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Massachusetts Ranked #1 for Energy Efficiency

mark handler

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http://www.golocalworcester.com/business/Massachusetts-Ranked-1-for-Energy-Efficiency

Massachusetts ranks #1 in the United states in new comprehensive review of the energy efficiency.

The analysis conducted by the American Council of Energy-Efficiency Economy reviewed a sweeping array of factors in each of the 50 states.

California ranked #2 Vermont ranked #3.

The poorest ranking states were Colorado #50 and North Dakota #51 (Washington DC was included in the ranking).

"The top 10 states for energy efficiency are Massachusetts, California, Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, Connecticut, Maryland, Washington, and New York, with Minnesota and Illinois tied for 10th place. Massachusetts retains the top spot for the fifth consecutive year based on a strong commitment to energy efficiency under its Green Communities Act," according to ACEEE.

"In California, requirements for reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, major efforts to achieve energy efficiency in schools, and implementation of a cap-and-trade program earned the state several more points this year, putting it only a half-point behind Massachusetts in the state rankings."

According to the report, Massachusetts scored well for:

Public Buildings — Massachusetts has several green building programs targeted at state buildings. Executive Order 484 requires a reduction in overall energy consumption in state-owned and leased buildings (at which the state pays directly for energy) by 20% by fiscal year 2012 and 35% by 2020 (based on a fiscal year 2004 baseline). The executive order also states that all state agency new construction and major renovations over 20,000 sq. ft. must meet the MA LEED Plus green building standard and perform 20% better than the state energy code.

The Green Communities Act of 2008 mandates that new buildings owned or operated by the state must minimize their life-cycle costs by using energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Fleets — The Green Communities Act requires the state to purchase hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles in such numbers that 50% of the fleet is hybrid or Alternative Fuel Vehicles by 2017. It also requires development of a fuel efficiency standard for the state fleet, although that has not yet been developed. DOER and the Operational Services Division have developed a final draft fuel efficiency standard for the state's entire light duty fleet of more than 2,800 vehicles and are reviewing the draft with fleet managers before moving ahead with its release. The standard will be accompanied by an innovative calculator that will allow fleet managers to input desired vehicles and immediately see whether or not their acquisitions will meet the standard. Additionally, DOER will issue a detailed guidance document to help fleets understand and comply with the standard.

The current statewide vehicle contract has made an array of fuel efficient, hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles available for purchase by any state agency, campus, or municipality.

R & D — In 2014, the Mass. Clean Energy Center, in collaboration with DOER, launched the Mass. as First Customer Program, which aims to help young, innovative clean energy firms develop market and customers at public entities for their products, technologies and services. Working with DOER and DCAMM, the program has held 2 innovative technology vendor fairs, one targeted at all public agencies and one at public colleges and universities. Additionally, the Program is identifying a small subset of companies that have products ready to go to market and will work closely with state partners to identify potential host sites for both pilots and installations.

The above are verbatim from the report.

“Energy efficiency is the most cost effective, accessible way for Massachusetts to meet our clean energy goals and help ratepayers manage their energy costs. Being recognized for the fifth consecutive year by ACEEE as the nation’s leader in energy efficiency underlines the commitment Massachusetts has made to pursue a diversified energy portfolio and my administration is seeking more, renewable energy sources like hydro power to continue this important effort," said Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts.

READ THE FULL REPORT

http://aceee.org/state-policy/scorecard
 
Missouri stays near bottom for energy efficiency

http://www.huewire.com/headlines/native-american/missouri-stays-near-bottom-for-energy-efficiency/22264/

California, hot on the winner’s trail, was only half a point behind.

Arizona slipped two spots to 17th place in the 2015 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard released Wednesday, even though experts say the state still does very well in a few areas.

It seems a little healthy competition is indeed a good thing.

Illinois, meanwhile, was ranked 10th for its efficiency policies, up from 11th past year.

Gilleo went on to outline the top states, with Massachusetts leading the rankings.

California was lauded for requirements to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the implementation of a cap-and-trade program and energy efficiency programs in schools. And many other states in the middle indeed deserve a pat on the back for their continued efforts. As a result, many innovative policies and programs that promote energy efficiency originate at the state level. So all of those are reasons why states in the Northeast and elsewhere are looking toward energy efficiency. “Massachusetts has a few of the most ambitious energy savings targets in the country”.

While Massachusetts takes the lead in the scorecard, most New England states are strongly ranked.

This year, the 20 states which made improvements in their energy-efficiency rankings all had policies encouraging, and in many cases requiring, utilities to invest in energy efficiency.

So will those less ambitious states get in the game? Illinois efficiency programs put 2.13 percent of revenue toward saving energy. To date, the program is estimated to have helped residents save 18.1 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, totaling approximately $5.43 million in energy costs. “People needlessly paying for more energy than they need to buy to power their homes is a drag on the economy”.

Rolling out the regulations in August, the federal Environmental Protection Agency projected that Texas – if it tried to – could meet 7 percent of its carbon-cutting goal through efficiency measures. 9 percent of revenue, according to the report. It also cited the Bond Commission’s authorization of $15 million for energy efficiency retrofits in state buildings.

States are given an overall ranking, and they are ranked separately in six categories. Massachusetts promoted smart growth development in cities and municipalities through state-delivered financial incentives.

Arizona is one of just nine states the leaves building codes to local jurisdictions instead of imposing a statewide code for energy efficiency. Only four states, California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland have adopted the latest commercial and residential building energy codes without significant weakening amendments.
 
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