Written by regional experts and professionals, the Midwest Consumers’ Guide is your how-to resource to best engage with the programs, technologies, practices, and advocacy efforts driving energy efficiency, electrification, and local clean energy development in the Midwest.
Dear Friends of the MREA,
Today, we have a once in a generation opportunity to improve the U.S. energy system. With recent federal legislation and supportive state policy actions, the Midwest has the potential to lead the nation in advancing building energy efficiency improvements and local clean energy development.
The next decade will be critical.
Federal legislation advanced by the Biden Administration in 2022 supports more than $500 billion in energy infrastructure and related research, development, and domestic manufacturing capacity. The investments, made over a ten-year horizon, are meant to leverage private and state investments to support economy-wide electrification, building energy efficiency, and domestic clean energy development.
Midwest states are already working to make the most of this opportunity.
States are advancing programs to deploy federal funds for home energy upgrades, solar and energy storage, electric vehicle infrastructure, workforce programs, and more. Further leveraging federal dollars, states are advancing policies and programs that support electrification, energy efficiency, solar, and energy storage.
Much of the investment is aimed at supporting households and communities that need it most.
The federal energy investments embody the goals of the Justice 40 commitment by the Biden Administration. The programs have been designed so that at least 40% of the overall benefits of federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. This is accomplished by increasing program investments for low to moderate income (LMI) households and designated geographies that have persistent negative impacts from pollution and/or energy facility closures. The increased tax credits, incentives, and program investments promise very real economic benefits.
The impact of the investments will depend on how well the programs are implemented.
Despite good program design and the proven market-readiness of the technologies, there is no guarantee that investments in home energy efficiency, electrification, and distributed energy resources will benefit consumers. The benefits, in large part, will be determined by the businesses that we choose to serve us.
For this reason, we have created this Consumer’s Guide to help us understand our options, right size our expectations, and choose a business to best meet our needs. We are pairing it with in-person presentations and networking at The Energy Fair and a podcast season focused on the technologies and programs that will support a more local, clean, and beneficial energy system.
We plan for this Guide to be the first of many, so if you have suggestions for content, are interested in writing an article, or would like to support this effort through sponsorship or advertisement, please send us an email at: info@riseupmidwest.org.
Rise Up!
Nick Hylla, Executive Director