2013 Residential Energy Efficiency Awards

We started the Residential Energy Efficiency Awards five years ago to recognize the efforts of those who have successfully leveraged government funds to make U.S. homes healthier, more durable, and more efficient.

Local Energy Alliance Program

When the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County proposed the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) in 2009, there were no utility-sponsored Home Performance with Energy Star programs in Virginia. LEAP was the state’s first residential energy efficiency program, and its mission was to revitalize communities, create jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage whole-house energy…

Kentucky Home Performance

In October 2010, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear unveiled a new plan to create jobs by developing the state’s home performance industry. The result was KY Home Performance (KHP), Kentucky’s first statewide residential energy efficiency program.

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Energy Round Table with Senator Wyden

In each issue of State & Local Energy Report, we ask a prominent energy leader a handful of questions and publish the interview in this section. For our current issue we expanded that format to an Energy Round Table, bringing together top state officials to ask a national leader about the most pressing issues in…

Beltway Roundup

Since we last wrote, Congress and President Obama agreed to some revenue increases on the wealthiest Americans, continued the Bush-era tax cuts for more than 98% of Americans, and avoided the first “fiscal cliff” at the start of the New Year. Congress and the president have also agreed to avoid the debt ceiling fight until May 19, tying congressional pay to action by each chamber of Congress on a FY2014 budget…

News & Notes

Congress’s $1 trillion omnibus spending bill, passed in December, included a provision that prevents the Department of Energy (DOE) from enforcing the so-called 100-watt ban on incandescent lightbulbs until March 2013. Nonetheless, many manufacturers are moving forward with products that meet the new standards.

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Moving In and Moving Up: The New Faces of Energy Policy in 2013

To help our readers get up to speed on electoral changes at the state and federal levels, State & Local Energy Report has put together this report on the new faces in Congress and in governors’ mansions in 2013. Though the November elections were not as disruptive as two years ago, they did result in…

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In the Wake of Severe Storms, States Debate Electricity System Hardening

Hours before Superstorm Sandy slammed into the East Coast, officials at Connecticut Light and Power, the state’s largest utility, made a critical decision. As engineers monitored the forecasts for high winds and a record tidal surge, it became clear that major electricity infrastructure was threatened by dangerous flooding that had a 1 in…

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How to Serve Up a More Efficient Data Center

The e-mail that gets sent with a click of the mouse seems to appear in distant Inboxes as if by magic. But behind all those e-mails (and everything from digital medical records to YouTube videos of cats) lie rooms and buildings packed with computer servers, routers and switches, uninterruptible power supplies, extensive cooling…

Will There Be An Increased Emphasis on Energy Efficiency in 2013?

With President Obama embarking on a second term, and mounting pressure for the new Congress to act on the country’s many challenges, including the negative effects of climate change, 2013 could bring landmark change. Will this be the year we see a shift in energy policy that places greater emphasis on reduced waste and energy…

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Looking Back on Weatherization

State & Local Energy Report is proud to present the documentary film Filling the Gaps: The History of the Weatherization Assistance Program. Produced in partnership with the National Association for State Community Service Programs, it tells the complete story of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Through interviews with the pioneers of WAP, the film shows how a modest plan to put people back to work grew into a sophisticated, technologically driven program that's played a major role in advancing building science.

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Faces of LIHEAP: Aja Rail

Upon moving to Montana, Aja Rail became very ill while pregnant with her first child. She was forced to stop working in order to recuperate. LIHEAP provided her and her family assistance so that she would not have to worry about not having heat and electricity as she recovered.

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Faces of LIHEAP: Mary Dykstra

Mary Dykstra is a hard-working single mother and student. She needed LIHEAP’s help after her sister unexpectedly moved out. While Mary balanced three jobs and school work, LIHEAP gave her assistance in paying her energy bills as she adjusted to the changes in her household.

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Faces of LIHEAP: Kimberly Williams

Kimberly Williams was finishing school and working full time when she found out that there was an outstanding balance on her family’s energy bill that she was not able to pay right away. LIHEAP helped her develop a plan to help pay for the balance, allowing her to focus on getting her degree and continue…

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An Exclusive Interview with Secretary Chu

We at State & Local Energy Report are working to sponsor dialogue between different levels of government on issues of energy efficiency, technology, and economics, in order to foster communication and support progress in this important field. State & Local Energy Report was pleased to host a discussion this past month between US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Malcolm Woolf, Director of the Maryland Energy Administration, on the ramp up of weatherization, stimulus funding, energy efficiency financing, and more.

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Success Stories of Weatherization: Veterans Green Jobs

The Weatherization Assistance Program continues to deliver on its promise of creating jobs while significantly reducing home energy costs for low-income households. To highlight the continuing achievements of the hardworking men and women of weatherization, we created a series of video shorts called Success Stories of Weatherization. The first installment, Veterans Green Jobs, tells the…

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Faces of LIHEAP: Tate Cron

When Tate Cron lost his construction job during the economic crisis, he needed to find ways to help support his daughter in a safe environment. He called on LIHEAP to help him pay his heating bills and replace a broken heater during the winter months as he continued to look for work. They also provided…