June 9
Most Americans Support Transition to Renewables, Yet Are Unaware of Targets
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Three-quarters (74 percent) of Americans believe it is important that the country achieves 80-percent renewable energy generation by 2030; however, only a fraction are aware of specific clean energy targets from their governments and electricity providers, according to a new report from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC).
The far-reaching implications of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) can’t be stressed enough. It’s more than a piece of legislation, it’s a blueprint for a new way to save American's energy. The IRA provides $8.8 billion in rebates for home energy efficiency and electrification projects to ensure that no communities are left behind in the transition to a clean energy future.
As part of ongoing efforts to maintain high levels of reliability and meet growing demand, Washington State’s Snohomish County PUD crews this summer will make electric system improvements and complete preventative maintenance projects. In Stanwood and on Camano Island, PUD crews will continue their work constructing a second high-voltage transmission line to Camano Island.
A new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) examines the impact of decarbonization on household gas bills. The report examined the impacts based on two building decarbonization pathways: the electrification of currently gas-powered end uses; and the replacement of fossil gas with lower-carbon alternatives such as biogas from sources like landfills and animal manure.
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Industry News
Electric vehicles of all types will account for as much as 29 percent of new light-duty vehicle sales in the United States by 2050, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The driving forces behind the growth are declines in EV component costs, as well as federal and state policies that provide incentives for purchases or require minimum sales.
Jay Turner is having a hard time keeping up with the flood of investment in the U.S. electric-vehicle supply chain that was unlocked by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. Every week it seems there’s a new announcement, and that means he has to update his tally of the tens of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs flowing into the space.
Global energy demand rose one percent in 2022, but the rate of energy efficiency improvements was double the average of the past five years boosted by “surging” sales in more efficient technologies like heat pumps and EVs, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. In the U.S. last year, residential heat pump sales exceeded gas furnaces for the first time, making up 53 percent of heating system sales.
Electric vehicles made by General Motors will be able to use much of Tesla’s extensive charging network beginning early next year. In addition, GM will adopt Tesla’s connector. GM joins Ford in shifting its electric vehicles to work with about 12,000 of Tesla’s roughly 17,000 chargers, and both Detroit automakers are pushing to make Tesla’s connector the industry standard.
