The Consortium for Energy Efficiency is partnering with the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) to coordinate gas and electric utilities, evaluators, regulators, and other stakeholders to advise and inform an update to the Uniform Methods Project’s (UMP) protocols. The UMP is a collaborative project that documents industry-accepted evaluation practices for gas and electric programs.
As grid conditions evolve, industry feedback has highlighted the increasing importance of peak demand analysis, driven in part by rapid load growth such as data centers. This effort will support the CEE Evaluation Committee’s objective to advance the development of consistent and accurate approaches to estimating energy and demand impacts, which are essential to managing system costs and maintaining reliable, affordable service.
For this timely revision, key focus areas include:
This project integrates current priority CEE Evaluation Committee efforts focused on supporting program administrators who are expanding their evaluation frameworks to meet pressing policy priorities such as decarbonization, electrification, affordability, resilience and the health and safety of rate payers.
Many traditional metrics for evaluating energy efficiency programs often fall short of capturing progress against these new goals. A primary focus of the CEE Evaluation Committee is defining the time-dependent value of energy, particularly highlighting how load management contributes to decarbonizing the built environment and enhancing grid reliability. Drawing on member expertise, the Committee is exploring the impact of demand-side strategies in these contexts.
To inform this work, CEE leverages the expertise of its broad membership across portfolios, drawing on their knowledge of currently promoted measures, success criteria, and program evaluation methods to support the bi-national adoption of energy-efficient products and programs. As the energy industry evolves, CEE will continue to serve as a trusted source of utility insight. Staff are actively exploring ways to align research efforts with member needs and demonstrate program impact in a rapidly changing landscape.
CEE is overseeing a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to guide the work and ensure industry perspectives inform the revised protocols.
If you are interested in learning more about the UMP updates, or the CEE Evaluation Committee, reach out to Thomas Olson at tolson@cee1.org.