With this October edition, MEEA is proud to have reached the 100th issue of the Policy Insider. The Midwest energy efficiency industry has experienced both meaningful policy advancements and unfortunate rollbacks over the last 100 months. Many of these advancements have taken place over the last few years, hopefully signaling that lawmakers and regulators better understand energy efficiency’s role in decarbonization. Take a look at this list of the region’s biggest stories over the last eight-plus years.
The Good
Illinois’s Clean and Equitable Jobs Act
After years of negotiation, Illinois enacted the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021. The nearly 1,000-page law touches on many elements of the energy…
This material was originally published on the Sustainable Energy Action Committee website and is republished here with permission.
In 2023, the U.S. experienced 28 separate weather and climate disasters costing at least $1 billion. That number puts 2023 into first place for the highest number of billion-dollar disasters in a calendar year. Given the increasing frequency of historic natural disasters, safe and resilient buildings are more important than ever. Inside what we see as a singular building is a complex network of components that work together to create a space that is safe, functional and comfortable. Each component—like the foundation, roof and electrical and plumbing systems—is designed and installed to a set of codes that…
Each year, MEEA is proud to provide scholarship support to dedicated students interested in attending our annual Midwest Energy Solutions Conference. With support from ComEd, we welcomed six students to last year's conference. These students had the opportunity to network with over 800 innovators and decision-makers from utilities, businesses, the public sector and nonprofits in attendance and learn about the energy efficiency industry. Many felt like they could finally see real world applications of material learned in their classes. They loved connecting with so many people working towards the same goal of energy efficiency. One even described the conference as “a crash course in the energy efficiency industry in the Midwest.” …
