February 2
Duke Energy Offers New EV Charger Rental Program
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
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In North Carolina, Duke Energy recently launched the Charger Solution program – an electric vehicle charger rental program to lease its chargers monthly, including hardware, warranty and maintenance offerings. Approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission in August 2023, the program offers a variety of charger options for business and residential customers alike, on different pay scales.
Owners of electric vehicles are more likely to add solar panels to their homes, and, conversely, there is a correlation, though less strong, between owners of homes with solar panels buying an electric vehicle, according to a new report from the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The study is based on a survey conducted in 2018 as part of the WholeTraveler Transportation Behavior Study that looked at 869 households in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Last week, four states became the first to officially apply for Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Home Energy Rebate program funding. California, Hawaii, New Mexico and New York submitted their applications for the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) programs, marking the first significant step towards getting these programs up and running in 2024.
An amended filing with the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) would see Ameren Missouri offer 25 programs over the next three years, with $205 million in offered rebates and incentives, and $70 million in expanded programs for the income-eligible and social services. If approved, the programs would run from 2025 to 2027.
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Industry News
One installation at a time, a solar nonprofit that matches socially conscious investors’ cash with lower-income homeowners is spreading the benefits of solar in North Minneapolis. Solstar was formed three years ago by solar entrepreneur Ralph Jacobson following his retirement from IPS Solar, the pioneering Twin Cities’ solar company he founded three decades ago earlier.
Lumin’s home electrical panel and load management tools will soon be integrated with Sunnova’s energy control platform, the companies announced today. The companies are betting that the enhanced intelligent load management capabilities will be a boon in a time when growth in demand response capacity is projected to be immense. Lumin’s out-of-the-box smart panels will be available to homeowners through Sunnova’s dealer network starting in the first quarter of this year.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) finalized its energy efficiency standards for residential cooking appliances. The standards – which take effect in 2028 – are designed to reduce household utility costs while improving appliance reliability and performance. These standards are projected to save Americans approximately $1.6 billion on their utility bills over 30 years.
With an announcement last week, the Biden administration has cleared up which parts of the country can access lucrative tax credits for installing electric vehicle chargers. Now it needs to clear up exactly which parts of an EV charging installation are eligible for the credit – otherwise, the incentive program could fail to generate interest from project developers who need financial certainty before moving ahead with costly charger installations.
