MEEA will be hosting a webinar providing federal policy updates on Thursday, November 18 from 3 - 4 p.m. CDT. The event will feature speakers from the National Association of State Energy Officials, the Alliance to Save Energy, the Building Performance Association and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. Topics discussed will include the infrastructure and reconciliation bills, Main Street Efficiency Act, HOPE for HOMES Act and appliance standards.

MEEA’s policy team will join panelists from Synapse Energy Economics to discuss their recent analysis of consequences resulting from policies that constrain utility-run energy efficiency programs in the Midwest. Discover EE’s clear value to the region with a closer look into the missed opportunities for cost savings and other societal benefits in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Off-site construction (i.e. prefabricated, volumetric or factory-built construction) offers significant advantages to the residential construction industry through building high-quality housing at an affordable price, saving time on the construction process and creating better-performing buildings. Despite these benefits, specific barriers prevent the expansion of this construction type.

Cities and states setting climate goals are looking to building policies like energy codes to increase energy efficiency in buildings. Setting those policies is only one piece of the climate change mitigation solution; compliance is key to actually achieving energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Stretch codes can help municipalities or states ensure that newly constructed buildings are more energy efficient than base or model energy codes. This session will explain stretch code benefits and considerations, adoption process options, typical policy elements included and strategies for implementation like utility involvement. Whether you have never heard of a stretch code or just want to learn more, this session is important to anyone involved in improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

Due to the economic impacts from the pandemic, a growing number of individuals – some of them, perhaps, for the first time – are experiencing hardship when it comes to utility bill payment. These consumers may fall outside of the traditional eligibility requirements and, therefore, can be unaware of the available assistance programs that their utility provider offers. How are utilities and related organizations bridging this gap as we transition out of pandemic procedures?

Moderated by: E’Lois Thomas, SEEL, LLC

Energy efficiency and decarbonization used to be voluntary for foodservice operators, but that approach did not produce results fast enough. Now, many local and state governments, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Washington, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Hawaii are enacting laws that mandate major carbon reductions by 2030 and call for a carbon neutral economy by 2050. These new laws will impact the design and operations of restaurants in new ways that have not been seen before.

While customer interest in electric vehicles (EVs) is at an all-time high, only 30% self-report as being knowledgeable about them. Utility customer engagement and education is critical to overcoming this knowledge gap and accelerating market transformation.
 

Think you know how to reduce building energy consumption in the U.S.? This webinar will prove there are solutions you have yet to imagine. In most markets, buildings are un- or under-managed assets, and we need to turn our conversations about what buildings consume and how they interact with the grid into real action at scale.  In this webinar, MEEA and Calico Energy share how the right stakeholders working together will change the way utilities interact with the built world.

Panelists: 

Last year left a lasting mark on the work of energy, utility and sustainability leaders. The silver lining in this “year on pause,” however, is that it forced industry leaders to pivot to maintain generation and conservation goals and shift communications to their customer base. Moreover, multiple utilities still achieved their outreach goals and grew their positive reputations in their communities.