The Energy Office received a $746,048 Department of Energy grant in December 2011 to analyze and enact methods to significantly improve Nevada’s regulatory and policy environment for implementing energy efficiency projects in existing commercial buildings. The goal of the program is to shift the way that commercial retrofit projects are evaluated, implemented and financed, from both an energy-savings and financial return perspective, and to create a plan for implementation that will increase the number of retrofit projects accomplished each year. Approaches and best practices of other utilities, states, and nations have been examined, existing policy and legislation were reviewed, and recommendations were developed and designed around the unique circumstances of the state.
The University of Nevada, Reno, Business Environmental Program (UNR-BEP) was awarded a sub-grant to research current economic development and energy policies and address specific barriers to commercial building energy efficiency retrofits, with a particular emphasis on financing barriers.
Reports
The following white papers and reports have been prepared by UNR-BEP under this grant project:
Assessment and Recommendations: Alignment of Nevada Economic Development Policy & Energy Policy White Paper. October 30, 2013
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Development of a Nevada Energy Policy Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Model: A Decision Support Tool White Paper. November 2013
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Key stakeholders, including the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, investor-owned utility NV Energy, SWEEP (Southwest Energy Efficiency Project), Nevada’s rural electric cooperatives and other public power utilities, UNR, and other stakeholders met periodically over the first two years of the grant to discuss UNR-BEP's evolving research results and draft recommendations.
Now that stakeholder deliberations and recommendations have been completed, the results of UNR’s analyses and modeling, along with recommendations and input from key partners and stakeholders, will form the foundation for an implementation plan that will increase the number of future commercial building energy efficiency retrofits.
The Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy established eight key working groups to develop implementation plans and action strategies for each of the recommendations.