Efficiency Vermont

Last updated

Efficiency Vermont is a program that promotes and facilitates energy efficiency across the state of Vermont. Created in 1999 and implemented in 2000 at the behest of the Vermont Public Service Board, [1] it has substantially reduced electrical demand and more than balanced load growth in recent years. [2] Overall, the program has saved nearly $3 billion for its customers, and has reduced Vermont's overall carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 12.6 million tons. It is sometimes referred to as an energy efficiency utility. [3] The program offers six different services: energy assessments, financing, renovation and construction, project support, education and events, and income-based assistance. They also provide public access information to the most energy efficient products and technologies on the market. It is operated by the nonprofit Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. Their current director is Peter Walke.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy Star</span> US energy efficiency program

Energy Star is a program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that promotes energy efficiency. The program provides information on the energy consumption of products and devices using different standardized methods. The Energy Star label is found on more than 75 different certified product categories, homes, commercial buildings, and industrial plants. In the United States, the Energy Star label is also shown on the Energy Guide appliance label of qualifying products.

Energy demand management, also known as demand-side management (DSM) or demand-side response (DSR), is the modification of consumer demand for energy through various methods such as financial incentives and behavioral change through education.

Luminous efficacy is a measure of how well a light source produces visible light. It is the ratio of luminous flux to power, measured in lumens per watt in the International System of Units (SI). Depending on context, the power can be either the radiant flux of the source's output, or it can be the total power consumed by the source. Which sense of the term is intended must usually be inferred from the context, and is sometimes unclear. The former sense is sometimes called luminous efficacy of radiation, and the latter luminous efficacy of a light source or overall luminous efficacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicle-to-grid</span> Vehicle charging system that allows discharge and storage of electricity

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G), also known as Vehicle-to-home (V2H), describes a system in which plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) sell demand response services to the grid. Demand services are either delivering electricity or reducing their charging rate. Demand services reduce pressure on the grid, which might otherwise experience disruption from load variations. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) are related, but the AC phase is not sychronised with the grid, so the power is only available to an "off grid" load.

A public utilities commission is a quasi-governmental body that provides oversight and/or regulation of public utilities in a particular area, especially in the United States and Canada.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) is an independent regulatory agency within the U.S. state of Minnesota responsible for the oversight and regulation of public utilities, including electric, natural gas, and telecommunications services. Created by the Minnesota Legislature, the commission's primary mission is to ensure that residents of Minnesota have access to safe, adequate, and efficient utility services at fair, reasonable rates. It plays a significant role in balancing the needs of consumers, the environment, and utility companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negawatt market</span> Theoretical unit of power savings

Negawatt power is investment to reduce electricity consumption rather than investing to increase supply capacity. In this way investing in negawatts can be considered as an alternative to a new power station and the costs and environmental concerns can be compared.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Energy Commission</span> Government agency

The California Energy Commission, formally the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, is the primary energy policy and planning agency for California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States</span> Climate changing gases from the North American country

The United States produced 5.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020, the second largest in the world after greenhouse gas emissions by China and among the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per person. In 2019 China is estimated to have emitted 27% of world GHG, followed by the United States with 11%, then India with 6.6%. In total the United States has emitted a quarter of world GHG, more than any other country. Annual emissions are over 15 tons per person and, amongst the top eight emitters, is the highest country by greenhouse gas emissions per person. However, the IEA estimates that the richest decile in the US emits over 55 tonnes of CO2 per capita each year. Because coal-fired power stations are gradually shutting down, in the 2010s emissions from electricity generation fell to second place behind transportation which is now the largest single source. In 2020, 27% of the GHG emissions of the United States were from transportation, 25% from electricity, 24% from industry, 13% from commercial and residential buildings and 11% from agriculture. In 2021, the electric power sector was the second largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 25% of the U.S. total. These greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to climate change in the United States, as well as worldwide.

Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the process of reducing the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a building allows it to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a thermal comfort. Installing light-emitting diode bulbs, fluorescent lighting, or natural skylight windows reduces the amount of energy required to attain the same level of illumination compared to using traditional incandescent light bulbs. Improvements in energy efficiency are generally achieved by adopting a more efficient technology or production process or by application of commonly accepted methods to reduce energy losses.

A feed-in tariff is a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers. This means promising renewable energy producers an above-market price and providing price certainty and long-term contracts that help finance renewable energy investments. Typically, FITs award different prices to different sources of renewable energy in order to encourage the development of one technology over another. For example, technologies such as wind power and solar PV are awarded a higher price per kWh than tidal power. FITs often include a "digression": a gradual decrease of the price or tariff in order to follow and encourage technological cost reductions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart grid</span> Type of electrical grid

A smart grid is an electrical grid which includes a variety of operation and energy measures including:

The Vermont Public Utility Commission is a government agency of the State of Vermont that supervises the rates, quality of service, and overall financial management of public utilities in Vermont. Established under Title 30 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, the Commission exercises quasi-judicial oversight of electric, natural gas, telecommunications, and private water companies. The Commission also serves as the franchising authority for cable television systems in Vermont. In addition, the Commission reviews environmental and economic impacts of proposals to purchase energy supply or build new energy facilities; monitors the safety of hydroelectric dams; evaluates the financial aspects of nuclear plant decommissioning and radioactive waste storage; reviews rates paid to independent power producers; and oversees the statewide Energy Efficiency Utility programs.
The Commission comprises a Chairman and two Commissioners, all of whom are nominated by the Vermont Judicial Nominating Board, appointed by the Governor of Vermont and confirmed by the Vermont Senate. The Chairman and Commissioners serve staggered six-year terms. The Commission's office is located at 112 State Street in Montpelier, Vermont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont Energy Investment Corporation</span> American non-profit organization

Vermont Energy Investment Corporation or VEIC is a non-profit organization in Chittenden County, Vermont that seeks to reduce the economic and environmental costs of energy consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption. Since its founding in 1986, the organization has been involved in designing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in North America and worldwide.

Focus on Energy is a statewide program in Wisconsin that offers information and services to help residents and businesses select and install cost-effective solutions that save energy and money.

Electrical energy efficiency on United States farms covers the use of electricity on farms and the methods and incentives for improving the efficiency of that use.

Vermont electric power needs are served by over twenty utilities. The largest is Green Mountain Power, a subsidiary of Énergir which recently also took over Central Vermont Public Service. Together this single company represents 70% of the retail customers in Vermont. The state is a small electricity consumer compared with other states. Therefore, its electricity sector has the lowest carbon footprint in the country. As of 2010, the state had the lowest wholesale electricity costs in New England. Efficiency Vermont engages in aggressive initiatives to cut residential electricity waste, which often identifies other problems that it claims can save hundreds per household per year. Accordingly, Vermont's overall energy bills are also relatively lower than in the rest of the New England states.

Rajit Gadh is a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the founding director of the UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC), the UCLA Wireless Internet for Mobile Enterprise Consortium (WINMEC), and the Connected and Autonomous Electric Vehicles Consortium (CAEV).

Transactive energy refers to the economic and control techniques used to manage the flow or exchange of energy within an existing electric power system in regards to economic and market based standard values of energy. It is a concept that is used in an effort to improve the efficiency and reliability of the power system, pointing towards a more intelligent and interactive future for the energy industry.

IEEE 802.11ax, officially marketed by the Wi-Fi Alliance as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, is an IEEE standard for wireless local-area networks (WLANs) and the successor of Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). It is also known as High EfficiencyWi-Fi, for the overall improvements to Wi-Fi 6 clients in dense environments. It is designed to operate in license-exempt bands between 1 and 7.125 GHz, including the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands already in common use as well as the much wider 6 GHz band.

References

  1. "Energy Efficiency Utility Creation and Structure | Vermont Public Service Board". Psb.vermont.gov. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  2. "Efficiency Vermont's Accomplishments | Vermont Public Service Board". Psb.vermont.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  3. Arterian, Susan (2008-05-01). "The Rise of the Energy Efficiency Utility - IEEE Spectrum". Spectrum.ieee.org. Retrieved 2013-09-08.