Utility energy efficiency investment hit record $8.8B in 2023: ACEEE

Utilities are investing more than ever to reduce bills and cut emissions, but the increases are concentrated in just a few states, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy concluded in its policy scorecard. 

By Robert Walton • March 19, 2025

Microgrids called a low-burden way to ensure backup power

Facilities managers can lower upfront costs and avoid disruptive maintenance checks by subscribing to a resiliency-as-a-service platform, a microgrid executive says.

By Robert Freedman • March 17, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Building Electrification

Decarbonization goals are spurring building electrication efforts across the U.S. While the use of heat pumps and other technologies is expanding, some policies are facing legal challenges.

By Utility Dive staff

New York state offers $5M for existing building energy innovations

Providers that have already received federal, state, local or other incentive funds can receive up to $1 million to accelerate development of their energy efficiency solutions, the state energy research authority says.

By Joe Burns • March 17, 2025

Gas appliances suffer setback in Washington state

A federal court ruling in Seattle will make it more expensive for builders who prefer to install or support natural gas appliances, critics say.

By David Weisenfeld • March 12, 2025

Utilities should consider heat pump-specific rates to encourage adoption: ACEEE

Winter discounts and technology-specific electric rates can help homeowners save money with heat pumps, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy said.

By Robert Walton • March 12, 2025

21 House Republicans oppose cutting clean energy credits to pay for tax cuts

“Both our constituencies and the energy industry alike remain concerned about disruptive changes to our nation’s energy tax structure,” the letter led by Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said.

By Lamar Johnson • March 11, 2025

Amazon expands use of in-house AI tools to conserve water, reduce energy use

The tools have helped identify underground water leaks, faulty energy meters and malfunctioning refrigeration equipment at its facilities, the company says.

By Brian Martucci • March 11, 2025

ComEd offering $100M in rebates to drive EV growth in Illinois

The program is meant to grow electric vehicle adoption by reducing charger installation costs in homes, businesses and public sites.

By Larry Avila • March 7, 2025

Avista, PG&E, Ameren AI demonstrations show great potential – but are other utilities ready?

New artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms can optimize complexities across the power system if utilities and regulators can make data more accessible — and protect it, experts say.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 7, 2025

Massachusetts cuts $500M from state’s energy efficiency program

Eversource Energy thanked state regulators “for listening to customer concerns about affordability and taking the difficult action.”

By Robert Walton • March 5, 2025

Massachusetts to deploy 100 bidirectional EV chargers in first-of-its-kind ‘V2X’ pilot

The program is available for residential, commercial, municipal and school customers and could add 1.5 MW of flexible grid capacity by September 2026, program partners said.

By Brian Martucci • March 4, 2025

Are EVs the best approach to transportation equity? Maybe not, TEI report says

EVs’ high costs and the need for public charging make them less viable for many low-income communities, the Transportation Energy Institute says. It suggests a more inclusive approach.

By Dan Zukowski • March 3, 2025

Charging ahead: Strategies for utilities to navigate the EV crossroads

Powering the EV future. Smart grids, demand management and resilient infrastructure. Is your utility ready?

By Electric Power Engineers • March 3, 2025

Grid equipment manufacturers anticipate 2% annual US load growth through 2050

Federal policy and incentives will play a key role in meeting the demand, according to National Electrical Manufacturers Association CEO Debra Phillips.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 26, 2025

Trump pauses implementation of new DOE appliance efficiency standards

“The people, not the government, should be choosing the home appliances and products they want at prices they can afford,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 24, 2025

Outdated billing systems are holding back the energy transition

To deliver pricing and market innovation that accelerates the energy transition, utilities will need modern billing technologies.

By Emma Rodvien, Senior Manager for North American Regulatory Affairs and Market Development, Kraken • Feb. 24, 2025

Transformer supply bottleneck threatens power system stability as load grows

Electric transformers are critical to managing power system reliability. Solutions to the bottleneck are emerging, but long wait times remain.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 12, 2025

Carrier unveils data center strategy, growth in Q4 HVAC sales

The company said it is working with U.S. utilities to provide an end-to-end integrated battery heat pump solution with automated controls that can run the system using stored energy during peak hours.

By Joe Burns • Feb. 12, 2025

ABB and Samsung offer user-friendly energy management platform

Samsung previously launched SmartThings Pro, which extended the smart home technology to commercial environments. 

By Robert Freedman • Feb. 12, 2025

Ionna EV charging network moving forward

The automaker-led joint venture remains committed to rolling out public charging infrastructure, despite the suspension of government funding.

By Larry Avila • Feb. 11, 2025

New York loans Revel $60M to expand NYC public EV charging

The financial arrangement is “an important and replicable precedent” to accelerate electric vehicle charging, NY Green Bank President Andrew Kessler said.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 11, 2025

Toyota’s expanded $14B North Carolina EV battery plant ready to roll

The batteries produced at the facility will be used in hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fully-electric vehicles built in North America.

By Larry Avila • Feb. 10, 2025

The EV managed charging problem no one wants to talk about

As EV programs grow, utilities face a choice: authorized integrations and partnerships or screen scraping.

Feb. 10, 2025

DOT suspends Biden’s $5B electric vehicle charging network effort

Most of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funds have already been awarded to states, however, and some observers say the Trump administration cannot end the program with just a memo.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 7, 2025

Boston expands net-zero emissions requirements to new buildings, large additions

The zoning change requires most new buildings to be net zero when they open. The city previously set similar performance standards for existing buildings.

By Joe Burns • Feb. 3, 2025