ACEEE’s fifth national review of exemplary energy efficiency programs showcases outstanding programs and honors the organizations and people behind their design and delivery. As in ACEEE’s previous exemplary program reviews (2003, 2008, 2013, and 2019), we solicited program nominations from across the United States.
Energy efficiency programs serving electric and gas utility customers have grown and evolved since their origins in the 1970s. They are now prevalent across the United States, providing a wide variety of services that support customer efforts to reduce energy waste and costs. Today’s programs exhibit a legacy of sophistication and success. Many programs have expanded their objectives to include greenhouse gas reductions, energy equity, electrification, and health.
ACEEE staff reviewed and scored programs based on various attributes, including customer-friendly services, effective program design, cost-effectiveness, and strong results. These scores guided subsequent discussions to reach consensus and select the programs that are exemplary in their category. We then chose a single program from each category that we found especially noteworthy—the Leader of the Pack. For each program category, we present the Leader of the Pack first and the profiles of the exemplary programs follow. Due to the variation of applications received, some award categories recognize more exemplary programs than others. The profiles below are brief summaries. We provide links to each program's website and latest evaluation report for further information.
Residential Weatherization (1–4-unit buildings)
- Leader of the Pack: Casa Verde Program, CPS Energy, Texas
- Exemplary Program: EmPower+, NYSERDA, New York
Residential Weatherization (multifamily buildings)
- Leader of the Pack: Wattsmart Multifamily Program, Rocky Mountain Power and ICAST, Utah
- Exemplary Program: Low Income Weatherization Program for Multifamily (LIWP-MF), California Department of Community Services and Development, California
- Leader of the Pack: Illinois Home Energy Solutions (HES), jointly administered by Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Nicor Gas, ComEd, and Resource Innovations; Illinois
- Exemplary Programs: Built to Last, Philadelphia Energy Authority, Pennsylvania; Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN) - Income Eligible Coordinated Delivery, Mass Save, Massachusetts; Community Energy Efficiency Project, City of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Multifamily HVAC Retrofit Program, Oncor and EnerChoice, Texas
- Leader of the Pack: Clean Energy Jobs Program, Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), New Jersey
- Exemplary Program: Workforce Development and Education Program, Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) and Xcel Energy, Minnesota
Beneficial Home Electrification
- Leader of the Pack: Beneficial Electrification in Residential Buildings, Efficiency Maine,
- Exemplary Program: Residential Electrification Program, Mass Save®, Massachusetts; Clean Heat Program, Con Edison, New York; Fossil Fuel Free Homes, Elevate, Illinois; Comfort Home, NYSERDA, New York
- Large
- Leader of the Pack: Strategic Energy Management Partnership Initiative, Rhode Island Energy
- Exemplary Program: Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York
- Small
- Leader of the Pack: Main Streets, Eversource and Sponsors of Mass Save, Massachusetts
- Exemplary Program: One-Stop Efficiency Shop, Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) and Xcel Energy, Minnesota
- Leader of the Pack: Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, Maryland
- Leader of the Pack: Strategic Energy Management, ComEd with CLEAResult, Illinois
- Exemplary Programs: Large Commercial & Industrial Solutions; Entergy Arkansas; Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart - Managed Accounts Program Delivery, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming
- Leader of the Pack: Southern California Regional Energy Network (SoCalREN) Public Sector Energy Efficiency Project Delivery Program (PDP), California
Zero-Energy-Ready New Construction
- Leader of the Pack: Path to Net Zero Program, Energy Trust of Oregon
- Exemplary Program: Mass Save® Passive House Program, Mass Save®, Massachusetts; Residential New Construction Program, Rhode Island Energy