Continued research around energy efficiency is important for ensuring reliable delivery of energy efficiency, providing insight on how to improve and focus programs for more effective delivery, and identifying new opportunities to support long-term efficiency goals. Collectively, this research enables the region to ensure that efficiency is available and reliable and acquired at the lowest cost feasible. To support these ends, the Council recommends continued support of these five main areas of research: evaluation, market research, regional stock assessments, emerging technology research, and end-use load research.
Evaluation
Evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V) is a critical component of understanding the impacts of energy efficiency measures and provide insights to efficiency program effectiveness. Many of the region’s utilities (or Bonneville, on behalf on their customer utilities) have robust EM&V protocols and should continue to do so. The RTF classifies measures it reviews based on the certainty of savings and provides guidance for data to be collected by utilities during measure installation. Utilities should collect all pertinent measure information to help ensure cost-effective and equitable application of ratepayer funds. Additionally, utilities should plan EM&V activities in accordance with the RTF guidelines to ensure consistent and reliable determination of energy efficiency across all measure types.
Market Research
Market research provides thoughtful insights to characterizing the prevalence of efficient products available in the market, the availability of contractors and other experts who are available to install these efficient products, and identify where the largest gaps in efficiency adoption exist. Over the past several years, the region has increased its investment in market research, providing important information needed to refine and focus efficiency programs on the most promising opportunities. This research also provides data needed by the region’s utilities, the Council, and the RTF to develop baselines necessary for estimating energy savings opportunities going forward. NEEA plays a critical role in data gathering for this research by bringing together its market expertise and using the economies of scale of being a regional entity. Bonneville, Energy Trust of Oregon, and the region’s utility programs also have a significant role, particularly as it comes to gathering insights to address specific local questions or needs.
Regional Stock Assessments
The region, through NEEA, has conducted regional stock assessments to provide snapshots the building stock. These stock assessments are critical for estimating energy efficiency for the power plan, tracking overall progress for energy efficiency, load forecasting, grid-flexible readiness, energy efficiency measure development, and numerous other uses. They are an important complement to the market research outlined above. Stock assessments for residential (including multifamily) and commercial sectors should be conducted on a regular basis, preferably every five years.
The Council also recommends the region invest in another stock assessment for the industrial sector (including water and wastewater), with particular focus on motors and motor-driven systems. To the extent practical, data gathered on motor and motor-driven systems should also include the agricultural sector, as the region has a long-standing gap of information on this sector. For this work, we recommend that the region build on existing utility data and leverage efficiency program experts knowledgeable with these facilities as a starting point for this assessment.
Emerging Technology Research
New innovations in efficient technologies are critical to identifying cost-effective energy efficiency. Research is needed to understand the efficacy and applicability of potential technologies before they could become part of a utility program. This effort includes scanning for new emerging technologies, pilot studies to provide case studies for program opportunities, field research to verify real world savings. With less lower cost energy efficiency than in prior years, and greater competition with generating resources, another focus of emerging technology research is exploring cost reduction opportunities and identifying those paths forward that provide the most efficiency benefit at the lowest costs. To meet all these needs, the region should continue to support this research through NEEA, with regional universities and national labs, as well as through other collaborative efforts.
End Use Load Research
Understanding the timing of energy use, as well as the timing of energy savings, is critical for identifying those measures that provide more value for the power system. For many years, the region relied primarily on the End-Use Load and Consumer Assessment Program (ELCAP) research conducted in the late 1980s to characterize the timing of energy savings. Recently, through coordination at NEEA, the region has undertaken a new effort to meter and characterize energy use in residential and commercial buildings. The findings from this research are critical for understanding how we use energy today, as well as to inform on the timing of when newer technologies might save energy. With the recent Covid-19 pandemic changing how people live and work, it will be important to understand how energy use has shifted and whether some of these shifts will continue as the new normal. Fortunately, the region’s latest efforts include multi-year metering that will capture these shifts in energy use. Continued support of this research is critical for ensuring that we can answer these questions, provide the insights need on which measure save at which times, and identify areas of potential opportunity for future load reduction through new energy efficiency opportunities.