This post complements our quarterly research newsletter, which features updates on CEE's research projects. Sign up to get this information in your inbox.
ComEd Whole Home Electric measurement and verification overlay
Background: ComEd's Whole Home Electric program focuses on income-eligible home electrification within their service territory in northern Illinois. Electrification measures for these customers include all-electric or hybrid air source heat pump systems, heat pump water heaters, induction stovetops, efficient electric clothes dryers, weatherization upgrades, and electric panel upgrades. CEE’s research team will install measurement equipment on the newly installed HVAC equipment and electric appliances to monitor their performance. The collected data will then be analyzed to characterize these systems and determine the key drivers of positive program outcomes.
Update: The research team is wrapping up a year of measuring the performance at Whole Home Electrification program participant homes, and robust data analysis is well underway. The analysis is being used to evaluate energy and cost impacts from full electrification projects in income-eligible homes. The team is currently undergoing peer review on two papers for the 2026 ACEEE Summer Study that will share some major findings related to electric resistance supplementary heat use and single-family residential electric panel and service capacity requirements for full electrification retrofits.
This project is funded by ComEd.
Continuous exterior insulation
Background: Installing continuous exterior insulation (CEI) during routine re-siding projects can be a promising retrofit efficiency measure in Minnesota. Recent CARD-funded modeling work suggested that there is significant cost-effective potential for CEI within the building stock as a fuel-agnostic decarbonization method. For this project, the team will deploy CEI measures on up to eight homes to evaluate natural gas savings, carbon reduction, and cost-effectiveness. The team will evaluate the efficacy of CEI to lower heating and cooling loads, document projects to identify barriers, and model the impact of CEI.
Update: A review of the first cohort of project site installations has identified key components for future work. The primary focus for the second cohort is on retaining existing windows and addressing their effects on the design and installation of CEI. Other key factors include building geometry, utility connections, construction project management, and product selection. The project team is approaching completion for second cohort recruitment and will observe site installations throughout the summer and fall. Participating sites will receive up to $15,000 toward the incremental cost of installing CEI during a planned re-siding project. Interested participants can submit details about their homes and planned 2026 re-siding projects in our recruitment survey.
Fill out the recruitment survey
This project is supported by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources through the Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) program, which is funded by Minnesota ratepayers.
Become a commercial research participant
Update: CEE conducts nation-leading research to test emerging technologies and bring cost-effective new choices for efficiency into homes and businesses. As our research continues to grow in commercial spaces, the team is encouraging business owners and commercial building managers to join our prospective participant pool. CEE’s field research tests, verifies, and improves energy efficiency technology in commercial buildings. Some research projects offer incentives for participating businesses. Project participants provide an invaluable service by substantiating CEE’s research with real-world data and performance. We value your time and will ensure that any outreach is relevant to your building type and systems.
Fill out the commercial participant survey
MEDIA CONTACT
Tim Hanrahan, thanrahan@mncee.org
