The Clean Energy States Alliance examines community campaigns to deploy renewable heating and cooling technologies

For cities and states committed to reducing energy use, renewable heating and cooling technologies (RH&C) represent a cost-effective and high-impact option. A new report by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) profiles four community-based RH&C programs, highlighting best practices and lessons learned.

CESA's report, Community Campaigns for Renewable Heating and Cooling Technologies: Four Case Studies, describes the reasons for, and development of, community-based RH&C campaigns by featuring case studies of four of the earliest community-led efforts. Although the overarching strategy remains the same, each campaign is unique, tailored to meet the needs of its community. The four communities—Boulder (CO), Northampton, (MA), Peaks Island (ME), and Tompkins County (NY)—demonstrate the diversity of approaches to organizing, running, and funding community campaigns. They are at the vanguard of reducing thermal energy consumption and associated emissions through the widespread installation of residential and small-scale commercial RH&C equipment. These early programs can serve as guides for program design and can provide multiple "lessons learned" for launching future campaigns.

"Space and water heating combined can account for more than half of overall home energy use and are primarily served by fossil fuels," said Val Stori, CESA project director and report co-author. "Despite their enormous potential, RH&C technologies face market barriers beyond those faced by renewable electricity and have traditionally received less attention from policymakers. RH&C technologies can help communities decarbonize the building sector."

Transitioning the thermal sector to RH&C technologies would lead to significant greenhouse gas reductions and help cities and states achieve their climate and energy goals. RH&C technologies such as air-source heat pumps, ground-source heat pumps, solar thermal, heat pump water heaters, and advanced biomass pellet boilers can use renewable energy sources to provide space heating and cooling and domestic hot water. These technologies can be used for whole home applications or for supplemental heating and cooling.

The report is available on CESA's website at https://www.cesa.org/resource-library/resource/community-campaigns-for-renewable-heating-and-cooling-technologies-four-case-studies.

CESA will host a two-part webinar series to discuss the report. The first webinar will take place on July 29, 2019 and will feature guest speakers from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the City of Boulder, Colorado. Read more and register here: https://www.cesa.org/webinars/community-campaigns-for-renewable-heating-and-cooling-technologies-part-1/.

This report was developed with support from the Roy A. Hunt Foundation. The views and opinions expressed in the report are solely those of the authors.

CESA's Building Electrification through Renewable Heating and Cooling project works with its member states to evaluate RH&C technologies and to develop policies and programs that support best practices to further develop the market for renewable thermal technologies. Learn more at https://www.cesa.org/projects/renewable-heating-and-cooling/.

###

About the Clean Energy States Alliance: The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) is a national nonprofit coalition of public agencies and organizations working together to advance clean energy. CESA members—mostly state agencies—include many of the most innovative, successful, and influential public funders of clean energy initiatives in the country. CESA works with state leaders, federal agencies, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to develop and promote clean energy technologies and markets. CESA facilitates information sharing, provides technical assistance, coordinates multi-state collaborative projects, and communicates the positions and achievements of its members. For more information, visit www.cesa.org.

CONTACT:
Samantha Donalds
Communications Coordinator
Clean Energy States Alliance
samantha@cleanegroup.org
Ph: 802-223-2554 x204