American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

What American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy does

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 1980 and headquartered at 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC, that develops and advocates for energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. The organization produces independent, data-driven analysis across buildings, transportation, industry, utilities, behavior, international, health and environment, and federal/state/local policy verticals, with a stated focus on equitable access to clean energy. Its core offerings include the State and Local Policy Database (covering all 50 states, territories, and 100+ cities), the City, State, and Utility Energy Efficiency Scorecards, the SmarterHouse consumer guide, and GreenerCars vehicle rankings. ACEEE also operates programmatic initiatives — most notably the Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity (R2E2) launched in December 2022 with Elevate, Emerald Cities Collaborative, and HR&A Advisors, the Leading with Equity Initiative, Energy Equity for Homeowners, and Energy Equity for Renters — providing technical assistance, toolkits, and convenings for state, local, and tribal governments and community-based organizations.

Name

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Legal name

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Website

https://aceee.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ACEEE is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit research organization founded in 1980 that produces independent, data-driven energy efficiency policy analysis, scorecards, and technical assistance programs serving state and local governments, utilities, and community organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: ACEEE operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals who support energy efficiency and climate research.
2. Research Publications and Reports: Sale and distribution of research reports, fact sheets, policy briefs, and toolkits to policymakers, utilities, and organizations.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACEEE is a nonprofit research organization that develops independent, data-driven analysis and policy frameworks to advance energy efficiency across buildings, transportation, industry, utilities, and behavior. It produces research reports, scorecards, policy databases, toolkits, and delivers technical assistance programs to governments, utilities, and community organizations to reduce energy waste and combat climate change.

Product overview

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is a nonprofit research organization that develops policies to reduce energy waste and combat climate change. Rather than a single product, ACEEE offers a portfolio of research tools, databases, programs, and educational resources. Core offerings include the State and Local Policy Database tracking energy efficiency policies across sectors, the City/State Energy Efficiency Scorecards providing rankings, and specialized initiatives like the Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity (R2E2) program, Leading with Equity Initiative, Energy Equity for Homeowners, and Energy Equity for Renters. Supporting tools include SmarterHouse (home energy guide) and GreenerCars (vehicle efficiency rankings). ACEEE also produces research reports on topics including data center energy demand, heat pump technology, and zero-emission freight, while hosting conferences like the Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings and offering webinars and working groups for knowledge sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State and Local Policy Database A comprehensive database tracking energy efficiency policies at state and local levels across government, utilities, transportation, buildings, combined heat and power, and appliance standards. Includes city and state rankings from the City and State Energy Efficiency Scorecards, with downloadable CSV files for bulk data access.
• Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity (R2E2) Partnership initiative providing deep technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments and community-based organizations to jumpstart energy upgrades for affordable housing, especially in frontline communities.
• Leading with Equity Initiative Initiative convening community-based organizations and utilities to jointly define success for equitable decarbonization, embedding equity priorities across ACEEE's City, State, and Utility Scorecards.
• Energy Equity for Homeowners Initiative Initiative working to advance energy efficiency in owner-occupied housing, particularly for low-income homeowners and homeowners of color, with technical assistance to local governments.
• Energy Equity for Renters Initiative promoting affordable, energy-efficient housing for renters through technical assistance to local governments and development of the Energy Equity for Renters Toolkit (available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Somali, and Swahili) and an interactive Policy Tracker.
• SmarterHouse Online guide by ACEEE to energy savings in the home, covering building envelope, appliances, heating equipment, air-conditioning, lighting, and electronics for homeowners.
• GreenerCars Comprehensive rankings tool for evaluating vehicle energy efficiency, helping consumers find how efficient their car is.
• Working Groups Convenes working groups focused on identifying best practices for expanding energy equity, improving low-income energy efficiency programs, and multifamily energy efficiency programs, providing technical assistance to members.
• Understanding Energy Affordability Policy brief providing an overview of energy affordability across the US, defining energy burden and examining how burdens vary across urban and rural areas and for certain households including multifamily, elderly, nonwhite, and low-income.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy efficiency programs cost $21/MWh vs $45-$108/MWh for new gas plants
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ElevatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Elevate is a nonprofit that designs and implements programs to ensure everyone has clean and affordable heat, power, and water. As R2E2 partner, Elevate provides guidance on municipal and community programs for building energy upgrades.
• Emerald Cities CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022National nonprofit network advancing sustainable environment while creating just and inclusive economies. Contributes expertise in economic inclusion, workforce development, labor standards, and community benefit agreements.
• HR&A AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Employee-owned company advising public, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic clients on increasing opportunity and advancing quality of life in cities.
• People's Climate Innovation CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Strategic advisor providing guidance and community-driven capacity building support to help strengthen and shape delivery of key investments to frontline communities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): Nonprofit clean-energy research and consulting organization producing data-driven analysis on energy efficiency, buildings, and grid transformation. RMI operates in adjacent topic areas (buildings, industry, utilities) and competes for the same philanthropic and policy-maker attention as ACEEE.
• Energy Foundation: Philanthropy-focused nonprofit that funds and coordinates energy efficiency and clean-energy policy advocacy across U.S. states. Directly comparable as a fellow funder and convener in the energy-efficiency policy ecosystem that ACEEE operates in.
• Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP): Global nonprofit providing expert technical and policy assistance to energy regulators on energy efficiency, utility regulation, and decarbonization. Highly comparable in its regulator-focused mission and technical-assistance delivery model.
• Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI): Nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to promoting sustainable energy policy through information dissemination to Members of Congress and the public. Closely comparable as a fellow energy-efficiency policy research and education organization serving federal policymakers.
• Elevate: Nonprofit designing and implementing energy-efficiency programs for affordable housing and underserved communities. Directly comparable as a fellow R2E2 partner organization working at the intersection of building retrofits, energy equity, and program implementation.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Large environmental advocacy organization working on energy efficiency, climate, and clean-energy policy. Comparable in publishing influential research and policy analysis that informs federal and state regulators, though NRDC operates across a much broader environmental portfolio.
• Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC): Washington-based think tank producing cross-ideological policy analysis on energy, infrastructure, and economic issues. Comparable in publishing data-driven research that informs federal and state policy, with significant overlap on energy efficiency and buildings topics.
• Green Building Council (USGBC / LEED): Nonprofit that administers the LEED green-building rating system. Comparable in driving energy efficiency in the buildings sector, with significant overlap on building codes, performance standards, and policy advocacy.

Emerging players

• National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO): Nonprofit association representing state energy offices that design and implement energy efficiency programs. Comparable as a peer in the state-policy energy-efficiency ecosystem, particularly in delivering technical assistance to state and local governments — overlapping with ACEEE's R2E2 audience.
• Atlas Public Policy: Policy analytics firm building data platforms and policy research on clean energy, transportation electrification, and building decarbonization. Comparable as a data-driven clean-energy policy research shop, with a more technology/analytics orientation than ACEEE's traditional report-based model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACEEEdc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ACEEEDC/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/myACEEE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aceee
• Instagraminstagram.com/aceeedc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy