Energy Efficiency

Tools by Topic

State Clean Energy Policy Maps and Data Table

This online resource identifies which states are adopting what policies and initiatives to promote clean energy. The summary table and policy maps highlight state activity on the policies described in the Clean Energy Environment Guide to Action: Policies, Best Practices, and Action Steps for States. The maps and data table provide a “snap shot” of state efforts across the country. EPA updates these materials on a quarterly basis.

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/state-and-local/state-best-practices.html

Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE)

The DSIRE Web site provides information about renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and incentives administered by federal and state agencies, utilities, and local organizations. Summary maps provide a geographical perspective of the availability of each renewable energy incentive type across the United States, and the summary tables provide an overview of renewable energy incentives offered in each state. On the renewable side, DSIRE tracks financial incentives and looks at a range of state rules, regulations, and policies. On the efficiency side, DSIRE includes information on incentives for energy efficiency upgrades, purchases of energy efficient products and systems, and construction of new energy efficient buildings.

http://www.dsireusa.org/

U.S. EPA Report, “Clean Energy-Environment Guide to Action: Policies, Best Practices, and Action Steps for States”

The Guide to Action is a first-of-its-kind compendium that details the experience states have had with 16 cost-effective clean energy policies and strategies in meeting state energy, environmental, and economic objectives. EPA developed the Guide to Action to help states learn from each other as they develop their own clean energy programs and policies. The Guide to Action is part of a package of planning, policy, technical, analytical, and information resources EPA provides to help members of its Clean Energy-Environment State Partnership and other state and local governments establish and implement sound Clean Energy-Environment State Action Plans.

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-programs/state-and-local/state-best-practices.html

National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency Report

This document, developed by stakeholders to the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, summarizes utility sector best-practices and policy approaches. It identifies and describes a range of program types for all customer classes, and describes best-practice options in the areas of measurement and evaluation, cost-effectiveness tests, policy approaches, stakeholder involvement, project management, and internal organizational structure. Each of these factors is considered in the context of emerging, intermediate, and mature programs, as well as for the purpose of targeting customer niches.

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-programs/napee/index.html

State Clean Energy-Environment Technical Forum

EPA’s Technical Forum conference calls provide a venue for exploring analytical questions and resolving key issues surrounding state clean energy efforts. Organized as a monthly discussion among state energy, environmental and public utility commission officials, the Technical Forum features peer exchanges, expert presentations, and targeted technical assistance. For each call, state experts describe their clean energy initiatives, lessons learned, and barriers to success.

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-programs/state-and-local/state-forum.html

Supplemental Environmental Projects Toolkit

EPA’s toolkit helps state and local governments pursue clean energy projects through enforcement settlements. The toolkit starts with the basics, describing the process by which violators voluntarily agree to undertake Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) as a means of offsetting a portion of their monetary penalty. It then focuses on how state and local agencies can use SEPs to promote new renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. In addition, the toolkit provides case studies of how SEPs have been used to support clean energy projects, offers additional ideas for projects, and includes a step-by-step regulatory “road map” for pursuing SEPs.

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/sep_toolkit.pdf (PDF) (66 pp., 1.9M, About PDF)

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Funding and Regulatory/Rates Opportunities Web Site

The EPA CHP Partnership provides listings of state and federal CHP incentives; state and federal biomass/biogas incentives; and utility, state utility commission, and state environmental agency rules and regulations that remove unintended barriers to clean distributed generation projects. This information is reviewed and updated twice per month.

http://www.epa.gov/chp/funding/index.html

Target Finder

This Web-based tool helps commercial users manage energy during the design phase of building construction. Target Finder allows planners to set an aggressive energy performance target for building design and compare estimated energy consumption to the established target. This provides direction for energy decisions throughout the design process, and facilitates the evaluation of a range of energy efficiency measures to achieve energy and cost goals. The total annual energy use intensity for the target is based on the energy sources typical in the region specified by ZIP code.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=new_bldg_design.bus_target_finder

Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator

The Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator, developed for the ENERGY STAR program, uses building-specific data to help decision-makers quantify the financial benefits of energy efficient investments. The calculator estimates how much new energy efficiency equipment can be purchased with anticipated savings, compares financing options for energy efficiency purchases, and evaluates project economics under different interest rates.

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/cfo_calculator.xls (XLS) (415K, About MS Excel )

Cool Roofing Comparison Calculator

Building owners, architects, and others considering the use of solar reflective (or “cool”) roofing can estimate the energy savings associated with various roofing types using this online calculator developed for ENERGY STAR. The Roofing Comparison Calculator estimates energy cost savings for air-conditioned residential, office, or commercial buildings with at least 3,000 square feet of roof area and heated by either natural gas or an electric heat pump. The calculator provides estimates of building-specific energy savings by taking site- and structure-specific factors into account. The tool calculates the net energy savings that would result from a different type of roofing, taking into account potential increases in heating costs along with reduced cooling costs.

http://roofcalc.cadmusdev.com/

The Building Life Cycle Cost (BLCC) Programs

The BLCC computer programs conduct economic analyses by evaluating the relative cost-effectiveness of alternative buildings and building-related systems or components. Typically, BLCC software is used to evaluate alternative designs that have higher initial costs but lower operating-related costs over the project life than the lowest-initial-cost design. It is especially useful for evaluating the costs and benefits of energy and water conservation and renewable energy projects. BLCC also calculates comparative economic measures for alternative designs, including Net Savings, Savings-to-Investment Ratio, Adjusted Internal Rate of Return, and Years to Payback.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/information/download_blcc.html

Mitigation Impact Screening Tool (MIST)

MIST is an easy-to-use software tool that estimates the impacts of urban heat island mitigation strategies on urban air temperatures, ozone, and energy consumption. The cooling strategies assessed include increasing urban albedo (reflectance), increasing urban vegetative cover, or a combination of both. Alternatively, users can evaluate how a particular temperature change will impact ozone concentrations and energy use. The basic steps involved in running MIST are: 1) select the city to model; 2) define the mitigation strategy to test; and 3) estimate impacts on meteorology, air quality, and energy.

Availability: Currently in peer review. Contact Niko Dietsch 202-343-9299

The Clean Air and Climate Protection Software (CACPS)

CACPS is a Windows-based software tool that allows states and localities to analyze the impact of various air pollution control scenarios on traditional air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs). The tool is divided into government and community modules, with each type allowing users to supply data on electricity and fuel-use reductions to analyze GHGs and air pollution impacts. For the community module, CACPS is subdivided into residential, industrial, commercial, transportation, and waste sectors. In the government module, sectors include buildings, vehicle fleet, employee commute, streetlights, water/sewage, and waste.

http://www.4cleanair.org/InnovationDetails.asp?innoid=1
For a copy of the software send an e-mail to 4clnair@4cleanair.org with “CACP Software” in the subject line.

RMI Community Energy Opportunity Finder

This interactive Web site from Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) calculates the benefits of implementing energy efficiency across a community. RMI’s Community Energy Opportunity Finder helps municipalities collect energy use data and then calculate potential energy savings, dollar savings, emission reductions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide, and jobs creation that could be achieved through energy efficiency programs. In addition, the online tool includes valuable information to help a community get started with its own energy projects, including case studies of similar initiatives, data sources, and ideas for funding.

http://www.energyfinder.org/

Portfolio Manager

Portfolio Manager is a Web-based resource that benchmarks the performance of commercial buildings on a scale of 1-100 relative to similar buildings nationwide using EPA's national energy performance rating system. Buildings rating 75 or greater may qualify for ENERGY STAR. The tool’s data on short- and long-term trends in energy performance can be used to make budget and management decisions regarding investments in energy-related projects. A Statement of Energy Performance is provided for each building, summarizing important energy information and building characteristics.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=evaluate_performance.bus_portfoliomanager

“Lead by Example” Guidebook and Tracking Tool

EPA is currently developing a “Lead by Example” (LBE) guidebook and tracking tool that will identify opportunities for states to achieve energy savings and promote the development of clean energy supply within state facilities, operations, and vehicle fleets. The guidebook and tracking tool are being developed to provide support to states interested in analyzing, prioritizing, and tracking progress of their clean energy initiatives.

Contact Jeffrey Brown (brown.jeffrey@epa.gov)

NEEP Report, “The Need for and Approaches to Developing Common Protocols to Measure, Verify and Report Energy Efficiency Savings in the Northeast”

With funding from EPA, the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership developed this report to address: 1) the specific policy needs for common protocols to measure, verify and report energy savings in the Northeast; 2) the level of transparency and consistency in existing M&V protocols and economic frameworks used in the Northeast states; and 3) lessons to learn from experience with M&V protocols in other states and regions of the country.

http://www.neep.org/files/Protocols_report.pdf (PDF) (66 pp., 928K, About PDF)

International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP)

The IPMVP is an industry-standard protocol for measuring and verifying energy savings. It is a broad framework that outlines a flexible and broad set of measurement and verification approaches for evaluating energy savings in buildings. Specific techniques are designed to match project costs and savings requirements with particular efficiency measures and technologies. Each option is applicable to different programs and projects based on factors such as the complexity of the efficiency measures under evaluation and the risk expectations. Accordingly, each option varies in accuracy and cost of implementation, as well as strengths and limitations.

http://www.evo-world.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=80

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