AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR AN ENERGY EFFICIENT ECONOMY
Smart Energy. Clean Planet. Better Lives.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The pace of climate change due to global energy use threatens our economy, our health and safety, and the ecosystems on which we depend. Energy efficiency is vital to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigating climate impacts. Energy efficiency can transform how all our products, services, and systems work together to improve our use of energy. ACEEE is committed to halving U.S. energy use and emissions by 2050 while bolstering economic growth and equity.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Federal Policy
National policies to improve energy efficiency are critical to job creation and economic development, reducing oil imports, improving the reliability of the electric grid, lowering energy prices, and addressing climate change and air pollution. Federal legislation, as carried out by the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies, provides essential nationwide energy efficiency programs such as appliance and vehicle efficiency standards, ENERGY STAR® labels, tax incentives, technical assistance, and research and development of new technologies.
State and Utility Policy
ACEEE works with state officials to develop and analyze the best energy efficiency policies and strategies for their region. This includes analysis of energy intensity trends and the cost savings, job creation potential, and the environmental benefits of pursuing greater energy efficiency at the regional, state, and local levels.
Energy efficiency must become the first fuel of our utility systems. Utility-sector energy efficiency programs save electricity and natural gas at less than half the cost of new energy supplies, and provide numerous benefits to all utility customers. The ACEEE Utilities Program helps utilities, regulators, state and federal leaders, and other organizations identify energy efficiency opportunities and design state-of-the-art policies and programs suitable for today's diverse utility industry.
Buildings
The ability to design and operate efficient buildings is an essential element of our a clean energy future. ACEEE works to help national, state, and local governments develop, implement, and adopt whole-building solutions that significantly improve the energy efficiency of our existing buildings.
Appliance Standards
American homes use almost 25% of the energy consumed in the United States. About 80% of that energy is used in single-family homes, 15% in multi-family homes (such as apartments and condos), and 5% in mobile homes. Although residential energy use has steadily increased over the past 25 years, it has increased at a slower rate than the rate of population increase. However, many efficiency gains are being offset by increases in the number of electronics and appliances in the average home. There are still many large opportunities for improvement, especially in areas such as whole-home performance and systems.
Industry
With industry accounting for more than one-fourth of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, its decarbonization is essential for combating climate change. This will not only slash emissions but also reduce costs, boost U.S. competitiveness, and protect and grow the United States 20 million industry jobs.
Yet this decarbonization (cutting GHG emissions from industrial processes) is a major challenge. It will require a transformation in the goods we make and how we make them. Industry is complex and broad. It has highly integrated supply chains, generally small profit margins, and equipment that is expensive and infrequently changed.
ACEEE has a proven track record in the industrial space. For decades, it has worked to make industry more energy efficient. It helped deliver dramatic improvements in the energy and carbon intensity of manufacturing.
Transportation
ACEEE's Transportation Program seeks to foster innovative technologies, policies, and programs to reduce transportation-related energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. We advocate a balanced and equitable set of measures to improve vehicle fuel efficiency and enhance overall transportation system efficiency including stronger Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, federal and state incentives for green vehicles, and policies to encourage multimodal passenger travel.
Electric vehicles (EVs) provide a good example of our work. To make EVs accessible to everyone, including low-income households and marginalized communities, the program launched a working group in 2019. The group helps equity-minded utilities better understand how to engage stakeholders, site EV charging stations, increase EV adoption, and measure success of such efforts.
Local Policy
Local policies related to energy efficiency implemented at the scale of a municipality, county or metropolitan region can improve community self-reliance, save consumers and citizens money, create local main street jobs, catalyze local economic investment, and protect the environment. ACEEE works to help local governments increase energy efficiency in their communities.
Where we work
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of national media pieces on the topic
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of individuals completing apprenticeship
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This includes interns, fellows and scholarship recipients. These metrics are used to measure our progress with diversifying the energy efficiency industry.
Number of stakeholders/stakeholder groups with whom communication has been achieved and expectations shared
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Stakeholders are people who we work directly with and who come to our website to download reports and fact sheets that they use in their work.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
ACEEE's overarching goal is to foster a robust and resilient US economy by using energy efficiency to reduce energy costs, support environmental health, and protect disadvantaged communities. Our specific goals are as follows: 1) Advance policies that reduce industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by a third by 2030 and decarbonize by 2030, 2) Push to increase fuel efficiency by 50%, increase share of electric vehicles in the new-vehicle market to at least 20%, and decrease vehicle miles 10% by 2030 and cut emissions 60% by 2050. 3) Push to double energy retrofits and make one quarter of new buildings carbon neutral by 2030 and cut energy use by half by 2050. And, comprehensively weatherize the homes of one-third of eligible low-income households. 4) Use energy efficiency and demand flexibility to support a cost-effective, clean power grid reaching 50% carbon-free electricity in most states by 2030. 5) Increase five-fold the investments in efficiency for buildings occupied by low-income households, reaching one-third of eligible households with a comprehensive weatherization program.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
ACEEE has identified three strategic approaches to work towards our goals. 1) We will advance policies that drive greater public and private investment in energy efficiency; 2) We will develop and demonstrate new approaches that eliminate energy waste within and across multiple sectors of the economy; and 3) We will increase support for energy efficiency among key stakeholders. ACEEE will implement these strategies at all levels of government, and with the private sector. Within all of these efforts, we work to ensure that energy efficiency benefits disadvantaged communities, supports low-income communities, and protects environmental health.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Since 1980, ACEEE has become known as America's leading center of expertise on energy efficiency. Our reputation is based on the high quality, credibility, and relevance of our work, as well as our bipartisan approach. ACEEE's thorough and peer-reviewed technical work is widely relied on by policymakers, business and industry decision-makers, consumers, media, and other energy professionals.
ACEEE carries out its mission by: conducting in-depth technical and policy analyses; advising policymakers and program managers; working collaboratively with businesses, government officials, public interest groups, and other organizations; convening conferences and workshops; assisting and encouraging media to cover energy efficiency policy and technology issues; and educating consumers and businesses through our reports, books, conference proceedings, press activities, and website.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In our 41 years, we have helped establish national energy efficiency standards for more than 50 products, assisting states and utilities to develop and improve their efficiency programs, and advancing combined heat and power systems that cut energy waste in electricity generation by as much as half. ACEEE has issued more than 300 publications and worked on policy issues resulting in legislation signed by Presidents Reagan, Bush (I), Bush (II), and Obama. We played a major role in developing the energy efficiency sections of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the Energy Act of 2020. These steps, combined with the contributions from our many allies, have helped to slow the growth in US energy demand since the 1970s. In our 2015 review of efficiency accomplishments over the past 35 years, we estimate that efficiency improvements in the United States saved $2,500 per capita in 2014.
Looking ahead, ACEEE seeks to maximize energy efficiency in most end use sectors. We will leverage our bipartisan relationships to find opportunities to make progress while rigorously defending successful policies and initiatives. In addition, we will work at the state, local, and utility levels, and are looking for new opportunities to work with the private sector to help transform markets. We are also committed to expanding our reach into underserved markets, including low-income communities and rural areas.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR AN ENERGY EFFICIENT ECONOMY
Board of directorsas of 04/16/2024
Penelope Mclean-Conner
Eversource Energy
Scott Bernstein
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Francis Murray
Past President, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
Penelope McLean-Conner
Eversource Energy
Melanie Kenderdine
Energy Futures Initiative
Vicky Kuo
Con Edison
Danielle Sass Byrnett
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
Harriet Tregoning
New Urban Mobility Alliance
Mary Ann Piette
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Mark Johnson
Clemson University
Sharyn Barata
Opinion Dynamics
Katie McGinty
Johnson Controls
Susan Stratton
Stratton Gilmore Group
Mitchell Simpson
Arkansas Energy Office
Rosa Cassidy
Franklin Energy
Mark Chung
Virdigris
Benjie delaPena
Shared-Use Mobility Center
Monica Martinez
Ruben Strategy Group
Quinn Parker
ENCOLOR Consulting
Colette Pichon Battle
Taproot Earth
Lauren Westmoreland
Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/20/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.