partners will work with manufacturers to adopt these higher television specifications, as well as with retailers to provide consumer purchasing incentives. Other electronics that will be targeted in 2010 include energy-efficient ENERGY STAR computers and monitors.  

Ductless Heat Pumps (DHPs)
In 2008, NEEA worked with Northwest utilities, manufacturers and distributors to launch the nation’s largest Ductless Heat Pump (DHP) pilot project for the residential sector.  DHPs, which are believed to be 30 percent more efficient than resistance heaters, have the potential to save the region 440 aMW—the equivalent to powering more than 331,000 homes each year. The region, teaming under the banner of NEEA, formed a regional trade ally group of utilities, manufacturers and contractors to demonstrate the use, costs, and energy saving potential of this relatively unknown technology. The pilot has included contractor trainings, installation quality assurance, utility incentives and customer promotions, as well as data/savings tracking.

In 2009, the pilot surpassed its year-end goal of 2,500 DHP unit installations by over 30 percent and feedback from the industry and homeowners has been very positive. In 2010, the program will evaluate initial findings of the pilot and chart the course for ductless heat pump market transformation efforts for the next five years.

Lighting
Lighting accounts for about 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill – a number that can be cut in half by replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). Since the late 1990s, NEEA has worked with the region to increase CFL sales by overcoming market barriers like product quality, price and availability. The benefits of these efforts can be seen today.

NEEA continues to monitor, track and report on regional CFL product availability, pricing and market share for the region.  In 2010, NEEA also will be conducting a study to identify trends, barriers and consumer behavior relating to CFLs. NEEA also continues to ensure that the most efficient lighting is installed in new residential homes through its Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes initiative. 

TopTen USA
In 2010, NEEA will invest in, and leverage a new national organization, TopTen USA, that will promote the adoption of the highest energy-efficient appliances and consumer products. TopTen USA will be modeled after a very successful program in Europe that highlights the ten most energy-efficient consumer products within several categories on its website.

Raising the bar for residential energy codes is a strategic area of focus for the region because of the long-term energy savings more stringent codes provide.  But codes are most effective as part of the comprehensive market strategy that NEEA provides.  When code requirements are based on measures that have become common practice through the region’s voluntary energy efficiency initiatives and programs, they are more likely to have higher rates of compliance among the public.

This was exemplified in 2008 when a new energy code for residential buildings went into effect, which requires all new homes in Oregon to be 15 percent more efficient than the state’s previous energy code. This significant energy code change was directly based on the Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes program and is expected to reduce about 800,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025—the equivalent to removing more than 132,000 cars from the road each year. Click here for more information on NEEA’s work with codes and standards.