CEE convenes energy efficiency program administrators to identify promising technologies and services, then analyzes and prioritizes opportunities for market and program readiness. Those that measure up to the CEE development and vetting process move forward for Board consideration. If approved, the result is a CEE initiative, which frequently provides a market assessment, a North American strategy, roles for individual program administrators, and acceleration leverage points for the opportunity. Many initiatives include performance specifications that define levels of efficiency coinciding with technically achievable performance.
Among the many factors scrutinized are the magnitude of potential energy savings for the product or service across US and Canadian markets, technological feasibility, safety, the potential for long-run cost-effectiveness for the customer, the product's ability to provide equal or greater consumer amenity than standard products, and regulatory considerations.
As members voluntarily adopt initiatives and specifications into a local program, market participants are rewarded, and availability of efficient products and services begins to accelerate. Member programs help to create a critical mass of demand across the United States and Canada and aid manufacturers in recovering investment costs. While individual programs act independently and are subject to local mandates and regulation, through their support of CEE initiatives, administrators move markets for individual consumer benefit, attainment of their own program objectives, and public benefit at large. To find out how you can participate in this valuable work, contact CEE.