Clean Energy Works

In a significant step toward advancing energy affordability in Virginia, Governor Spanberger has signed HB 1062, authorizing a feasibility study to assess the market potential of inclusive utility investments for Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company. The move signals growing recognition that inclusive utility investment can support affordability, grid resilience, and address increasing energy demand from data center growth.

A dedicated group of legislators, including Chief Patron Phil M. Hernandez, Chief Co-Patron Adele Y. McClure, and co-sponsors Katrina Callsen and Dan I. Helmer, along with the Southern Environmental Law Center Virginia (SELC), championed this effort to deliver effective solutions for Virginians facing high energy costs.

While the legislation focuses on a feasibility study, it establishes an important foundation for future inclusive utility investment pilots in Virginia. Inclusive utility investment has already been approved by state energy regulators in ten other states, raising confidence that it will be deemed feasible for Virginians.

The feasibility study is expected to be completed by November 1, 2026, with future program requirements due by May 1, 2027.

Read more on our website: https://hubs.la/Q04gBFqw0

Congratulations to the Stars of Energy Efficiency honored at the Alliance to Save Energy Gala, which recognizes and awards leaders driving us to an affordable clean energy future.

Paula Glover, ASE President and Chair of the Clean Energy Works Board, grounded the evening in the power of energy efficiency to improve people’s lives and its central role as the fastest, lowest cost way to address skyrocketing energy demands.

ASE recognized Calvin Butler, President & CEO of Exelon, for championing the meaningful impact that efficiency can have on customers and communities across the 10.8 million customers at six utilities served by their company.

ComEd of Illinois (an Exelon company) led byCEO Gil Quinones was honored for their work to bring resilience to customers and the grid. ComEd’s leadership to support Illinois’s Equitable Efficiency Upgrades Program guidelines reinforces that ComEd is working to bring inclusive utility investments for active efficiency to their entire customer base.

As we continue advancing inclusive financial solutions for all, we’re energized to work alongside leaders and partners committed to building a more affordable and resilient grid. Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners!

On March 24th at the 2026 The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Hot Water and Hot Air Forums, Matt Flaherty, Clean Energy Works Deputy Executive Director, took the stage with fellow panelists, Matt Malinowski (ACEEE), Iain Kerr, P.Eng (Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors), and moderator Dr. Jenny Frank (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry) for a session called Affordability through Innovation in Financing and Program Design.

Matt’s presentation, titled "Harnessing Grid Value and Operational Savings to Drive Heat Pump Access and System Affordability", explained how two emergent policy solutions can be paired to broaden access to heat pump upgrades while also reducing costs for all utility customers.

The presentation addressed opportunities to:

🔹 Improve grid utilization, especially in a load growth
environment, by avoiding and deferring infrastructure costs
🔹 Compensate distributed capacity to augment operational
savings of clean energy upgrades.
🔹 Address the upfront cost barriers to weatherization and high-
efficiency heat pump upgrades by leveraging operational
savings
🔹 And thus, help scale DER adoption to drive greater peak
reduction and increase demand flexibility potential

Adopting distributed energy resources (DERs), like residential heat pumps, at scale can help reduce peak demand and increase grid flexibility. Utilities can also enhance household benefits by recognizing and compensating the value of DERs.

Matt’s presentation highlighted how inclusive utility investments provide a vehicle to deliver these significant benefits to more households, overcoming many systemic barriers to accessing clean energy upgrades.

Connect with us to learn more about how these approaches can drive widespread heat pump adoption and tackle affordability: https://www.cleanenergyworks.org/connect/

Did you make it to NRECA ?

Clean Energy Works Deputy Director of Strategic Impact, Max Toth, joined Chris Woolery (Mountain Association) and Erik Hatlestad (Rural Power Coalition) at the National Rural Electric Cooperatives’ annual Tech Advantage conference to meet others who work with electric cooperatives and discuss innovative solutions to the issues facing the energy landscape. Max found that one theme consistently emerged: as the data center boom continues to drive load growth, co-ops are interested in how flexibility can support their grids.

We’re eager to continue learning more from others in the electric cooperative space and deepen our understanding of how co-ops seek to navigate load growth.

Clean Energy Works Deputy Director of Strategic Impact, Max Toth, will be at NRECA Tech Advantage from Sunday to Wednesday. Connect with Max to learn how electric cooperatives have the power to improve member-owners’ comfort and energy affordability while adding grid flexibility.



📍 Nashville, TN
🗓️ March 6th - March 11th

Join AESP on March 5th for a webinar, Advancing Energy Affordability and Home Electrification for Everyone with Inclusive Utility Investment, featuring Clean Energy Works’ Senior Associate of Building Decarbonization, Kai Palmer-Dunning alongside CET President, Ashley Muspratt, and Amanda Sachs, State Policy Manager from Rewiring America.

Attendees will learn how inclusive utility investment differs from traditional energy financing models, hear real-world examples and outcomes that benefit renters and low-income households, and dive into policy, regulatory, and capital sourcing strategies that scale equitable clean energy access.

🗓️ March 5, 2026
⏱️ 1pm ET
🔗https://hubs.la/Q044_FXw0

Our team member Max Toth, Deputy Director of Strategic Impact, represented Clean Energy Works at the NARUC 2026 Winter Policy Summit to discuss critical issues impacting the energy and utility sector with industry leaders, stakeholders, and regulators.

A recurring topic was the value of increasing grid utilization from all manner of end uses: EVs, heat pumps, battery storage on both sides of the meter and how the rapid deployment of data centers are increasing demand and shifting the energy landscape. Virtual power plants (VPPs) can be the key to unlocking the speed and flexibility needed to meet the load growth from data centers.

However, driving this solution at scale requires solutions to overcome current market constraints stratified along income lines. There are only so many households who can afford and are willing to install enrollable devices. Driving adoption and installation of these devices as part of energy services offered by the utility on the same terms as any other utility investment -- through inclusive utility investments – offers a different vision of how to scale VPP impact.

Get in touch to learn more: https://hubs.la/Q044CGg70

We recently shared our 2025 year in review! This newsletter highlights notable progress from states leading the charge on inclusive utility investments, celebrates the accomplishments of our partners, and shares must-see content from Clean Energy Works.

Read the full update: https://www.cleanenergyworks.org/2026/02/19/2025-year-in-review/

Not subscribed? Sign up here: https://www.cleanenergyworks.org/connect/

Last week, Aaron Fernando (Shareable), Kyle Crider (The People’s Justice Council), and Chris Woolery (Mountain Association) talked to John Farrell on Local Energy Rules, a biweekly podcast from The Institute for Local Self-Reliance that dives into energy democracy and locally rooted solutions.

The conversation centered the Rural Power Coalition’s new Member-Owner Organizing Toolkit (https://hubs.la/Q042SyqZ0) , a free resource designed to help rural communities get involved with their local electric cooperatives. Aaron, Kyle, Chris, and John highlighted inclusive utility investment ( https://hubs.la/Q042Swy00 ) as a unique financial model to for member-owners to access weatherization and efficient equipment upgrades and how these policies are win-wins for member-owners (including renters) and utilities alike. They also share real-world examples of success including high rates of cost recovery in Eastern Kentucky,and how a inclusive utility investment program directly led to a 4% rate decrease in Ouachita, Arkansas.

Listen to the full episode: https://hubs.la/Q042SxC80

Access to the toolkit: https://hubs.la/Q042SyqZ0

Jennifer Layke, Executive Director of ACEEE, recently highlighted the critical importance of energy efficiency during severe winter weather. With many Americans already struggling to pay high utility bills, prolonged stretches of severe cold increase the risk of dangerous indoor temperatures, especially for those in poorly insulated and leaky homes. Lakey calls on policymakers to consider energy efficiency standards and programs as part of their service in protecting the public, employing the full array of tools at their disposal to ensure new homes are more efficient and to invest in improving existing ones. Inclusive utility investment (https://hubs.la/Q0426VNC0) is among those tools to ensure everybody can access homes which can act as “a frontline defense against extreme weather,” as Layke aptly states.

We appreciate the considerations highlighted in ACEEE’s latest blog post: https://hubs.la/Q0426Sv10

Connect with Clean Energy Works Deputy Director of Strategic Impact, Max Toth, at NARUC Winter Policy Summit next week. How can utilities drive grid flexibility and customer affordability into their grid at the same time? Find Max to find out!

📍 Washington D.C.
🗓️ February 8th - February 11th