by Brianna Crandall — March 4, 2011—Energy utility commissioners and energy efficiency leaders in the Northeast and Mid- Atlantic regions have agreed to implement a common set of statewide guidelines for reporting energy efficiency savings and associated costs, emissions and job impacts.
This agreement by the Regional Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification Forum’s (EM&V Forum) Steering Committee marks a significant milestone in laying the groundwork for building greater transparency and credibility of energy efficiency as a reliable, plentiful energy resource in the region and further drives the energy efficiency agenda nationally, says the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP).
The newly adopted Reporting Guidelines come at a time when states are making unprecedented investments in energy efficiency to meet a range of policy objectives. Unlike the consistent reporting of electricity, natural gas, and oil use, energy efficiency impacts are currently largely reported differently from state to state, making it difficult to accurately track and compare the impacts of efficiency programs and policies across the region.
Reporting efficiency savings in a unified way that transcends state boundaries reportedly fosters the credibility of efficiency as a viable resource through a common currency for reporting program impacts.
During 2011, the EM&V Forum will develop an online reporting tool building on the Reporting Guidelines, and will provide technical support to Forum-participating states to use the online tool to report their respective statewide efficiency impacts starting in 2012 (for program year 2011). The EMV Forum will also work with the regional energy system planners and air quality planners to build awareness and increase use of the reporting tool.
Download the Common Statewide Energy Efficiency Reporting Guidelines from the NEEP Web site.
