National Grid recently unveiled a new plan to address emissions in three carbon-intensive sectors across its Northeast operating territory of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. The Northeast 80x50 Pathway lays out a proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 through decarbonization efforts focused on heating, power generation and transportation.

Austin Energy was recognized this week with SEPA’s 2018 Power Players Public Power Utility of the Year Award. The awards highlight those aiding transitions to cleaner energy, as chosen by an independent panel of judges and hosted by SEPA. Award winners are then recognized at a July summit in Washington, D.C.

Ameren Illinois has selected Tendril to implement a behavioral energy efficiency and customer engagement platform, the companies announced recently. The utility will also work with program administrator Leidos to overhaul home energy reports and offer customers high-usage alerts to help them better control their demand.

Smart thermostats, connected lighting and electric water heaters offer customers greater awareness and control of their energy consumption – and they're becoming a more important part of the broader connected-home landscape. By 2023, 28 percent of U.S. households will deploy smart thermostats; 36 percent will have at least one voice assistant device and use the device as a smart home control platform.

Phone applications and other devices that help manage home energy use are growing in popularity, but accessibility to new grid technology remains a persistent problem. A recent University of Chicago survey found racial and income gaps in awareness about smart meters, and most efficiency apps that help consumers manage their home energy use rely on data derived from these meters.

Two major international automakers have joined with utilities, environmental advocates and other companies on pushing a set of goals that could aggressively pave the way toward greater adoption of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure throughout the U.S. The Transportation Electrification Accord offers what signees call a road map for electrification of the transportation sector both for individual and fleet vehicles.