As the energy efficiency landscape evolves, so do the needs of our workforce. Innovative training programs are emerging across the Midwest to prepare another generation of tradespeople in skills that are critical to our sector.

The federal fiscal year starts each year on October 1, and five months into FY26 we have a mostly finalized budget.

In just a few short days, the Midwest Energy Solutions Conference will return to the Marriott Magnificent Mile in Chicago for its 24th anniversary as the region’s premier event for all things energy efficiency.

The Midwest Peer-to-Peer Municipal Energy Managers Workgroup is a space for city and county energy leaders across the Midwest to exchange resources, share ideas and discuss challenges and opportunities associated with building policy.

Illinois closed out 2025 with significant strides in energy efficiency. By simultaneously updating statewide regulations and breaking ground on innovative residential projects, the state is demonstrating how policy and construction practices work together to create a more efficient community.

Tomorrow’s energy efficiency workforce will be shaped by the actions we take today, and the energy efficiency sector is no small part of the energy workforce at large.

The transition to a more energy-efficient economy depends not only on new technologies and policies but also on the skilled workforce needed to implement them.

It was an eventful veto session this year in Illinois, with legislators passing the massive energy omnibus known as the Clean & Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act just after 8 p.m. on October 30, the final day of session. That vote was only the beginning.

SPP’s New Resource Adequacy Rules in ActionSPP Resource Adequacy Rules RefresherBack in July, MEEA reported on new Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Resource Adequacy rules.