An energy efficiency advocacy group has further downgraded Ohio in its state rankings, thanks to a new law rolling back the state’s clean energy standards. Other experts are warning that ratepayers will soon feel the impacts more directly. Ohio was in 33rd place among states and the District of Columbia in the latest rankings released on Oct. 1 by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, or ACEEE...

When Illinois’ new law legalizing recreational marijuana takes effect Jan. 1, growers will face some of the strongest energy efficiency and reporting requirements in the country. Marijuana can be an energy intensive crop. The new electricity load to power lighting, heating and ventilation for indoor grow facilities has strained the grid and even caused blackouts in other places after it was legalized.

Midwest Energy News’ 40 Under 40 awards program highlights emerging leaders throughout the region and their work in America’s transition to a clean energy economy. We're proud to announce MEEA Policy Director Nick Dreher was chosen as one of this year's 40 Under 40 recipients. Congratulations to Nick and all of this year's winners. See the full list.  

A home is the most expensive thing most of us will ever buy, so it’s important that buyers understand all the home’s features and the true costs of homeownership before taking the plunge. Certain home features are obvious and visible, such as an updated kitchen with granite countertops. Unfortunately, energy efficiency features (such as high-efficiency HVAC equipment or attic insulation installed to the current energy code) are often harder to recognize.

Ohio lawmakers have delayed a critical vote on a controversial energy bill that would charge the state’s utility customers hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize two nuclear power plants that their owner, bankrupt utility FirstEnergy Solutions, has threatened to close without financial support...the House version of the bill would have entirely eliminated Ohio’s current 12.5-percent-by-2026 RPS and cut all the monthly surcharges paying for energy efficiency and demand-reduction programs, which have saved Ohio customers $5.1 billion from 2009 to 2017, according to t

In case you missed it — and [Ohio] state lawmakers hope like crazy you have — legislation laughably referred to as a “clean energy” bill, is well on its way to becoming law at a high cost to you and me...Proponents framed their utility bailout as a way to save customers money and keep power plant jobs — as opposed to thousands of manufacturing plant jobs that disappear in the state without similar subsidized intervention.

Ohio House passes controversial energy bill changing electric fees

COLUMBUS — The Ohio House voted 53-43 in favor of a controversial energy bill that will require Ohio’s 4.8 million electric customers to pay fees that will be used to subsidize two aging nuclear power plants and two coal-fired plants, including one in Indiana. House Bill 6 would wipe out surcharges currently paid by consumers for renewable energy, energy efficiency and peak demand reduction programs...

In Wisconsin, it pays to get rid of your old, energy-wasting refrigerator.

Beard: “We pay you money for your old refrigerator, and more importantly for some people is we’ll come to your house and pick it up!”

John Beard is with Focus on Energy. For more than 15 years, the utility-funded program has helped customers become more energy efficient.

In the recipe for slowing global warming, energy efficiency is a critical ingredient. According to the International Energy Agency, improving efficiency could provide more than 40 percent of the reductions in carbon pollution pledged in the Paris Climate Agreement. That’s if individuals, businesses, and governments around the world make full use of the efficiency technologies that already exist.

Environmentalists and consumer advocates on Tuesday warned that a bill pending in the Ohio House would pile more costs onto consumers and stifle renewable energy and conservation programs...New monthly fees — $2.50 for residential, $20 for commercial, $250 for industrial and $2,500 for very large users — would be collected from all 4.8 million electric utility customers in Ohio.