The Russian government's decision to invade Ukraine puts into sharp contrast the deep entanglement between energy, security and geopolitics. Now more than ever, the European Union needs unity and resolve in its response and a focus on resilience in the face of interlinking crises. Authors from Ember, E3G, Bellona and RAP have collaborated to identify the indis...

A growing number of states have considered reforms to their net metering practices in recent years, a period of decreasing prices for distributed energy resources, rapid changes in technology and evolution of the electricity system.  Depending on its design, a net metering program can advance specific policy goals while maintaining sound principles of rate de...

The running costs of clean heating technologies are a subject of fierce debate. Often misinformation is derailing a common understanding of how much it costs to heat homes with heat pumps in the UK. This analysis shows that if they are designed and installed well, heat pumps can be cheaper than gas boilers, the main home heating technology used in the UK. Hous...

In a roundtable webinar discussion, RAP staff highlighted what states can do (and are doing) on a variety of topics — from performance regulation to system planning to rate design — to navigate the energy transition with the customer’s interests always a top priority. The panel also discussed opportunities stemming from federal action....

The European Union is entering a crucial decade in its energy transition, with the 55% climate goal representing a step change in ambition. Energy efficiency is expected to play a major role in achieving necessary reductions in energy consumption across buildings, transport and industry. Enacting the Energy Efficiency First principle will require reliable data on...

Vermont's Global Warming Solutions Act requires that greenhouse gas emissions from thermal end uses (heating and hot water) be reduced by at least 15% below 2018 levels by 2025 and then by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. This report, published by Energy Action Network, describes a performance-based program, the Clean Heat Standard, that would create a path for Vermo...

In late 2020, we recommended that the European Commission align the Energy Efficiency Directive’s energy savings obligation with the 2050 climate goal. It took a first step towards achieving this objective in summer 2021. In its proposal, energy savings derived from the installation of technologies that directly combust fossil fuels are excluded for the purpose...